Indiana Pacers 98-80 Cleveland Cavaliers: 5 Talking Points

#2 The Pacers outplayed and outhustled the Cavs

Collison hustles for the ball with LeBron James

On the opening night of the playoffs, the Cavs have been able to flip the proverbial switch for the last 3 seasons and turn the heat up on their opponents. That did not carry over into this postseason, however, as they gave up a number of easy buckets, got into the penalty in the first 3 quarters and their on-ball defense was off on the night.

The Pacers, for their part, put their heart and soul into making every single play tough for the star-studded Cavs playing on home court.

For the best part of the game, the Pacers looked like the team that wanted it more. Every time the Cavs made a run from the second quarter onwards, the Pacers answered with a run of their own till Ty Lue sat his starters with over 2 minutes remaining in the 4th quarter.