The Land Before Time: Cavs Pre-Game Thoughts
May 9, 2025 vs Indiana (Game 3)
“Over? Did you say over? Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor??” - Bluto
If you believe the Cavs are toast, stop reading here. This article is not for you.
Nobody ever said it was going to be easy, folks. Nothing worthwhile ever is. And that is certainly the case for an NBA Championship. The Cavs got off to a near perfect start in pursuit of that title. Tonight, the hard work officially begins.
A million words have been written about how the Cavs blew their 20-point lead in Game 2. Another million words have been written about the things that could have been done to change that outcome. So we won’t go there in this preview. Hopefully the lessons have been learned by Kenny and the Cavs. It’s now time to move forward.
In spite of the two losses, there are some major positives to take away as the Cavs head to Indiana. It’s apparent that the Cavs have more talent and are the better team. Indiana has successfully mitigated those advantages through physicality, both good and illegal, and some stellar shooting. Obviously, the injuries to the Cavs have also helped the Pacers. It’s hard to re-watch both games and not see how even just Darius Garland could have been a game-changer in both.
Tonight, we get Darius Garland back, and likely Evan Mobley and De’Andre Hunter as well. The Cavs offense should therefore be more familiar tonight. The shooting woes of Games 1 and 2 should be helped by the new weapons that will force Indiana to defend more shooters and cover more of the court. If all goes well, the Cavs’ offense can run the Pacers ragged and wear them down like the Pacers wore down a shorthanded Cavs team in Game 2. The simple addition of Garland will also help relieve some of the burden on Donovan Mitchell, who’s performance in Game 2 should be revered for a long time in Cleveland in spite of the loss. He reminded me of Lebron James in the 2015 and 2018 Finals, doing everything in his power to snatch a victory against all odds. I’ve always thought that the Cavs could have won the 2015 Finals with just one of Kyrie or Kevin Love playing every game. It would have given the Cavs another reliable scorer to take the pressure off Lebron and make the Warriors divide their defensive attention. Tonight, I hope Garland can do the same thing for Mitchell.
If the Cavs are healthy tonight, I hope they are also able to bring another level of physicality to the Pacers. Take what the Pacers are doing an shove it right back in their faces. Through two games, the Pacers have 18 blocks and have won the rebounding battle. Flip that script tonight and #LetEmKnow that this series is not over.
I don’t know about everyone else, but I am pumped for tonight’s game. Nothing is as sweet as beating a team that has everything going in it’s favor. The Pacers have had that the first two games. Tonight we flip the script, turn the tables, and punch the Pacers right back in their home arena.
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