CLEVELAND — In a must-win game, the Cleveland Cavaliers knew they had to give it their all. Inside Rocket Arena on Tuesday, it wasn't enough. A historic 64-win regular season, a sweep of the Miami Heat in the first round of the playoffs, all coming to an end with a 114-105 loss to the Pacers.
The Cavs opened up the first quarter on a far different note than their abysmal Game 4 in Indiana. A slower start picked up midway through the first frame as Cleveland took a 31-19 lead.
In the first half, the Cavs had established a 19-point lead, looking dominant and in control. However, Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton caught fire in the second quarter and by the end of the first half had shot 5-6 from three. With Haliburton's efforts, among other sharp shooting, the Pacers cut their deficit down to as low as one point.
The Cavs closed out the first half with a four-point lead. In the third quarter, they lost it.
The four-point lead for Cleveland coming out of the half quickly flipped the other way as the Pacers put together a 19-2 run and claimed a lead. At one point in the third quarter, Indiana owned a 12-point advantage. Before the end of the third quarter, the Cavs had cut their deficit to nine points.
With the season on the line, the Cavs had 12 minutes to pull out a win.
Cleveland opened the fourth quarter on a 15-4 run. They cut the deficit down to one. The Pacers wouldn't go away easily, keeping the Cavs at bay through the remainder of the game.
The Cavs' postseason ends with their second-straight second-round exit. Now, the future of the group is up for plenty of questions and what the roster looks like next season remains to be seen.
