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Undermanned Cavs provide Game 2 hope, only to have it dashed by Tyrese Haliburton | Ulrich
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- Undermanned Cavs provide Game 2 hope, only to have it dashed by Tyrese Haliburton | Ulrich
CLEVELAND — Tyrese Haliburton's punch to the collective gut of Cavaliers fans landed with so much force it could practically induce vomit.
The Cavs' championship hopes were placed on life support in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Tuesday, May 6, at Rocket Arena.
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In a classic case of Cleveland sports heartbreak , the top-seeded Cavs blew a 20-point lead and lost 120-119 to the fourth-seeded Indiana Pacers after Haliburton drained a step-back, game-winning 3-pointer with 1.1 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
The Cavs trail 2-0 in the best-of-seven, second-round playoff series, and they're severely banged up with Game 3 on deck May 9 in Indianapolis. It will take a minor miracle for Cleveland to rally for four wins against Indiana and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.
In what could have been the final Cavs home game in a historic season, their fans witnessed an all-time letdown, and several ingredients combined to make it such a brutally disappointing outcome.
Let's start with Haliburton. The two-time All-Star guard was recently voted the most overrated NBA hooper in The Athletic's annual anonymous player poll. As Haliburton shot free throws with 21.8 seconds left in the second quarter, Cavs fans serenaded him with "overrated" chants.
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Cavs All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell appeared to think it was a bad idea to give Haliburton fuel. Mitchell motioned with his arms for the crowd to quiet the chants. Nevertheless, they resurfaced when Haliburton returned to the free-throw line with 8:20 left in the fourth quarter.
Haliburton got the last laugh.
May 6, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen (31) and forward Dean Wade (32) help guard Donovan Mitchell (45) up in the fourth quarter during game two of the second round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs against the Indiana Pacers at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images
With the Cavs ahead 119-116, Haliburton drew a foul against Cavs guard Ty Jerome and split a pair of free throws to cut Cleveland's lead to 119-117 with 12.4 seconds remaining. After Haliburton missed the second foul shot, Mitchell and Cavs center Jarrett Allen both jumped for the rebound, but neither of them secured it.
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As Allen boxed him out, Pacers center Myles Turner tipped the ball, and Haliburton caught it off the deflection in the paint. Then Haliburton dribbled back to nearly half court, reset and delivered the dagger 3-pointer over Jerome.
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After scoring 11 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter, Haliburton said he fed off the "overrated" chants.
"Sure, yeah," said Haliburton, who played through an injury to his left, non-shooting wrist. "That one was unexpected. I didn't know we had beef, but, yeah, I guess, good for them, man. That came out of nowhere, but it's just I think now that that label's there, that's what it's going to be every time we play somebody.
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"Every time on the road, it'll probably follow me until the next poll comes out, and then we'll see if I'm No. 1 again. But for me, I just control what I can, man. And, yeah, I mean, overate that."
Mic drop.
May 6, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) celebrates his game-winning three-point basket in the fourth quarter during game two of the second round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images
As for Haliburton's clutch rebound, Mitchell said he should have grabbed the ball instead of allowing Turner to get a piece of it.
"Right place, right time," said Turner, who tied forward Aaron Nesmith with a team-high 23 points. "At times, it just happens. Basketball gods will bless you."
Those deities have cursed Cleveland lately.
To win a title, talent, coaching, health and luck are needed. On the heels of a 64-18 regular season and a 4-0 sweep of the Miami Heat in the first round of the playoffs, the Cavs are receiving reminders about how cruel life in the NBA can be. They stayed relatively healthy for the vast majority of this season, yet they're suddenly decimated by injuries when it matters most.
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All-Star forward Evan Mobley (sprained left ankle), All-Star point guard Darius Garland (sprained left big toe) and wing De'Andre Hunter (sprained right shooting thumb) were ruled out shortly before Game 2 tipped off. Their statuses for Game 3 are uncertain.
All three of them were on the Cleveland bench during Game 2, but Mobley, the NBA Defensive Player of the Year, appeared to walk with a substantial limp. Mobley and Hunter sat out for the first time in this year's playoffs. Garland has missed the past four games after aggravating a regular-season injury in Game 2 against the Heat.
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It's obvious what a huge blow those injuries have dealt the Cavs. Fully aware the team is in a tough spot, Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson spent more than six minutes during his pre-Game 2 media availability sounding off about non-calls on Game 1 plays resulting in Mobley and Hunter's injuries. He also took exception to a non-call on an Allen dunk in Game 1.
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"In my opinion, all three of those plays were excessive," Atkinson said. "Now the NBA doesn't agree with me, and that's fine. But I would say we need to have a real discussion.
"There's a lot of moving parts. There's competition committee. There's ways to get this done."
May 6, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) reacts in the fourth quarter during game two of the second round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs against the Indiana Pacers at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images
To make matters worse, Mitchell has been playing through a calf strain the Cavs have not listed on their injury report. Still, he vowed to play in Game 3 after repeatedly putting his body on the line by attacking the basket en route to a game-high 48 points on 15-of-30 shooting from the field (1 of 7 on 3-pointers) and 17-of-21 shooting from the free-throw line. A Game 2 performance Pacers coach Rick Carlisle called "heroic" was ultimately wasted in a loss.
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The Cavs led by 14 points entering the fourth quarter. And although the Pacers stole the momentum, the Cavs still led by seven points when Mitchell made two free throws with 57.6 seconds left, putting them ahead 119-112.
"A minute left. Up seven. Can't lose that game. Just gotta be better," said Cavs small forward Max Strus , who had 23 points, eight rebounds, four assists and a backbreaking turnover in crunch time.
The final sequence in which Haliburton went to the free-throw line with 12.4 seconds left was preceded by Strus' inbounds pass intended for Jerome being stolen by Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard with 27.5 seconds remaining.
"For whatever reason, we couldn't get separation," Atkinson said. "It was just a theme. I felt like the last part of the game, whether it was side out of bounds, whether it was an offensive possession, whether they made it, we tried to get in, I just felt like [we] ran out of gas. Can't get open, and, listen, they upped their physicality, but it's the playoffs. It's grab, hold, foul. It's just what it is, and we couldn't fight through that."
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No matter how shorthanded the Cavs were, their poor late-game execution is inexcusable. A successful inbounds pass shouldn't be too much to ask of a team with championship aspirations.
For much of the night, the Cavs got the job done, and they were the scrappier bunch. They summoned the intensity they lacked in Game 1, especially on defense. They led the Pacers 32-15 at the end of the first quarter, 61-50 at halftime and 98-84 at the end of the third quarter. Despite being undermanned, the Cavs led for 42 minutes, 15 seconds. The Pacers led for just 3 minutes, 29 seconds.
"They were kicking our ass for a long time," Carlisle said.
It makes the loss all the more devastating for Cleveland. The Cavs were in control but collapsed.
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A somber mood permeated the locker room afterward. And as good as the Cavs have been this season, it's difficult to envision them fully recovering from Haliburton's haymaker.
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cavs' Game 2 loss to Pacers a classic case of Cleveland heartbreak
