The Cavaliers' big three have combined for 89 points as Cleveland took a 2-0 playoff series lead over the Indiana Pacers.
After giving up a late lead and squeaking out the opener by just a point, James and Co. showed more intensity on defense, more swagger in general and held on to win their 10th straight first-round game over the past three seasons.
The Pacers trailed by as many as 18 as Nate McMillan had no sense to remove Lance Stephenson from a Kevin Love onslaught, but a gutsy fourth quarter pushed IN to as close as four points IN the final minute. James tallied 25 points and corralled 10 rebounds, while Love added 27 points and pulled in 11 caroms in the win.
If there was a game for the Indiana Pacers to come in and take the wind out of the sails in the defending champion's house, it was the first one.
Regardless of how far the Pacers can push this series, it will be another offseason of turnover as he looks to find the right combination of talent around Paul George, but at the very least, that turnover should include a new head coach, one that doesn't get thoroughly outcoached in back-to-back playoff games.
If a decently open C.J. Miles 14-foot jumper would've gone in at the final buzzer, it could've changed the complexion of the entire series immediately, but the Cleveland Cavaliers dodged a huge bullet and took a 1-0 lead with a 109-108 victory.
Prince William and Lady Gaga join forces in mental health campaign
Along with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge , he started the "Heads Together" campaign previous year to end the stigma around mental health.
"Our mindset is how to help each other, we can't worry about if they're losing their composure", James said.
"He's got to learn to control himself". The All-Star point guard for Toronto says his latest Game 1 failure doesn't just feel familiar, it's even worse than those that came before. The Cavs were just 14 of 27, the kind of performance that often comes back to bite a team - and almost did.
"We all know that Lance is an emotional guy". However, center Tristan Thompson had eight points and 13 rebounds in 31 minutes of play. A lot of it is his heart and his competitiveness, that emotion comes out on him. "We understand that, but we've got to be smart also". C Al Jefferson was active, but didn't play.
The 23-year-old Robinson averaged 6.1 points and 3.6 rebounds in 69 games. He's been out since March 26 with a sprained left ankle.
Jeff Teague was knocking down key shots at key moments in the final period, the biggest coming with 3:32 left in the game to give the Pacers a 105-103 advantage for the first time since the opening quarter. He needs 37 points to pass Kobe Bryant (5,640 points) for third place in National Basketball Association playoff scoring history, and needs two more rebounds to pass Robert Parish (1,765 rebounds) for eighth in postseason history.
The third ended with Kyrie Irving tossing in a 3-pointer over Stephenson and jawing at him to punctuate the play he made before heading back to the Cavs' bench for the quarter break. The Pacers went 29-19 at home during the regular season.
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