Game 4 Observations: A No-Show At the Worst Possible Time

Hard to think of a worse loss than that one.

INDIANAPOLIS — One of the things that stood out during the first round series the Cleveland Cavaliers played against the Miami Heat was the sense of desperation that they played with in the two games in Miami. It is very difficult for a team to be able to manufacture a sense of desperation when they’re not actually desperate.

That’s what makes Sunday night’s Game 4 no-show by the Cavs all the more shocking. The Cavs lost this game 129-109, but the score doesn’t do justice to what happened in Game 4. This was not a 20-point loss, this was much worse.

This was a 41-point loss.

That’s how much the Cavs trailed the Pacers by at halftime. Indiana led 80-39 after the first 24 minutes. Nothing the Cavs did in the first half was successful. Not anything on offense, not anything on defense, not anything head coach Kenny Atkinson tried to adjust to. Nothing.

It was, without question, the worst half of basketball that the Cavs have played this season. It might be the worst half of basketball that the team has played since assembling the “Core Four” back in 2022.