Ed Puskas: Cavs miss Dellavedova’s grit

The Indiana Pacers are going to remember this first-round NBA playoff series against the Cavaliers.

Barring a huge reversal of fortunes, they’re not going to remember it fondly.

The Pacers had their chances. They could have won Game 1. Same for Game 2. But the Cavaliers gutted out two close wins.

After Indiana built a 25-point halftime lead in Game 3, by any measure the Pacers should be down only 2-1 going into Game 4 today.

But with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love watching from the bench, LeBron James — still the best player in the NBA any time he wants to be — and the Cavaliers’ role players dominated the fourth quarter in a 119-114 victory Thursday night.

It might have been the worst loss in Pacers history, given that they blew such a big lead and factoring in what was at stake.

But enough about Indiana. The Pacers — even with Paul George — are merely a speed bump as the Cavaliers make their way toward the Eastern Conference finals again.

They’re “Defending The Land,” remember, even if they’re having issues defending.

Despite that, Cleveland was able to make stops at key points in all three games to secure victory. Indiana has been far worse defensively.

Remember Love repeatedly abusing Lance Stephenson in the second half of Game 2? How about George failing to make a switch on Irving when it mattered most — on an inbounds play in the same game? That gaffe was the clincher for the Cavaliers with the Pacers scrambling to come back.

But can the Cavs keep doing just enough to get by at the defensive end?

Cleveland fans have been grousing about the Cavaliers’ defense most of the season. Just wait until the playoffs, James and his teammates responded.

Well, we’re there and even though Cleveland can complete a first-round sweep today, the Cavaliers have yet to flip the switch on the defensive intensity.

Maybe that’s because spark plug and defensive wizard Matthew Dellavedova left in free agency after Cleveland’s NBA championship run last June.

The Cavs elected to let Dellavedova go, figuring the team could get back to the NBA Finals without him.

That could happen. The rest of the Eastern Conference is not exactly a Murderer’s Row. They’re beating each other up as the Cavs toy with the Pacers.

But sooner or later, Cleveland will draw a foe that isn’t Indiana soft and that’s when the Cavaliers will really miss what Delly gave them. Most of the rest of the league felt he was over-the-top or even dirty, but however you felt about him, his contributions often changed the tempo and the course of games.

There was also an element of his game that couldn’t be measured. Dellavedova probably shamed some of his teammates into sacrificing themselves for a charge or getting back quicker to stop a fast break.

This Cavs team is missing that grit and a rim protector. The Pacers haven’t been able to exploit those deficiencies, but maybe a better team does.

Write Vindicator Sports Editor Ed Puskas at epuskas@vindy.com and follow him on Twitter, @EdPuskas_Vindy.