LeBron James, in peak playoff form, went nuclear again in a critical spot and hit a game-winning three-pointer to seal a three-point win for the Cavaliers. His game-winner was only three of his 44 points. His incredible scoring performance was complemented by ten rebounds and eight assists, along with a steal. LeBron, as usual, was also very efficient. He shot over 50% from the field (14-24) and made all 15 of the free throws he attempted.
Game Five recap
The LeBron led Cavaliers team is now up for the first time in the series, taking a 3-2 lead with the win tonight.
Even though every game the Cavaliers have won has been close, it seems like their squad is finally starting to gel together. Kyle Korver was once again money from behind the arc, making five of his nine deep balls and dropping 19 points total.
Kevin Love struggled to score for the second game in a row, but he managed to score 11, most coming on his six made free throws. Although Love has been somewhat of a liability on offense lately (2-11 tonight), his rebounding and defense have improved as the series has drawn on. LeBron and the Cavaliers will need both of them to step up if they plan on moving forward, not only in round one but further in the playoffs as well.
The Pacers, unlike the Cavaliers, have been sputtering of late.
After Victor Oladipo's explosion early in the series, he's been downright poor the last few games. In game five, he shot a measly 5-20 from the field, and tonight, it didn't get any better, as he shot a very inefficient 2-15. Over his last three games, he's shot a combined 12-50, just 24 percent from the field.
Outside of Oladipo, who will most likely be the most improved player of the year, the Pacers struggle to generate offense elsewhere.
Domantas Sabonis, the team's backup center, was the leading scorer for the Pacers tonight, but only scored 22 of the team's 95 points. In order for the Pacers to get back in this series, they'll need Oladipo, their star all year long, to bounce back and have a few good games in a row.
Keys Going forward
For both teams, the offense has come at a premium, with only two games being decided by a score over 100.
The Cavaliers, who had major defensive questions coming into the postseason, have turned up the intensity, predominantly on Pacers' guard Victor Oladipo. It looks like Cavaliers' coach Ty Lue wants to trap most of the possessions where he gets the ball, and thus far, it has worked.
For the Cavs, LeBron will have to continue his stretch of dominating basketball for them to close out the series. He's averaging just under 35 points per game in this series, and his team has needed all of it. Kevin Love is due for a bounce-back game after two games of below 25% shooting, and paired with the hot shooting of Kyle "Mr. Fourth" Korver, the Cavaliers have put all the pressure back on the Pacers to win game six of the series.
In order for the Pacers to get back in this series and tie it up back at their home court, the offense needs to get going. The team shot a combined 30 percent from deep, which isn't going to cut it when playing against such a hot shooting team like the Cavaliers.
Victor Oladipo needs to find a way to get easier and better shots, as his performance has dropped significantly in the last three games. The Pacers need early series Oladipo to come back, and another starter needs to step up as Bojan Bogdanovic did earlier in the series.
This matchup is far from over. As we've seen all series long, it can come down to a game winner or a matter of 30 seconds down the stretch that decides a game. Game six brings the Pacers back home, a place they've defended well in the past.
