The Indiana Pacers didn't just tie up their first-round NBA playoff series with the Cleveland Cavaliers, but they blew the Cavs out. The Pacers trounced the Cavaliers by a score of 121-87 and did it in dominating fashion. The game was physical with LeBron James getting hit hard early in the game due to a shoulder from Thaddeus Young, opening up a cut above James' eye. Kevin Love was also knocked out of the game. Love went down hard twice, including getting knocked out of the game following a collision with Myles Turner in the third quarter. Love did not return and the Cavs couldn't keep up with the speed of the Pacers.
After the game, both head coach Tyronn Lue and his star player LeBron James had some things to say about the loss.
Tyronn Lue places blame
After the game, Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue talked about the injury to Kevin Love. Love went down hard early in the game with what looked like an arm injury but stayed in the game. However, after he took the fall after the collision with Myles Turner, Love went to the bench and was seen talking to trainers about his head.
According to Lue, the Kevin Love injury problems might be attributed to fatigue. With the Cleveland Cavaliers lineup not up to the level of past years, Love has been expected to cover more players than usual and he is getting tired.
Lue said that the fatigue is due to Love having to chance around the quicker players on the Indiana Pacers team, and that is causing the rash of injuries in this playoff series.
LeBron speaks out on playoff loss
LeBron James had a simpler explanation. James said that the Indiana Pacers shot 15-of-30 from the 3-point line in Game 6 and that the Cleveland Cavaliers will never win a basketball game when they allow a team to shoot that well from the three.
LeBron also said that the team had way too many turnovers and they have to "clean it up" if they want to win this series.
LeBron James had four turnovers, while Kevin Love, Kyle Korver, J.R. Smith and Rodney Hood all had two. As a team, the Cavaliers shot 41.8 percent while the Pacers shot 56.3 percent from the field and 50 percent from the three.
"We've got to clean it up."
— NBA TV (@NBATV) April 28, 2018
LeBron James shares what the Cavs will need to do to win Game 7 at home.#GameTime pic.twitter.com/EG9PgV0BJi
LeBron James did touch on Kevin Love. He said that the team has to keep going to Love in the game. He did say that Love had a lot to do with their winning in the past but Love has to step up and make his shots -- but there will be games where players miss shots and it isn't just Love because he is so important to their success.
"If we want to move on to the next round, Kev has to be a big part of it," James said.
A reporter then asked if LeBron James buys into the thought that there is more pressure on the Cleveland Cavaliers than the Indiana Pacers since they are a more experienced team and they have Game 7 at home.
LeBron was hilarious in his answer, saying it sounded like the reporter just made that up because it isn't true since the Cavaliers are a new team that was just formed in February.
LeBron on the narrative that there's more pressure on the Cavs than the Pacers to win this series:
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) April 28, 2018
"I feel like you just made that up" pic.twitter.com/K6sq5lJ7iZ