Pacers at Cavaliers
LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers had two full days off to consider a rare terrible performance and a loss in a first-round game, and more aggression from the superstar at the start seems to be the answer. The fourth-seeded Cavaliers will try to even the Eastern Conference series at one win apiece when they host the fifth-seeded Indiana Pacers in Game 2 on Wednesday.
Cleveland was down 25-8 in the first quarter on Sunday before James attempted his first field goal, and coach Tyronn Lue suggested that he needs to force the issue, no matter what the defense is giving him. "He has to be aggressive and set the tone early," Lue told reporters after Monday's practice. "We talked about that today ... being aggressive early, setting the tone, especially for these new guys, bringing these guys along. He understood that, but once again, he's always a guy trying to get his teammates off early, get them guys going, then try to feel the game out. But be ready to set a tone." The Pacers dominated on both ends of the floor in the 98-80 Game 1 triumph but they are not satisfied. "We've got to be better," Indiana point guard Darren Collison told the team's website. "There's some things that we can improve on that I was looking at in the film. We can do better in a lot of different areas. We can't just take Game 1 and say we don't have to (make) any improvements. We can be better."
TV: 7 p.m. ET, TNT, FS Indiana, FS Ohio (Cleveland)
ABOUT THE PACERS: All-Star guard Victor Oladipo scored a game-high 32 points on 11-of-19 shooting on Sunday and keyed the defensive effort with four steals. "No surprise at all," veteran forward Thaddeus Young told reporters of Oladipo's performance. "We all know what Vic can do and we know what type of player he is. He's a very dynamic player and when he steps out on the court, you're either going to have to double him or you're going to have to stop him." The Pacers also got a big boost from reserve swingman Lance Stephenson, who embraced the challenge of guarding James and added 12 points in 17 minutes off the bench.
ABOUT THE CAVALIERS: All-Star forward Kevin Love grabbed 17 rebounds on Sunday but finished with just nine points on 3-of-8 shooting. "I think part of it is on me just to be more aggressive, to get post touches," Love told reporters. "Sometimes, I fall into my own trap of just spacing everybody. That allows other guys to get downhill, 'Bron to play his game. But I think just mixing it up even when he's not in the game, getting in the post a little bit more, getting offensive rebounds, getting more touches in there. ... That's partially on me too with just coming out and attacking first and being more aggressive." Cleveland shot 38.5 percent from the floor in Game 1, including 8-of-34 from 3-point range.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Cavaliers PG George Hill took a hard screen from Pacers F Trevor Booker in Game 1 and was dealing with a stiff back but participated in practice on Tuesday.
2. James recorded his 20th career postseason triple-double on Sunday, second all-time behind Magic Johnson (30).
3. Indiana SF Bojan Bogdanovic is 2-of-13 from 3-point range in his last three games, going back to the regular season.