Cleveland’s Comeback: Injuries Fade, Grit Shines in Must-Win Game 3
Pressure can break a team, or it can light a fire. For the Cleveland Cavaliers, the flames burned bright in Game 3 after back-to-back stumbles had them staring at a daunting 0-2 hole. Everyone in Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse felt it—a season teetering. But with their backs against the wall, the Cavs finally got healthy, and it showed.
Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and De'Andre Hunter weren’t just back in uniform for the first time this series, they were back making a difference. Garland, banged up and rusty early, soon found his groove, finishing with 24 points and 10 assists. He pushed the tempo and ran the floor like a man determined to turn the tide. Mobley helped stabilize things inside while Hunter stretched Indiana’s defense, opening lanes for the Cavs' scorers.
Still, no one shone brighter than the perpetual pressure-cooker that is Donovan Mitchell. Whenever Indiana tried to rally, Mitchell responded—step-backs, slashing drives, even deep threes. His 43-point night wasn’t just about filling up the stat sheet; it was the energy jolt Cleveland’s offense had missed. The crowd fed off his crazed scoring runs, and the team followed suit.
Defense, Fast Breaks, and a Shift in Momentum
The Cavaliers had looked like a shell of themselves defensively in Games 1 and 2. But in this one, they brought the grit. Indiana, running their free-flowing offense with confidence, suddenly found bodies in their way. The Cavs started trapping high, forcing errant passes, and leaping into passing lanes. They capitalized with fast breaks and easy buckets in transition, flipping the script from earlier games where they’d trailed in nearly every hustle stat.
Coach J.B. Bickerstaff also shook up his rotations. That energy off the bench, with fresh legs and a lot to prove, kept the pace relentless. Cleveland’s game plan focused on out-running and out-working the Pacers—finally exploiting Indiana’s patchy transition defense which had largely gone untested until now. Every Indiana turnover seemed to lead to a Cavaliers dunk or three-point bomb, and the Pacers never found a way to contain it.
The Pacers tried making runs, relying on their own firepower, but could never string together stops on the other end. Cleveland’s lead only grew, and with every made shot and defensive stand, the team’s belief swelled. No longer were they just surviving—the Cavs looked like they’d rediscovered what made them contenders in the first place.
Trimming Indiana’s series lead to 2-1, Cleveland left the court with more than just a blowout win—they left with a message: this series is far from over. Their stars finally healthy, their defense locked in, the Cavaliers showed they’re here to fight for every inch.