The Cavs and Donovan Mitchell pulled up to Game 1 like they were still riding high from the Orlando sweep — chest out, clean suits, ready to remind the East who’s boss. Then the Pacers showed up with running shoes and absolutely no chill. Indiana dropped 121 in Cleveland’s house, and it honestly felt worse than the final score. Mitchell & Co. got hit with the “we’re not in Disney World anymore” moment.

Let’s call it what it was: Indiana dictated the pace, tempo, and basically the entire vibe of the game. While Cleveland was clanking threes (9-of-38, Mitchell a rough 1-of-11), Indiana was flying. Transition buckets, drive-and-kick ball movement, and surgical offense had Cleveland’s defense spinning.

“We didn’t have the best pace,” Evan Mobley admitted. “We don’t practice at that pace… everything’s high intensity.” Translation? The Pacers turned the game into a track meet, and the Cavs forgot their sneakers.

Donovan Mitchell, who poured in 33 but looked visibly gassed in the second half, kept it honest in his own way: “We missed shots we make. But… we got to find a way to still win this game even though we don’t make shots.” That’s the truth right there. This team’s margin for error isn’t big enough to rely on shooting alone. And with Darius Garland still nursing a sprained toe, the playmaking vacuum is real. Nobody was putting pressure on Indiana’s defense consistently, and when the shots stopped falling, the Cavs had no counterpunch.

Mobley hinted at the biggest adjustment they’ll need: “Getting a little bit more stops and get out in transition in our favor… and just keep attacking.” Right now, Cleveland’s playing reactively. The Pacers are playing free. In fact, Tyrese Haliburton didn’t even need to go nuclear.

That honor went to Andrew Nembhard—yes, that Nembhard—who caught fire and didn’t miss, dropping 23 with five triples like he’s been waiting his whole life to ruin someone’s playoff bracket. Indiana shot 19-of-36 from deep, moved the ball like it was a scrimmage, and basically treated the Cavs’ defense like cones at shoot-around. Meanwhile, Cleveland looked like they’d spent the last week rehearsing slow-motion offense. The tempo was off, the spacing was tight, and defensively… let’s just say Indiana never really broke a sweat.

Looking Ahead for Game 2: Don’t Panic, But Do Adjust

Now, no one’s saying this series is over. One home loss doesn’t cancel a season. But if Cleveland thinks Indiana’s going to slow down and let them play their half-court, grind-it-out game… they’re in for a long week. Donovan Mitchell tried to keep things grounded: “It’s not easy to go 16-0… we’ll be fine, and we’ll be better.”

But here’s the rub — this ain’t about perfection. It’s about adaptation. You let a younger, faster team run the way Indiana did tonight, they’ll keep running until you make them stop. Mobley gets it. “It helps to make shots and slows their transition up as well,” he said. “We’ll talk about different adjustments tomorrow.”

So, what needs to be fixed for Game 2?

For starters, better shot selection is a must — too many rushed, contested threes contributed to Indiana’s transition game. Cleveland also needs to apply more pressure in the paint, both on offense and defense. When they got to the rim, finishing and kick-outs were a struggle, letting the Pacers control the flow.

On the defensive side, urgency is key. You don’t let Andrew Nembhard go off for 23 and 83.3% from deep unless you’re half a step behind. And coaching-wise, it might be time to look at some rotational tweaks. Too often, Cleveland looked flat and couldn’t generate a spark. Atkinson needs to pull the right strings to shift the energy and keep up with the Pacers’ speed.

One thing about playoff basketball — it exposes who you are. The Pacers came in loose, confident, and aggressive. The Cavs? They looked like they were still shaking off vacation mode. That’s a dangerous vibe when you’re trying to make a deep run. Indiana just punched first. Cleveland better be ready to punch back Tuesday night, or this series could spiral quick. The good news?

They’ve been here before. Donovan’s not panicking. Evan’s not pointing fingers. “Don’t hang our head, just be ready for Game 2,” Mitchell said.