CLEVELAND — In retrospect, the last opportunity the Cavs had to impose any measure of will on the Eastern Conference semifinals came with 10:52 to play in the third quarter of Game 5.
The Cavs had watched a 19-point second quarter lead disappear almost entirely and they led by just four points at halftime. But they scored the first two baskets of the second half to build the lead back to eight and for a moment it seemed certain they were about to bring it back to double figures.
Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard was falling out of bounds and threw a risky pass to center Myles Turner at the top of the key. Cavs All-NBA guard Donovan Mitchell picked it off easily and had a clear path to the basket and a clear lead on Turner for what should have been an easy fast-break layup or dunk.
However, Mitchell slowed up as he approached the rim, perhaps in hopes he could get Turner to foul him. Turner didn’t, however, and when Mitchell tried to flip in a layup, Turner pinned it off the backboard. Cavs wing Max Strus followed the play and got the rebound, but Nembhard recovered from the turnover and swatted Strus’ putback attempt out of bounds.
The Cavs got the ball still, but the Pacers got a stop. They didn’t score on the next possession, but Turner got the next bucket on a turnaround jumper to cut the deficit to six. Evan Mobley answered with a 3-pointer to make it a nine-point game, but the Pacers then answered with a 21-2 run to go up 75-65 taking control en route to a 114-105 series-clinching win.
“People look at playoff victories and often times point to great scoring performances and triple-doubles and stuff like that,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. “Series-defining plays often times are loose-ball effort plays. Myles with that rundown block, that was key. I don’t remember what the score was, but it was such an amazing momentum play that it took away some of their juice. They were in the process of making a big run.”
Turner didn’t get a chance to meet with the media Tuesday night for logistical reasons — if he was available it was during podium news conferences for Andrew Nembhard, Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam — but everyone was talking about his block.
Nembhard obviously was thrilled about it because it helped negate the effect of his turnover.
“Those are the little plays that maybe go unnoticed sometimes, but they’re huge,” Nembhard said. “That could’ve been an easy two points, momentum swing type of play. You talk about giving the extra little percent. That was one of those plays where he gave it. He gave me an opportunity to make another block. Big play by Myles.”
That was Turner’s second of four blocks. He didn’t have a great night shooting, making 3-of-7 field goals, but he also had seven rebounds and the Pacers were +12 in his minutes.
“Unbelievable play, man,” Haliburton said. “I think we just had so many different guys make plays throughout the course of the game, but I thought that play was huge because we started the third quarter on some (expletive.) Excuse my language, we started the third quarter rough. Rough. Myles I thought made a huge play right there. Drew came down and made another big play, as he should because he turned it over. But I think that right there kinda got us going right there in the third because we started slow. We just kinda rode the wave from there.”
Said Siakam: “Shoutout Myles because obviously he could’ve been frustrated in the game. Maybe he didn’t get involved on offense as much or whatever, but that’s what Myles do, man. He just kept fighting and he made big plays for us.”
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