Cleveland Cavaliers star Darius Garland was defiant with the media after his team suffered a brutal 20-point blowout loss to fall behind 3-1 to the Indiana Pacers.
The Cleveland Cavaliers got steamrolled in the first half of Monday night’s Game 4 as the Indiana Pacers built the largest halftime lead in NBA playoff history: an astounding 41 points. Scoring 80 in one half is wild on its own, but doing it against the top-seeded Cavs, who won 64 regular-season games, took it to another level.
Indiana set the bar sky-high, and matching it won’t be easy. But can the Cavs respond by winning three straight? Garland, for one, believes they can.
Darius Garland Makes Feelings Clear on the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Chances
Game 4 Breakdown
Credit Pacers coach Rick Carlisle—he made the right adjustments from Game 3, targeting the middle of Cleveland’s preferred 3-2 zone defense.
Evan Mobley, often at the top of the zone, looked lost all night. Indiana’s attack was deceptively simple, built around kick-outs and pick-and-rolls, leading to a staggering 37 team assists. The Pacers pounded the paint for 58 points, slicing through the Cavs’ interior like butter.
Myles Turner, Pascal Siakam, and Obi Toppin each scored 20-plus, and most of those looks were wide open.
More concerning for Cleveland? Carlisle kept his team grounded afterward, saying “We haven’t done anything yet.” Smart coaching. No complacency. Just one win left to go.
Garland’s Optimistic Tone
Can the Cavs flip the script and erase a 3-1 deficit? Garland isn’t counting them out: “This group can do it. We have the talent. We have the skill set. The camaraderie is always there.”
He’s not wrong. Winning 64 games says plenty. Cleveland finished first in offensive rating and points per game. The firepower is there—they just need to unlock it again — and fast.
Stopping Indiana’s relentless pace should also be a top priority.
MORE: Donovan Mitchell Rallies Teammates Amid 3-1 Deficit
Garland, despite dealing with a toe injury that sidelined him earlier in the playoffs, showed up in Game 4 with 21 points and six assists. Even if he’s not at 100%, the Cavs need every bit of him the rest of the way.
Health is the biggest hurdle. Mobley and De’Andre Hunter are banged up. Donovan Mitchell missed the second half of Game 4 with an ankle injury and remains questionable for Game 5.
Mitchell is the engine. He dropped 91 combined points in Games 2 and 3. If Cleveland wants a shot, he has to play—and he needs help.
The odds are stacked against them. But Garland left no doubt when he said, “This franchise has been down 3-1 before.”
That’s a clear nod to the 2016 Finals comeback against Golden State. The situations aren’t quite the same—but the message is: Garland and the Cavs still believe. It starts on Tuesday night.
