Cavs blew a 7-point lead with under a minute to go in Game 2…but the series isn’t over yet...

Tyrese Haliburton missed a free throw, grabbed his own rebound, and hit a three with 1.1 seconds left, and just like that, the Cavs blew Game 2 at home. Pacers win 120-119 and take a 2-0 lead in the series. I’m sick

We were up 119-112 with under a minute to go. Donovan Mitchell was going off. And then the collapse began. Nesmith scores. Siakam scores. Then Max Strus throws one of the worst inbounds passes you’ll ever see, right to Nembhard

Haliburton goes to the line, hits the first, misses the second, gets it back, steps out behind the arc, and hits the dagger. A 20-point lead…gone. Just sickening

Even Rick Carlisle admitted it. “We got lucky.” No kidding

Donovan Mitchell put this team on his back: 48 points, 9 assists, 5 rebounds, 4 steals

Before the game, I tweeted that Donovan Mitchell getting close to 20 assists was more important than him dropping 40+ tonight. Why? Because if we were going to tie this series up, we needed him to create easy looks and get the rest of the team going

Instead, we got

48 points from Mitchell (15-of-30 FG, 17-of-21 FT)

Just 9 assists, and it felt like Mitchell had to do everything for the offense

And a loss, because getting 48 from one guy is never going to be a sustainable playoff recipe

Mitchell is now 1-9 in the playoffs when attempting 30+ shots. It’s not rocket science to figure out why. When one guy is forced to carry the offensive load, defenses load up, teammates stand around, and you lose

Yes some of the supporting cast did step up

Max Strus had 23 pts, 8 reb, 4 ast. He showed heart and hustle all night

Jarrett Allen was efficient with 22 pts (7-9 FG), 12 reb

Sam Merrill chipped in 14 off the bench, including 4 threes

But the rest simply weren't good enough. We needed more from Ty Jerome (2 pts in 27:52), Isaac Okoro (5 pts in 29:27), Dean Wade (3 pts in 29:44), Javonte Green (0 pts in 10:13), and Craig Porter Jr. (2 pts in 3:42)

And I’ll say it, yes, there's been a lot of talk about who wasn't playing, and rightfully so. Unless Garland (toe), Mobley (ankle), or Hunter (thumb) physically couldn’t walk, they should’ve been dressed. Even in a reduced role, on a minutes restriction, they could've given us short bursts. Well at least tried. There's guys on other teams who are playing through injuries cause it's the playoffs. Give us a few minutes. You don't have to be yourself, you just have to try. That’s my stance and I’m not changing it. So come Friday, all three better be suited up, even if it’s limited minutes

Still, not enough is being said about who did play. Ty Jerome, CPJ, Green, Okoro, Wade, they needed to do more. Period. This game needed someone from that group to step up, and they didn’t

And honestly, I’m shocked Tristan Thompson didn’t get any run. I would've asked him for 3-4 fouls, a couple of rebounds, and a few physical minutes. That’s what playoff vets are for

You can’t have your stars empty the tank like Mitchell, Strus, and Allen did and get almost nothing from the rest. That’s just not how you win in May

If we want any shot at getting back in this series, it has to be a FULL team effort. Mitchell going nuclear every night isn’t gonna cut it

This is the first time since 1996 that we’ve dropped the first two games of a series at home. And we’ve now lost 6 of our last 13 playoff games in Cleveland. That’s not a home-court advantage, that’s a problem

Kenny Atkinson said “We outplayed them most of the game… but ran out of gas”

Meanwhile Carlisle said the Pacers “just hung on” and “found a way.” Yeah well we found a way to choke it

Strus had 23, Allen had 22 and 12, Mitchell was incredible. But it doesn’t matter. We folded when it counted. Up 98-84 entering the fourth quarter and still lost

Nembhard had 13 points, 13 assists, and somehow 8 turnovers. Haliburton only had 19, but 11 came in the fourth. He was quiet until it mattered

This one hurts. Mobley and Hunter both got hurt on plays that weren’t even called fouls in Game 1. Garland hasn’t played since Game 2 of the Heat Series. And now we’re down 0-2, heading to Indiana

I don’t even have words. We had it. We just gave it away. I tried to sleep on it but I’m even more pissed

Looking ahead : (I don't have it in me to preview Game 3 right now)

Whether or not we can win 4 of the next 5 comes down to who suits up Friday. If at least two of Garland, Mobley, or Hunter play, even limited, I’m still riding with Cavs in 7. If not, we’re probably booking that Cancun flight for Sunday night