Numbers Show Pacers Game 1 Win May Have Been Fluke

The Indiana Pacers shocked the NBA by taking Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semi-finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers. From the opening tip, the Pacers looked like the better team, and they earned a massive win.

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With the victory, Indiana took back home-court from the Cavaliers, helping their case to upset Cleveland in the series. It was a strong overall game for the Pacers, and one that the team will use to help set the tone going forward.

However, when you dig deeper into the numbers, it seems that the win may have been a fluke. While it is never easy to win a playoff game, let alone one on the road, everything seemed to go the Pacers' way.

Cleveland only shot 9-of-38 from the 3-point line in this game, despite them normally being a very strong shooting team. The Cavaliers also were missing star guard Darius Garland to injury, helping to set Indiana up with a win.

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But the more concerning statistic from this contest is that Cleveland outscored the Pacers 70-38 in the painted area. Indiana had only given up 70 or more points in the paint four times this season.

This will certainly be something to watch as the series continues, but the Pacers will need to clean things up. Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith understands this and explained what happened during the game.

"A lot of mistakes were made," Nesmith said. "We have to be better for Game 2. ... That's a lot of points in the paint and I think a lot of that is coming off of second chance points, offensive rebounds. They missed a lot of 3s today, and they're going to do better."

Even if the win was a little lucky, Indiana still leads the series 1-0. This was a massive victory for the Pacers, and they can now move forward with the understanding that if they take care of business on their own home floor, they will be advancing to the next round.

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For more news and notes on the Indiana Pacers, visit Indiana Pacers on SI.