The Pacers had the Cavaliers hanging perilously close to the brink, only to give the East’s reigning champs new life with a dreadful shooting stretch at the worst possible time.
Cleveland defeated Indiana 104-100 in Game 4 at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Sunday, evening a back-and-forth first-round series at two games apiece. The result qualified as sweet relief for LeBron James, who posted monster numbers (32 points, 13 rebounds, 7 assists) but nearly watched the Cavaliers blow a big lead for the second straight game. If not for a pair of three-pointers by Kyle Korver in the game’s final four minutes, Cleveland could easily have returned to Quicken Loans Arena facing elimination on Wednesday.