NBA historical tragedy! Cavaliers collapsed in halftime and set a record of 5 shame, Mitchell s injury and retirement is on the line

41 points in half massacre! The Cavaliers collapsed and rushed to the hot searches of the United States. "This is probably the most shameful first half in NBA playoff history!" When the Cavaliers fell behind the Pacers by 41 points in the first half, the commentator's voice trembled. The Clevelanders used a textbook-level collapse to nail themselves to the pillar of shame in history - they scored only 39 points in the first half, shot 25% from the field, and the Pacers scored 80 points to set a team record. What's even more fatal is that the core Mitchell accidentally retreated from injury, and the Cavaliers' promotion probability has dropped to 4.3% (ESPN data model). Why did this crushing defeat happen? Has the Cavaliers been eliminated in advance? Let us deeply analyze this "5.12 tragedy" that shocked the whole of the United States.

From tactical defeat to psychological collapse

Section 1: The conflict between the locker room

The game shows murderous intention at the beginning. Pacers coach Carlisle accurately grasped the height disadvantage of the Cavaliers' double-gun Garland (1.85 meters) and Mitchell (1.85 meters) in the backcourt, and used the unlimited defense replacement tactic. When Halliburton at 1.98 meters frequently misplaced the single against Garland, the Cavaliers' defensive system collapsed instantly. Data shows that in the first quarter, the Pacers made 9 of 12 shots in the penalty area and 4 of 7 three-pointers, while the Cavaliers only had two assists, completely in a single fight.

The turning point appeared at 7 minutes and 22 seconds in the first quarter. Pacers substitute Mathurin angered Cavaliers veteran Hunter with "Jokic-style" elbow provocation, and the referee directly expelled him through video replay. This should have been an opportunity for the Knight to reverse morale, but ironically, the Pacers made a 17-4 attack wave after the conflict—the Knight's fighting spirit had cracked at this moment.

Second Section 2: The epic collapse was born

If the first quarter was a tactical failure, the second quarter completely exposed the Knight's psychological collapse. Faced with the Pacers' tide of fast attacks, the Cavaliers' players' eyes were distracted and four unforced mistakes were made, including Garland's direct pass to the sideline reporter. Siakam scored 14 points in a single quarter, while the Cavaliers' double towers in the inside Allen + Mobley had a total of 0 points and 0 rebounds. The two were like wooden stakes in the pick-and-roll defense. At the end of the half, the Pacers' 25 assists set a record in the NBA live broadcast era, while the Cavaliers only hit 8 goals - less than Curry's highest number of hits in a single quarter (8 goals)!

[Complete inventory of shame records] Cavaliers 5 big data set the worst in history

Sports goals (8): breaking the lowest playoff halftime record (9) held by the Lakers in 1967, which is equivalent to scoring 1 goal every 3 minutes.

Hit percentage (25%): It was even worse than the second half when the Cavaliers were battered by the Warriors in the 2015 Finals (27.5%), with only 2 of 19 three-pointers (10.5%).

Half-time score difference (-41 points): tied the 1991 Bulls against the Pistons’ biggest half-time score difference record.

Defensive Black Hole (80 points): Pacers scored a record high in the team's halftime, including 24 points in the fast break and 38 points in the penalty area.

assists vs. (5-25): The Cavaliers started with a total of 4 assists, while Halliburton gave 8 assists alone.

[Fatal Turning Point] The management crisis behind Mitchell's injury retreat

When Mitchell was suddenly replaced by Jerome in the second half, problems in the Cavaliers' locker room surfaced. According to the Cleveland Honesty People, Mitchell did not wear protective gear when warming up the midfield, and the trainers did not interfere in his high-risk movements in time. This left ankle sprain is most likely due to management negligence - you should know that Mitchell has missed 12 regular season games due to left knee effusion this season.

What is more interesting is that after the Cavaliers removed their main players in the third quarter, the substitute player instead made a 13-2 attack wave. This aspect confirms the tactical rigidity of head coach Bickstaff: over-reliance on Mitchell's singles (average of 37.2 points in the series), resulting in the role players being completely disable under high pressure.

[Pacers Victory Password] Carlisle's three killer moves

misaligned strike system: use height difference to create 115 misaligned singles, of which Halliburton made 8 of 11 shots against Garland.

Speed ​​crush: The team's half-time running distance is 1.2 kilometers longer than the Cavaliers, which is equivalent to playing 2 more fast break rounds.

Psychological tactics: Mathurin's "Douzi Strategy" successfully angered the Knights, causing the opponent's defensive discipline to collapse.

[Future Outlook] Can the Knights reproduce the 16-year miracle?

Historical data shows that the probability of a turnaround 1-3 in the NBA playoffs is only 5.4%. But the Cavaliers are not hopeless:

Home advantage: This season's playoffs Cavaliers have 5 wins and 1 loss at home, with a net win of 12.3 points per game.

X Factor Awakening: Mobley needs to wake up from 4 points and 3 rebounds in this game, recreating his 20+10 performance in the first round against the Magic.

Medical Miracle: If Mitchell can come back from the front line (similar to James's ankle sprained battle in 2018), morale will be greatly boosted.

Reden on the edge of the cliff

When the Cavaliers players walked off the visiting bus in Indiana, the huge poster on the exterior wall of the arena was particularly dazzling-"1964-2024, Cleveland has been waiting for the next championship for 60 years ". This team that once witnessed James' change of fate against the will of heaven is now standing at the crossroads of history. The Quick Loan Center Arena on May 14 will either become the holy place for the birth of the legend or become another "stalked on the pillar of shame". The only thing we can be sure of is that the tough guy basketball spirit belonging to Cleveland should never die in such an absurd way.