Sports
Game 1 Recap: Cavs vs Pacers
After suffocating the Heat in four games in the opening round of the Eastern Conference Playoff bracket, the Cavaliers ran into an entirely different animal on Sunday night, as the hot-shooting Pacers came to town and put on an offensive display – stealing Game 1, 121-112, handing Cleveland its first loss of the postseason.
The Pacers hit first and withstood each of the Cavaliers’ attempts to rally back – taking an 11-point edge after one quarter and holding off Cleveland down the stretch after Donovan Mitchell led a furious charge to close the third quarter.
Mitchell topped the 30-point plateau for the eighth straight time in the opening game of a series – a new NBA record – leading both squads with 33 points. But Indiana was simply too much as a collective – featuring six players in double-figures, including Tyrese Haliburton and Myles Turner, who each doubled-up in the win.
Overall, the Pacers shot 53 percent from the floor and from beyond the arc – drilling 19 three-pointers, handing out 30 assists and going 14-for-15 from the stripe. The Cavs outscored them in the paint, 70-38, and forced 17 turnovers, but shot just 24 percent themselves from deep (9-of-38) and scored just 22 points in the final period.
“Sometimes your offense affects your defense. I didn't feel like we moved (the ball), it was sticking,” said Kenny Atkinson postgame. “We tried to keep Ty out there to get another ballhandler, just to relieve the pressure. But our offense wasn't great tonight.”
Cleveland featured five players in double-figures, led by Mitchell, who finished 13-for-30 from the field, but just 1-of-11 from long-range, adding five boards, four assists and two steals. The six-time All-Star tallied 12 of his 33 in the third quarter, as the Cavaliers erased a 12-point Pacers lead to take their first lead of the game with just over three minutes to play in the period.
But, as they did all night, the Pacers answered Cleveland’s surge, and Myles Turner’s triple to end the quarter put Indiana back up a deuce heading into the fourth.
“Obviously, they made a bunch of shots, they get out and transition,” said Mitchell. “We didn't make shots, but give them credit. They came in here and handled business. They were physical. I mean, we would love to go 16-0, but that's not how this works. We’ve got to be better defensively. Offensively, we didn't make shots, and we’ve got to give them credit.”
Sam Merrill started across from Mitchell in the backcourt, with Darius Garland missing his third straight game with a toe injury, finishing with six points and four assists in the loss.
Evan Mobley, who was presented with the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year trophy just before tip-off, followed up with 20 points and a team-high 10 rebounds and a pair of steals.
Jarrett Allen was the only other starter in double-figures, finishing with 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting.
*** Ty Jerome led all reserves with 21 points on 8-of-20 shooting while leading the Wine & Gold with eight assists.
DeAndre Hunter added 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting, despite taking a nasty fall after being met mid-air on a clean block by Indy’s Bennedict Mathurin in the third quarter. Hunter went directly to the locker room with an apparent finger injury, but returned to finish out the affair.
“I think they just hit a lot of tough shots,” said Hunter. “I think we kept our composure for most of the game. I think we’ve just got to be more physical next game.”
*** Overall, the Cavaliers – who topped the 50 percent shooting mark in three of the four games against Miami – connected on 46 percent on Sunday night. They committed just eight total turnover and matched Indy on the boards, 43-apeice.
*** The Wine & Gold will look to even the series on Tuesday night when these two square off again at Rocket Arena. The East Semis shift to Indiana for Game 3, slated for Friday night, with Game 4 on tap for Sunday. If necessary, the series returns to the North Coast next Tuesday night and then back to Indianapolis the following Thursday. If things go the distance, Game 7 goes down that Sunday back in Cleveland.
The Browns wrapped up a successful draft weekend in which they welcomed seven rookies to the team. With the selections of DT Mason Graham, LB Carson Schwesinger, RB Quinshon Judkins, TE Harold Fannin Jr., QB Dillon Gabriel, RB Dylan Sampson and QB Shedeur Sanders, Cleveland addressed different areas of the roster.
The next step for the newest members of the Browns will come in rookie minicamp, set to take place at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus from May 9-11.
As we assess the 2025 draft and prepare for offseason workouts and rookie minicamp, we opened the mailbag and answered your questions.
Why did the Browns draft Dillon Gabriel in the third round and Shedeur Sanders in the fifth round? – Nomar R., Brighton, Michigan
To start off, one of the biggest factors to address is that Executive Vice President of Football Operations and General Manager Andrew Berry said it wasn't necessarily the plan going into the weekend to select two quarterbacks.
"You envision how the draft could possibly play out, and then you just really adjust to what's on the board," Berry said. "We don't really go into the draft saying okay, like, 'hey, here are our needs and we're just going to pick players at need positions.' If you do, that's typically how you make mistakes. So, there is a little bit of a flow to the weekend because the board does take different twists and turns as you go. Some expected, some unexpected and ultimately, we try and do everything in our power to maximize the impact of the picks we have in aggregate."
Berry said they do believe in best player available, as well as positional value. And while they didn't originally think that Sanders would be available in the fifth round, when the opportunity rose to make the trade and jump from No. 166 to No. 144, they took that chance. They had evaluated who else was available from a prospect standpoint, and as different names came off the board, considered the potential of taking Sanders.
"We live by our board. We felt like he was a good, solid prospect at the most important position. We felt like it got to a point where he was probably mispriced relative to the draft. Really, the acquisition cost was pretty light, and it's a guy that we think can outproduce his draft slot," Berry said. "Our expectation is for him to come in here and work and compete. Nothing's been promised. Nothing will be given."
In both players, Berry said the Browns saw accuracy and decision making as strengths of their individual games. As they join the quarterback room, they both will have the chance to compete among the quarterbacks.
After addressing defensive tackle, linebacker, running back (twice), quarterback (twice), and tight end during the draft, what are the Browns most pressing remaining needs as we approach the coming season? – Nick D., Surprise, Arizona
With where the roster sits right now following free agency and the draft, one of the positions that the Browns could look to address is safety. With Rodney McLeod's retirement, that unit is led by Grant Delpit and Ronnie Hickman, and also has Christopher Edmonds and Trey Dean III. It's a position group that could use another depth piece to round out the room heading into the 2025 season.
The Browns could also look at wide receiver. Currently their receiving corps is led by Jerry Jeudy and features Cedric Tillman, Michael Woods II, Jamari Thrash, David Bell and Kaden Davis. Cleveland made one addition during free agency with the signing of DeAndre Carter to a deal.
What does Kenny Picket bring to the Browns as an experienced quarterback? – Rob M., Fairmont, West Virginia
In a quarterback room that now features Joe Flacco, Dillon Gabriel and Sanders, Kenny Pickett's experience in the NFL is one that could prove beneficial. While they have a veteran in Flacco who has 17 years of experience in the NFL, Pickett's three years of experience on two separate teams can help the rookie quarterbacks in their adjustment to the league.
Yet, he also brings more than just the mentorship aspect. Pickett is a mobile quarterback who knows how to protect the ball. Berry said that during the draft process in 2022, they did their work on him as a prospect and then faced Pickett twice per season during his first two seasons with the Steelers. Berry added they see more physical ability in Pickett, and believe in this setting with the Browns, he will be able to do so.
The Browns added another veteran pass catcher to their receiving corps, as they have signed WR Diontae Johnson to a deal.
Johnson was first drafted by the Steelers in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft, and played his first five seasons in Pittsburgh. After his rookie season, Johnson was named to the NFL All-Pro Second-team as a punt return specialist.
He appeared in 77 total games with 67 starts with the Steelers, and recorded 391 receptions for 4,363 receiving yards and 25 touchdowns. He also added 19 carries for 134 rushing yards with Pittsburgh.
Johnson was then traded to the Panthers in March 2024, and played seven games before he was traded again to the Ravens. While in Baltimore, Johnson played four total games with one start. Johnson was then waived by the Ravens in December 2024, but was claimed off waivers by the Texans. In Houston, Johnson played one game where he totaled two receptions for 12 receiving yards.
Now with Cleveland, Johnson joins a receiving corps that is led by Jerry Jeudy and also features DeAndre Carter, Cedric Tillman, Michael Woods II, Jamari Thrash, David Bell and Kaden Davis.