Cavs vs. Pacers, NBA Playoffs game 3: Preview, opportunities, injury report, television

Cleveland, Ohio – The clock ticks in the historic season of the Cavs.

Cleveland in the semi-finals of the Eastern Conference, after putting on her home floor on the home floor on her home floor, a must-win game 3 on the enemy lawn. Tipoff is set on Friday at 7:30 p.m. in the Gainbridge Fieldhouse Fieldhouse on ESPN, where the Pacers want to bring the upper seeds cavs to the edge of elimination.

There is no sugar coating – this is desperate time.

Only five teams in NBA history gathered from a 2-0 hole after they have lost the first two games at home. Nobody ever came back from 3-0.

The CAVS not only play for survival – they fight for one of the most promising seasons of the franchise to stop climbing into smoke.

And you may have to damage it.

The availability of Darius Garland (toe), de'andre Hunter (thumb) and Evan Mobley (ankle) remains questionable after all three missed games.

Her absences were annoying when Indiana turned the ground into a track meeting and let Cleveland at a bubble pace, transition dims and relentless pace.

Tyresian Haliburton was the head of the snake, but the energy of the Pacers was contagious.

Now it is up to the Cavs to rewrite the story. The group of Kenny Atkinson entered these playoffs with title struts, supported by the best regular season record of the East and an improved offensive identity.

So far, this swing has been kidnapped by a young, fearless Pacers squad, who was faster and more contiguous in the crunch time.

Game 3 will test the resistance of the CAVS, their chemistry and their pride.

Can Donovan Mitchell summarize another playoff mastery? Will Jarrett impose his will to the interior? And if the garland and mabley adapt, can you inject enough life to turn the script around?

There is no longer time for adjustments. No more errors for errors. When the Cavaliers are saving their season, it starts with game 3.