Last night, the NBA’s defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers made playoff history by completing a 26 point come-from-behind effort against the Indiana Pacers inside a hostile Bankers Life Fieldhouse. When the smoke cleared in the Hoosier State, the Cavs found themselves up 3-0 in their first-round playoff matchup by way of a 119-114 win.
The Cavs took a rocky road to victory last night. However, with the dead-eye shooting of Channing Frye, the champs proved why they are still one of the most dangerous teams in the NBA.
During his post-game media availability, Frye, who played a key role in Cleveland’s win with 13 points and four rebounds off the bench, spoke to Fox Sports Ohio’s Allie Clifton. The smooth-shooting forward tells Clifton that he implored his teammates to “do something special“ when they were facing a 25-point deficit.
“Let’s start at the beginning of the half, where we played like crap,” Frye said with a smile. “We weren’t doing anything. We were being cool. And honestly, we’ve got some cool kids, but that’s just not how we’re going to win.”
“So, we grind it out,” Frye continued. “I told the guys, ‘let’s do something special.’ I told Kyrie (Irving), Kevin (Love), and Tristan (Thompson) that we needed some next level stuff. I knew we could do it. The bench guys had to pick it up. In the first half, I was kind of hesitant shooting. In the second half, I said screw it — I can’t take them (shots) home with me, so let it fly. And then they left me open. I’ve hit a game-winner here before. I like that side of the court.”
Game 4 is scheduled for Sunday at 1:00 p.m. EST inside Bankers Life Fieldhouse. As always, thank you for reading and be sure to keep your browsers locked on Cavs Nation for all of the latest Cavaliers news and updates as they become available.
