Indiana opens eyes with blowout of LeBron, Cavs

They've spent the entire season on the fringe, virtually ignored by all but the most savvy fans and NBA insiders.

They don't have any household names or any superstars on their roster, just one All-Star and a role player best known for foolish on-court antics.

Indiana Pacers' Thaddeus Young, right, drives to the basket against Cleveland Cavaliers' Cedi Osman, from Turkey, in the second half of Game 1 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series, Sunday, April 15, 2018, in Cleveland. Osman was called for a foul. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)

Indiana Pacers' Victor Oladipo, left, passes against Cleveland Cavaliers' Kevin Love in the second half of Game 1 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series, Sunday, April 15, 2018, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)

But as the Indiana Pacers strolled quietly into practice on Monday at Quicken Loans Arena, a building they silenced less than 24 hours earlier with an eye-catching playoff win in Game 1 over the Cavaliers, there was something unmistakable about them.

They're confident — and they're no longer a secret.

"People didn't expect us to do this well," Pacers forward Thaddeus Young said, leaning back in a cushioned chair at the end of Indiana's bench. "We like that. That's what kind of drives our motor a little bit, being overlooked and no one expecting us to do what we're currently doing."

The Pacers were the better team — by far — on Sunday, leading from tip to final horn in a 98-80 victory over Cleveland that snapped a 21-game winning streak in the first round for LeBron James, who had never opened the playoffs before with a loss and figures to be more aggressive in Game 2 on Wednesday.

Indiana Pacers' Victor Oladipo (4) shoots against Cleveland Cavaliers' Rodney Hood (1) in the second half of Game 1 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series, Sunday, April 15, 2018, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)

Cleveland Cavaliers' JR Smith, left, looks to pass against Indiana Pacers' Cory Joseph in the second half of Game 1 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series, Sunday, April 15, 2018, in Cleveland. The Pacers won 98-80. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)

Led by Victor Oladipo's 32-point, tough-shot-after-tough-shot performance, Indiana outplayed, outhustled and outlasted Cleveland, giving the Pacers a 4-1 record this season against the three-time defending conference champions.

This may have been a surprise to outsiders, but it was just another day on the office hardwood for the Pacers, who won 48 games during the regular season and were the only team to beat Golden State twice.

Didn't know that, did you?

Well, most of Indiana's accomplishments have been woefully under-publicized. That's what happens when only one of your games is shown on national TV, you're playing in a mid-market city and you appeared to throw away the future by trading away your biggest star, Paul George, last summer.

But the lack of attention doesn't faze Pacers. It fuels them.

"They underestimate us," Lance Stephenson said, referring to everyone, not just those Cleveland fans taunting the Pacers on Sunday. "They didn't think we would get this far and they didn't think we was going to win that many games. But if you look at our team, I guess you could say we don't have that one player or the type of players that stand out, and that's why they underestimate us."

Stephenson, the Pacers' instigator, spark and arch-enemy to James, set the tone for Indiana's impressive win in Game 1 with a thunderous first-quarter dunk he celebrated by bashing his head into the padded basket stanchion.

"I'm a little dizzy right now," he joked before Monday's workout.

His teammates' heads aren't spinning after the series-opening win over the Cavs, who swept the Pacers in the first round a year ago. They expected to play well, and they did. The Pacers aren't flashy, but fundamental. They do the little things: boxing out, diving for loose balls, taking charges.

They've been successful by following coach Nate McMillan's simple formula: share the ball, stop your man and stay connected.

"We've been playing like this all year," said Oladipo, the team's rising star who has been on a mission since coming over from Oklahoma City in the deal for George. "Been playing hard on both ends all year. It just hasn't been magnified. So it's the playoffs now, we've been doing this all year. Now everybody sees."

Young, who along with Myles Turner are the only starters from last year's playoff squad, said Indiana's success is rooted in the team's togetherness. A year ago, the Pacers were going in different directions.

"We had a lot of guys with egos that we really couldn't push aside" he said. "And there was a lot of miscommunication and a lot of different things that were going on. We didn't know if Paul was going to be here. We didn't know if Jeff (Teague) was going to stick around. There was a lot of uncertainty and no clarity from Day One and that hurt us from being a better team than we could've been.

Indiana Pacers head coach Nate McMillan yells instructions to players in the second half of Game 1 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Sunday, April 15, 2018, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)

Indiana Pacers' Darren Collison (2) passes around Cleveland Cavaliers' Rodney Hood (1) in the first half of Game 1 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series, Sunday, April 15, 2018, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)

"But this team here, we're all in. We take each and every step together. We try to work in unison each and every day. We come to work and put our hard hats on and we all believe in each other."

The Pacers took Sunday's win in stride, like a team that has won bigger games before. There was no chest-thumping, no bragging, nothing but talk of doing it again.

"There ain't nothing to celebrate about," Stephenson said. "We won the game, but we got more to accomplish."

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch got a text from star receiver Brandon Aiyuk soon after drafting Florida’s Ricky Pearsall with the 30th pick.

Aiyuk's message about his former teammate was glowing: “Fire pick. Can’t lie.”

The Niners ended the first day of the NFL draft by adding a rookie receiver in Pearsall and keeping its established stars Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel despite heavy speculation that one of them could have been moved Thursday night.

San Francisco is trying to get a long-term deal done with Aiyuk after giving Samuel one two years ago, raising the question of whether the 49ers would trade Aiyuk if they can't sign him or trade Samuel if they can and aren't willing to carry two high-priced receivers on the roster.

Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan wouldn't definitively rule out any potential trades of Aiyuk or Samuel but deemed it as unlikely, especially now that the first round of the draft is over.

“I know that we’re continuing to have positive talks with BA," Lynch said. “We are really efforting to get something done with him. We’re excited about continuing down that path with Brandon being a part of this team and Deebo is a part of this team and a big part of this team. We feel great about that group and we feel like we’ve made it better.”

Pearsall had 65 catches for 965 yards and four touchdowns last season at Florida and gives the Niners a possible option as a slot receiver. Pearsall was known for some highlight-reel catches during his time in college and now is the latest potential playmaker added to a dynamic offense that made it to the Super Bowl last season.

Pearsall began his college career at Arizona State where he was teammates with Aiyuk in 2019, leading to the happy text Aiyuk sent to Lynch and a congratulatory call to Pearsall.

“We have a really good relationship,” Pearsall said. “I just got off the phone with him before I got over here on this Zoom call, and he was just congratulating me and telling me over and over again, ‘You’re a first rounder, man. Soak it up.’ There's been a lot of work put in since we last ran routes together. I feel like I’m a totally different player since the last time we've seen each other.”

Pearsall got on the radar of many observers thanks to his one-handed catch against Charlotte last September that quickly became an internet sensation.

It was the more routine work that impressed the Niners, who stressed his ability to play inside and outside, his attention to detail on route-running, ability to block downfield and refusal to go down at first contact as big reasons why they drafted him.

“There’s not one play,” said Shanahan, who compared Pearsall to a far more talented version of himself as a a little-used wide receiver at Texas more than two decades ago.

“He’s going to go over the middle and do everything he can to catch that ball and not worry about anything else. When he’s on the sidelines he’s not taking the easy way out. He makes guys tackle him and is not looking for a place to fall. When he doesn’t have the ball, he plays just as hard.”

This was the first time the Niners had a pick in the first round since 2021 when they drafted quarterback Trey Lance third overall. San Francisco traded their first-round picks in 2022 and 2023 to move up nine spots that year to take Lance, who started only four games for the 49ers before being traded to Dallas last August.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

FILE - Florida wide receiver Ricky Pearsall (1) is tackled by South Carolina defensive back Jalon Kilgore (24) and defensive back O'Donnell Fortune (3) during the second half of an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023, in Columbia, S.C. The former Florida standout is one of nearly a dozen receivers expected to be selected in the first two rounds of the draft beginning Thursday night. (AP Photo/Artie Walker Jr., File)

FILE - Florida wide receiver Ricky Pearsall (1) catches 21-yard game winning touchdown over South Carolina defensive back Nick Emmanwori (21) during the second half of an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023, in Columbia, S.C. The former Florida standout is one of nearly a dozen receivers expected to be selected in the first two rounds of the draft beginning Thursday night. (AP Photo/Artie Walker Jr., File)

San Francisco 49ers take Florida receiver Ricky Pearsall with the 30th pick in the NFL draft

San Francisco 49ers take Florida receiver Ricky Pearsall with the 30th pick in the NFL draft

FILE - Florida wide receiver Ricky Pearsall runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine, Saturday, March 2, 2024, in Indianapolis. The former Florida standout is one of nearly a dozen receivers expected to be selected in the first two rounds of the draft beginning Thursday night. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)