CLEVELAND, Ohio — The road to the conference finals no longer goes through Cleveland.

The top-seeded Cavs lost their first game of the NBA playoffs to the fourth-seeded Indiana Pacers on Sunday night, 121-112, inside a stunned Rocket Arena.

Cleveland no longer has homecourt advantage in this best-of-seven series.

In the week leading up to Game 1, the Cavs repeatedly spoke with respect for the Pacers, knowing they would have their hands full, especially on the defensive end.

Pace. Speed. Movement. Spacing. Skill. Those were some of the buzzwords.

Cleveland, which stifled overmatched Miami in Round One, had no answers for any of it.

And playing without All-Star point guard Darius Garland, the team’s leading scorer in the postseason, the Cavs’ top-rated offense couldn’t keep up either.

Too much depth. Too much firepower. Too much balance. Too much timely shot-making. Too much experience. Too much mental toughness. Too much relentlessness.

This isn’t Miami anymore. This series requires something more. It’s an entirely different test.

The Cavs failed this one.

Garland missed his third straight playoff game because of a sprained big toe on his left foot. That left most of the heavy lifting to MVP candidate Donovan Mitchell.

Despite looking hobbled at various points throughout the second half, Mitchell tried to will Cleveland to victory. He couldn’t do it.

The Cavs, who trailed Miami in the first round for just about 17 minutes — total — were behind nearly all night. For 40:57, to be exact. Playing from behind against surgical Indiana isn’t typically a pathway to success.

The Pacers’ lead increased to a game-high 12 around the seven-minute mark of the third quarter following a backbreaking Aaron Nesmith 3-pointer that forced Cleveland to call timeout and regroup.

The Cavs responded with a 20-4 run, going in front by four, their biggest lead of the game.

The arena in a frenzy. White towels waving frantically. Confidence seeping through every Cavalier. Deafening roars.

A lesser opponent would’ve crumbled. Not Indiana.

Despite that signature Cavaliers flurry, the battled-tested Pacers kept their composure and even led by two at the end of the third quarter.

The fourth quarter featured six lead changes and one tie. Cleveland’s final push fell short.

Mitchell led all scorers with 33 points on 13 of 30 from the field and 1 of 11 from 3-point range in 34 minutes. It’s his eighth consecutive 30-point game to open a playoff series, surpassing NBA legend Michael Jordan for the longest streak ever.

Evan Mobley, who was presented his NBA Defensive Player of the Year trophy pregame, added 20 points and 10 rebounds. Ty Jerome chipped in with 21 points off the bench.

The Pacers had six players in double figures, including guard Andrew Nembhard, who finished with a team-high 23. Tyrese Haliburton added 22 points and 13 assists, dictating tempo all night.

Homecourt advantage is gone. The perfect playoff record is too.

Now the Cavs must do something they haven’t done this postseason: Respond to a loss.

Up next

The Cavs will host Indiana for Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals Tuesday night at 7 p.m.