Cleveland Cavaliers guard Max Strus attempted to light a fire under his teammates prior to Game 5 of their second-round playoff series. Before Game 5 tipped off, TNT’s Jared Greenberg revealed Strus texted the Cavaliers group chat: “If you don’t believe, then don’t show up for work.”
The Cavaliers ended up losing Game 5, 114-105, with Strus failing to score a single point on 0 of 9 shooting. Strus did secure seven rebounds and two assists in the loss.
It was quite an up-and-down series for Strus, who averaged 12.2 points against Indiana. Strus reached the 20-point mark in two of the five games, but also scored just seven points in Game 1 of the series. He also shot just 38.6% from the field across the five games.
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The Pacers were able to rally from a 19-point deficit in the first half to climb back into the game. Star guard Tyrese Haliburton led the way with 31 points on 10 of 15 shooting, while Pascal Siakam added 21 points and eight rebounds.
If the Cavaliers had come away with a win in Game 5, Strus’ message would’ve been a great story as it would’ve been very inspirational. Instead, Cleveland finds itself being eliminated from postseason contention after a remarkable regular season that saw the team own the Eastern Conference’s top seed.