Grüße und Vorstellung » help from his mentor.

LeBron James figured he had experienced everything in 12 postseasons.

Turns out Larry Ogunjobi Jersey , there was something new.

Victor Oladipo scored 32 points and Indiana outplayed Cleveland from the start while pulling off a stunning 98-80 victory Sunday in the series opener, handing James and the Cavaliers’ their first loss in the opening round in eight years.

It also was the first playoff-opening loss for James, who came in 12-0 in Game 1s and didn’t realize he had been perfect starting the postseason.

”Is it?” James said. ”I’ve never lost a game in the first round before in my career?

But while he knows the narrative before Wednesday’s Game 2 will be on the struggles of Cleveland’s playoff newcomers, James isn’t worried.

”I’m down 0-1 in the first round,” he said. ”I was down 3-1 in the Finals. So, I’m the last guy to ask about how you’re going to feel the next couple days.”

The Pacers are feeling confident after beating the Cavs for fourth time this season.

Indiana took control from the outset, opening a 21-point lead in the first quarter and pushing it to 23 in the third. The Cavs got within seven in the fourth, but Oladipo, once a role player who has blossomed into an All-Star in his first season with Indiana, hit a big 3-pointer and Bojan Bogdanovic helped put Cleveland away with a 3 to make it 88-71.

When the final horn sounded, the Pacers didn’t celebrate or run around the floor like they had accomplished anything special.

They calmly walked off, business as usual.

”We believe that we can win,” Oladipo said. ”We came into this game with a mentality that we wanted to attack on both ends of the floor and play the way we’ve been playing all year, and we did a great job of that. It’s only one game, it’s only Game 1.”

The Pacers completely outplayed the three-time defending conference champions, whose turbulent regular season has carried over into the playoffs.

James scored 24 with 12 assists and 10 rebounds for his 20th career triple-double. But James got little help as Cleveland’s four other starters – Kevin Love, Jeff Green, Rodney Hood and George Hill – combined for 25 points.

”They were more aggressive Jadeveon Clowney Jersey ,” James said. ”They just played inspired basketball and they just took advantage of everything we wanted to try and do. They were more physical than us at the point of attack, and they were most precise with what they wanted to do and we couldn’t score the ball.”

Cleveland went just 8 of 34 on 3-pointers and missed eight of 20 free throws.

The Cavs’ playoff theme is: ”Whatever It Takes.”

Well, it’s now going to take a first-round comeback.

This is all new to James, who had won 21 consecutive first-round games and lost a postseason for the first time in his 13th playoffs. The 33-year-old is trying to get to his eighth straight Finals, and already the path is tougher than imagined. Cleveland had won 14 straight first-round games, last losing on April 22, 2010, the last season of James’ first stint with the Cavs.

Indiana was swept by Cleveland in last year’s opening round. Those Pacers, though, didn’t have Oladipo or the balance of this Indy squad, which may lack experience but not confidence.

Lance Stephenson, a longtime playoff nemesis for James, helped set the tone in the first quarter with a dunk he punctuated by throwing several punches into the padded basket stanchion

The Pacers took the fight to the Cavs, and Indiana’s players are battling critics who say they can’t compete with Cleveland.

”We were definitely mad,” Stephenson said. ”They still don’t believe. We’re just going to keep proving everyone wrong and play together.”

While some fans are getting their first look at Oladipo, the Pacers have seen this before.

”On this team, we all know what Victor can do when he steps on the court,” Thaddeus Young said. ”You’ve got to double-team him because he makes good decisions with the basketball. When you don’t Robert Woods Jersey , you saw what he’s capable of.”

NO RESPECT

Oladipo said Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert provided him with extra motivation, citing his offseason remark that Indiana should have received better talent from Oklahoma City in return for Paul George. ”You could say it added fuel to the fire,” Oladipo said. ”I’m aware of what he said. Can’t control his opinion.”

BANGED UP

Hill sustained a bruised back when he was hit from behind on a screen by Indiana’s Trevor Booker. Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said Hill’s back bothered him after halftime and he was forced to play James at the point. Lue expects Hill to be good for Wednesday.

Cavs forward Kyle Korver played just four minutes because of lingering foot soreness.

TIP-INS

Pacers: Indiana has been eliminated by James four times in the past eight seasons. ….. Haven’t won a series since beating Washington in six games in the 2014 semifinals. … Improved to 22-22 in the opening game of a series, including 9-16 on the road.

Cavaliers: James surpassed Michael Jordan (2,188) for the second-most made field goals in playoff history. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (2,356) tops the list. … James dropped to 48-8 in first-round games. … Green was 0 for 7 from the field, 0 for 3 from the line and the Cavs were outscored by 15 when he was on the floor.

UP NEXT

Game 2 is Wednesday night.

Perhaps Ozzie Newsome will be filled with emotion and just a bit of sadness in the weeks ahead as he prepares for his final NFL draft as general manager of the Baltimore Ravens.

For now, however, he won't allow his mind to be cluttered with thoughts other than landing the very best players the college game has to offer.

"It's all about the preparation and it's all about who is the player that we're going to take with that first-round pick 鈥?if we pick in the first round," Newsome said Wednesday.

Newsome 鈥?the only GM the Ravens have ever had 鈥?will step down after the upcoming season. He's been overseeing the draft since 1996, and now he's got one more chance to garner some talent for a team that has won two Super Bowls under his watch.

It's the end of an era, one that started when Art Modell brought his Cleveland Browns to Baltimore and put Newsome in charge of building a winner.

"I really haven't thought about that. I've been more just preparing for this draft," Newsome insisted. "What's going to occur a year from now is not in my thought process. It's just making this the best draft that we can this year. That's what's been my focus."

Newsome spoke while sitting at a table with his successor-in-waiting, assistant GM Eric DeCosta, head coach John Harbaugh and director of college scouting Joe Hortiz.

Behind the foursome was a montage of many of Newsome's greatest picks, including Hall of Famers Jonathan Ogden and Ray Lewis as well as Ed Reed, Terrell Suggs and Joe Flacco.

Recently, though Greg Olsen Jersey , there have been a few misfires 鈥?most notably receiver Breshad Perriman at No. 26 in 2015, tight end Maxx Williams at No. 55 that same season and safety Matt Elam at No. 32 in 2013.

That's one big reason why the Ravens haven't made the playoffs over three straight seasons, and why Newsome doesn't have time for nostalgia as he nears the April 26-28 draft armed with the 16th overall pick.

"When we were having success, we were getting all the credit," Newsome said. "When we're not having success, we take all the blame. It falls right on me."

The 62-year-old Newsome will stay on board after this season as an adviser, according to owner Steve Bisciotti.

DeCosta, 46, has been waiting to take over for years now. He spurned several offers from other teams along the way, and Bisciotti finally decided that it was time to make the switch.

DeCosta, like Newsome, has no time to think about the ramifications of the transition.

"That's still in the future. Honestly, the best thing I can do is take care of today and this process, this draft, for the future," DeCosta said. "We're really focused on this. We've got an opportunity here to really fix our team, which we need to do.

"This draft has a lot of significance, not because it's Ozzie's last draft Le'Raven Clark Jersey , but because it's the draft that we have right now. We've got a great opportunity. We don't want to blow it."

As a player, Newsome was a Hall of Fame tight end with the Browns. Since 1996, he's gotten a thrill out of choosing from the best college talent in the world.

"From the very first draft, I had the same anticipation, and the same butterflies, that I did when I walked out the tunnel to play my first NFL game," Newsome said. "All the work is done, and then you have this moment where you have to pull the trigger, you have to perform."

Next year, it will be DeCosta's turn 鈥?with help from his mentor.

"Over the last 22 years, probably the most rewarding thing has been working with Ozzie, and I don't see that changing," DeCosta said. "We're a family. We want to win. I've got probably the best GM in the history of football 鈥?at least one of the top five 鈥?and I hope he always stays."

Womens Sam Hubbard Jersey ,