The Indiana Pacers kept insisting this team was different.

Anyone who doubted them coming into the playoffs understands now.

On Friday Cheap M.J. Stewart Jersey , the one-year anniversary of a historic playoff collapse against Cleveland, Indiana flipped the script by rallying from a 17-point halftime deficit and held on for a 92-90 victory over the Cavaliers to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. They can take command of the series by winning Sunday on their home court.

”Last year’s team, I don’t know if we would have gone down 17, I don’t know if we would have overcome it,” forward Thaddeus Young said. ”But this team, we’ve been resilient all year. We’ve overcome adversity.”

And on Friday they did it against a Cavaliers team that was 39-0 in the regular season when leading after three quarters.

Bojan Bogdanovic scored 19 of his playoff career-high 30 points in the second half, finishing 7 of 9 on 3-pointers. Victor Oladipo added 18 points, six rebounds and seven assists.

Bogdanovic also spent most of the game defending LeBron James, who finished with 28 points, 12 rebounds, eight assists and six turnovers. He joined Michael Jordan as the only players in league history with 100 double-doubles in the postseason. Jordan had 109.

James almost single-handedly rallied his team twice from seven-point deficits in the final 3 1/2 minutes.

The three-time defending Eastern Conference champs were outscored 52-33 over the final 24 minutes.

”We were more aggressive in the first half. We had tempo, they didn’t,” James said. ”Then they were more aggressive in the second half, they had tempo http://www.texansauthorizedshops.com/authentic-jordan-akins-jersey , and we didn’t.”

Young is one of the few players still around from the record-breaking, 26-point collapse last year, which is one reason coach Nate McMillan has continually opted not to discuss it.

After the Pacers cut the 57-40 halftime deficit to 69-63 at the end of three, the Pacers continued to apply pressure and eventually Bogdanovic finally broke through with a four-point play that gave Indiana an 81-77 lead with 6:10 left. It was Indiana’s first lead since midway through the first quarter.

He was far from finished.

Bogdanovic knocked down another 3 to make it a seven-point game.

Then, after James countered with seven straight to tie the score, Bogdanovic scored on a layup and hit his final 3 before Young’s layup made it 91-84 with 53 seconds to go.

James and Kevin Love made back-to-back 3s to make it 91-90, and Cleveland got one more chance after Darren Collison missed the second free throw with 5 seconds left.

But J.R. Smith’s 38-foot heave came up short.

”It’s great to be on the other end,” Myles Turner said. ”You never want to get down that far and have to try and come back. To be down in that position is not ideal. The resiliency of this team, it’s unbelievable.”

TIP-INS

Cavaliers: Have lost five of seven to the Pacers and are 0-3 in Indianapolis this season. … Cleveland is 37-7 in the playoffs against Eastern Conference teams since James returned in 2015. … Love finished with 19 points and six rebounds despite playing with an injured left thumb. … George Hill scored nine points in the first quarter and finished with 13. … James has 12 straight double-doubles against the Pacers. He also played in his 221st career playoff game to move past Kobe Bryant for No. 6 on the career list.

Pacers: Have won only two of their last seven playoff games against the Cavs. … Indiana is now 12-3 in games decided by three or fewer points this season. … The Pacers have rallied from deficits of 15 or more points nine times. … Bogdanovic tied the Pacers’ playoff record for 3s made, which was done four other times.

TEMPERS FLARE

Indiana’s fans booed the refs loudly throughout the first half. Then they really got upset after watching Oladipo crash hard to the floor on the final play of the half.

No foul was called and Oladipo slapped the floor before getting up and complaining.

If that wasn’t enough to upset the crowd, Larry Nance Jr. walked over and started yelling at Oladipo. That’s when Young stepped in and tried to peacemaker.

Nobody was called for a technical foul.

HOW BAD WAS IT?

Whether the verbal jabs provided any fuel at halftime, the Cavs certainly weren’t the same in the second half, when they were 13 of 28 from the field, 5 of 22 on 3s and had 10 turnovers.

James scored 15 points over the final two quarters Sandy Koufax Jersey , while his teammates accounted for 18. Following the game, James was asked about getting more support from his teammates.

”What are you guys looking for? You think I’m going to throw my teammates under the bus?” James said before the reporter explained that’s not what he meant. ”I’m not about that. Guys have got to play better – including myself. I had six turnovers tonight. I was horrible in the third quarter. I couldn’t make a shot. If I make some better plays in the third quarter (it’s a different game).”

THEY SAID IT

Cavaliers: ”I’m confident,” coach Tyronn Lue said. ”I think if we play the way we did in the first half, we can definitely win. We’ve got to win come Sunday.”

Pacers: ”A lot of teams have been close with LeBron but he ends up winning,” McMillan said. ”So we’re not in this thing to be close.”

UP NEXT

Game 4 is Sunday at Indianapolis.

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More NBA basketball: Tight end Antonio Gates will not return to the Los Angeles Chargers, ending the 15-year tenure of the most prolific pass-catcher in franchise history.

Chargers general manager Tom Telesco confirmed the team's decision Friday night after the second day of the NFL draft.

The Chargers had waited to make any announcement on Gates' future because they weren't sure whether he intended to attempt to join another team for a 16th NFL season this fall. Gates has spent his entire career with the Chargers, who signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2003.

"Antonio is not only one of the best Chargers of all time, he's one of the best football players in the history of our game," an emotional Telesco said. "These decisions are really, really difficult."

Gates has caught 927 passes for 11,508 yards and 114 touchdowns 鈥?all Chargers records. He set the NFL record for TD catches by a tight end early last season.

Gates also ranks third in career receptions by a tight end behind Tony Gonzalez and Jason Witten.

But Gates will turn 38 years old in June, and his role in the Chargers' offense diminished steadily over the past three seasons. He caught just 30 passes for 316 yards and was targeted only 52 times last year, his lowest totals since his rookie season.

After the season ended with the Chargers barely missing the playoffs at 9-7, Gates expressed interest in playing again this year. He appeared to waver in that decision in recent weeks Cheap Lamar Jackson Jersey , but the Chargers recently let him know they were moving forward without him because Gates' role would have been reduced even more in the upcoming season.

Gates' resolve to play on is apparently renewed, but it won't be with the Chargers and Philip Rivers, his quarterback for the past 12 seasons. Gates and Rivers have combined for 87 touchdown passes, another NFL record between a quarterback and a tight end.

Rivers addressed Gates' tenuous future earlier this month after an offseason workout.

"You'd love for him to get one more shot to be with us and go make a run at it," Rivers said. "If it were not to work out, and if he were to decide to hang it up, who knows? He's had a heck of a run. He has nothing left to prove, that's for sure."

Los Angeles is loaded with pass-catching talent, including Pro Bowl receiver Keenan Allen and a full complement of wideouts. More importantly, tight end Hunter Henry has emerged as a top target for Rivers over his first two seasons, catching 81 passes for 1,057 yards and 12 touchdowns.

The Chargers also signed tight end Virgil Green as a free agent from Denver last month.

"As we were looking at it, we really felt like this is Hunter Henry's time," Telesco said. "We need to get him even more involved than we did in the past. We've got four receivers that we think are really talented that we need to get the football Youth Anthony Averett Jersey , and we've got two running backs."

Gates is a beloved figure in the history of the franchise that relocated to the Los Angeles area last season after 55 seasons in San Diego. He teamed with Rivers and LaDainian Tomlinson as the heart of a team that won four consecutive AFC West titles from 2006-09 and advanced to one conference championship game.

Gates' entire NFL career has been a stunning success against the odds. After playing basketball at Kent State, Gates fashioned one of the most impressive careers by an undrafted athlete in U.S. sports history after he landed in San Diego and played his way into a vital role under coach Marty Schottenheimer.

Gates was particularly prolific in 2005, when he caught a career-best 89 passes for 1,101 yards and 10 touchdowns in Drew Brees' final season as the Chargers' quarterback. Gates was incredible again in 2009, catching 79 passes for a career-high 1,157 yards and eight scores. Injuries contributed to the slowdown in his production in recent seasons.

He has been selected for eight Pro Bowls.

Gates willingly made the move last year from San Diego to Los Angeles, where he already lived during the offseason. He then set the NFL record for touchdown catches by a tight end during a game against Miami at StubHub Center, surpassing Gonzalez.

Gates spent most of the season as a backup for Henry before playing extensively in the final two games after Henry was injured, still showing sure hands and the ability to get open.

"We put a lot of thought into where this roster needs to go, fully knowing that Antonio stepped in last year when we really needed him and played really well," Telesco said. "That's why these decisions are tough. But as we're looking at how our roster needs to be constructed, it's just the way it had to go."

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