Candace Buckner

candace.buckner@indystar.com

Pacers at Suns%2C 9 p.m. Tuesday%2C FSI

CLEVELAND – The 82-game NBA regular season is a marathon, not a sprint. But try convincing yourself that after watching the Indiana Pacers run, dash and hurry through the early part of the year.

Never mind that injuries have still sidelined two starters, the other big nuisance in the Pacers' 2014-15 season has been the rush of opponents that like to play as if the 24-second shot clock takes too long.

So far, Indiana has not fared well against these teams and again on Saturday, the Pacers remained stuck in the mud while another opponent played a full-on sprint.

The latest hare, the Cleveland Cavaliers who jumped to a large lead inside a sold-out Quicken Loans Arena and held on for the 109-97 victory. While the official box score may have only rewarded Cleveland with 12 fast break points, the team operated at a greater, faster pace than Indiana. The Cavs made 52.6 percent while their three best players – LeBron James (19 points), Kevin Love (28) and Kyrie Irving (24) – made 27 of the team's 41 shots.

The Pacers (7-10) have now played seven of the top 10 NBA teams in terms of averaging the most fast break points per game and have lost five of those games.

Those outcomes can almost be predicted from tip-off – if Indiana can impose its tortoise pace on the opponent first and hit shots, then there's a good chance for a victory. However, once Denver or Phoenix, or this time, Cleveland, establishes an early track meet, then the Pacers land in trouble. On Saturday, the Cavs unloaded a 19-point deficit on to the Pacers in the first quarter, about as troublesome as things can go on the road.

"They're tough," said David West, who led the Pacers with 14 points in his second game of the season since returning from a right ankle sprain. "They spread you out, they got a bunch of ways they can attack you. They had us on our heels."

Now with the return of West, a traditional power forward who operates from 17 feet and closer, the Pacers have their most trustworthy interior player. So even as Indiana plays with the fourth slowest pace in the league (93.07), number of possessions per 48 minutes, the style has been and can continue to be definitive with a consistent shot maker like West on the floor. However, even with West scoring early on Saturday, the Cavs dominated the first quarter with their style of play.

"This game is about being the aggressor," said Ian Mahinmi, who started his fourth straight game at center as Roy Hibbert sat with a sprained left ankle. "They started the game being the aggressor. They had us on our heels the whole first quarter and the third quarter.

"They threw the first punch and we can't allow that."

It didn't take long for Cleveland to start the race.

Less than two minutes into the game, Cavs center Tristan Thompson secured the defensive rebound to ignite the Cavs' third possession of the game, and Irving pushed up court and pulled up ahead of the free-throw line for a jumper with 18 seconds on the shot clock.

There are other examples of just a fluid offense – a pick-and-pop between James and Love with 16 seconds on the clock then James sending a pass from half court ahead to Shawn Marion that led to Love draining an open 3-pointer – but there are plenty more of Cleveland effectively playing in transition. James ripped the ball from Rodney Stuckey and sped down court for the breakaway dunk to make it 22-6. Then, in the same motion as he grabbed a defensive rebound, Irving sent another long outlet to Marion for a dunk and the Cavs opened the 24-6 lead with 6:46 still remaining in the first quarter.

"We didn't move the ball well enough," West said. "Got guys constantly leaking out, running down the floor, which is tough because it got them going, got them in a groove early."

By the time the Pacers had fallen down 27-8, it was West who had carried the load as he accounted for six of the team's eight points. The early imbalance created a 19-point gap but that would soon change. After West's mid-range jumper pulled the Pacers to 10 total points, three others would also join the scoring column. Even more significant, the Pacers began to get stops and held the Cavaliers to only a James' fading jump shot over Chris Copeland's outstretched hand to beat the first-quarter buzzer. After a strong 13-2 closing run to the quarter, Indiana only trailed 29-21.

Although the Pacers trimmed the deficit to just 41-39 after a Solomon Hill 3-pointer with 4:40 remaining in the first half, the mirage of a comeback was just that. Indiana made just 39.3 percent and only lost by 12 points because of the fourth-quarter garbage time minutes.

"We definitely dug ourselves in a hole," Donald Sloan said. "They came out shooting it and making plays early on."

Next week, the Pacers will play a three-game road trip against Western Conference teams beginning with a rematch against the Phoenix Suns. On Nov. 22, the breakneck Suns handed the Pacers their worst loss of the season, 106-83, played a role in the Pacers ranking as the 21st team in defending the fast break. Last season, the Pacers ranked fourth overall.

That earlier loss and the Saturday night trip to Cleveland should serve a trial run of what's ahead on the road. The Pacers need to pack their running shoes and prepare for the sprint within the marathon.

"Definitely everybody (has to be) on one string as far as transition defense because you've got Phoenix and they're a running team," Sloan said. "That's going to be the key for us these next three games, how we communicate well and get to guys and get back. If we can go that, just have them play in front of us, we have a chance in all three games."

Follow Star reporter Candace Buckner on Twitter: @CandaceDBuckner.

Pacers at Suns, 9 p.m. Tuesday, FSI