Many overlooked the Pacers vs. Cavs matchup, with Cleveland fans writing the series off as a sweep. The consensus around the league was that Indy had beaten up on a hurt Milwaukee team and stood no chance against the one-seed in the East. Game 1 told an entirely different story.
Being overlooked is nothing new to the Pacers. In the 2024 NBA playoffs, Indy surprised quite a few by making it to the Eastern Conference Finals as the sixth seed.
The Celtics ultimately ended Indy’s run in a sweep, but the average margin of victory was only 6.75 points. Although the series ended 4-0, final scores showed a much closer matchup.
In what was a promising return to the playoffs for a young Indiana team, people pointed to injuries as a reason for their success. Citing that had key players on the opposition been healthy, the Pacers would not have made it nearly as far, likely losing in the first round.
While this is a valid take because team dynamics truly do change without key players, it still should not have taken away credit from Indy. In the playoffs, the Bucks should win without Antetokounmpo and the Knicks without Brunson, especially against weaker competition, as some say the Pacers were.
The Blue and Gold were able to put away good teams, granted, without their stars, in a seven-game series. That is still deserving of some recognition, even more so for a young team with little to no playoff experience. No one wants to be swept to end the season, but the Pacers showed promise.
To start the 2024-25 season, Indiana was not on anyone’s radar as a great team. A mediocre first half of the year did not do them any favors. A switch was flipped after the All-Star break, however, revealing truer potential.
The Pacers ended the season with the sixth-best record post-ASB at 20-9. This stretch accelerated them to a 50-win season for the first time since 2013. Some heads started to turn as a result, recognizing that Indy is a legitimate threat in the first-round. Not surprisingly, past excuses started to echo once the Naptown team started to win, again.
Although the Pacers were largely picked as the favorite to win the series in six to seven games, this was attributed to Damian Lillard being injured. It was Deja vu for all involved. Indy defeats Milwaukee in the first round, mainly due to the Bucks missing a star player. Except this time around, the Blue and Gold sent the Bucks home in five games.
While the rest of the league was sleeping on them, Indy kept on winning games. Still, the narrative was that the Pacers are not a real contender. Now that the Pacers vs. Cavs series has kicked off, opinions are starting to change.
From the tip, the Pacers came out with the hot hand from three and sustained it all game long. At the end of the first quarter, leading the Cavs 36-25, a message was sent: Indy means business.
By halftime, Cleveland had cut the Pacers’ lead to 6, trailing 64-58, but the Blue and Gold showed no signs of slowing down. It was clear the Cavs needed a big second-half performance to put Indy away in front of their home crowd. No one expected Indiana to come out this strong in a Pacers vs. Cavs series opener.
Donovan Mitchell did his best, dropping a game-high 33 points, breaking Michael Jordan’s record for most series openers with at least 30 points at eight. As good of company that is to be in, it was not enough to secure the victory.
Mitchell and crew made their run in the third, taking back the lead for the first time since the beginning of the game. All the momentum seemed to be on the Cavs’ side, with their home crowd going wild. The Pacers’ spectacular performance from three, however, continued to silence the crowd.
Although there were 13 lead changes, Cleveland’s lead never grew larger than four points. This was a testament to the offensive onslaught that Indy rained from three, shooting 52.8 percent on the night.
Arguably, the most important of these came from Tyrese Haliburton and Andrew Nembhard around the six-minute mark in the fourth quarter. The Pacers duo, who scored a combined 45 points, each hit tough step-back threes one after the other to give the Pacers back the lead, 107-102.
From this point on, the Pacers did not concede control of the game. The game never felt out of reach for the Cavs, but Indy kept hitting shots to ensure Cleveland could not come back. At the final buzzer, Indiana came out on top 121-112, getting a valuable win on the road. In the Pacers vs. Cavs series, going up 1-0 is a huge boost of confidence
Had the Pacers lost game one, the narrative of them not being contenders would have continued. Winning the series opener, however, sent a very direct message that is now waking people up to the idea that Indy could once again make the ECF.
The Cavs were without one of their best three-point shooters, Darius Garland, due to a sprained left big toe. Although this time, injured players were not used as an excuse for why the Pacers won.
Cleveland, like Indy, boasts a strong home-court record, only losing seven games at home during the regular season. This, in combination with the Pacers barely breaking .500 on the road at 21-20, set the stage for a dominant Cavalier opener.
Alternatively, Indy’s three-point shooting and continued shot-making ability spoiled the Pacers vs. Cavs opener for Cleveland. It was clear Indy was not the favorite to win, but they showed up and beat the Cavs on their home floor fair and square. This garners respect, injured players or not.
To Indiana fans, this came as no surprise because the Pacers have been doing this all year long. Now it was just being done on a bigger stage. Haliburton and crew have been hitting big shots in close games too often to write it off as a fluke. People are starting to have no choice but to admit the young team from Indy is the real deal.
Even with Garland’s eventual return, Indy still matches up quite nicely with Cleveland. Both teams have a star guard, players who can shoot the three at any position (outside of Jarrett Allen), and a deep bench. The team with more consistency will come out on top in the Pacers vs. Cavs series.
Shooting percentages will vary. The Pacers will not shoot 50+ percent from three every night, just like the Cavs will not shoot below 25%. There is more to the story, though. Indy had more than double Cleveland’s turnovers with 16, but still eclipsed their postseason average of 30 assists.
Indiana’s commitment to sharing the ball is outdone by none. The Pacers in the postseason, led by Haliburton with 11.8 assists per game, have 30 assists per game. This makes it easy for Indy to find the hot hand, which they have eight of, on any given night.
As much as Indy likes to pass the ball around, do not expect them to turn the ball over 16 times again. Haliburton made a name for himself by taking care of the ball, and it is not often that the team strays from their point guard’s habits.
Poor shooting performances and high turnover games come few and far between for the Pacers. They have shown no signs of slowing down either. When it comes to the Pacers vs. Cavs matchup, Cleveland may be in for a longer series than they planned for.
The Pacers have been written off and their achievements discounted for the better part of two seasons now. They have long been deserving of respect they have not been given it. The tables finally seem to be turning in their favor due to their consistent winning efforts. Regardless of the outcome of the Pacers vs. Cavs series, it will show what some have known all along: the Pacers are a great team.
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