When the playoffs begin, it's a clean slate. It doesn't matter if you were the best, the worst, or the revelation of the regular season, the playing field is leveled, and anything can happen. This premise was experienced by Cleveland, who, despite their historic season, was eliminated with a resounding 4-1 by Indiana, as reported by Efe.
Therefore, the Pacers will play in the NBA Eastern Conference Finals for the second consecutive year after defeating the Cavaliers 105-114 on Tuesday.
Finishing fourth in the Eastern Conference in the regular season, the Pacers led by Tyrese Haliburton sealed the fate of a Cavaliers team that had a historic season (64-18) to finish as conference leaders but were overwhelmed by an Indiana team that defeated them in all three games played in Cleveland.
Memorable moments included Haliburton's game-winning three-pointer with 1.1 seconds in the second game or the blowout in the fourth game, where they were leading by 41 points at halftime.
Much more was expected from the Cavaliers in the playoffs, but the team led by Kenny Atkinson, a coach with dual American and Spanish nationality, was clearly outplayed by the Pacers. The Cavaliers were also heavily affected by the physical issues of players like Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, etc., during the series.
Indiana's opponent in the Eastern Conference Finals will be the winner of the semifinal between the Celtics and the Knicks, with the New Yorkers leading 3-1.
All five starters for the Pacers ended in double-digit scoring. Haliburton shined (31 points on 10 of 15 shooting, including 6 of 10 from three-point range), 6 rebounds, and 8 assists, with excellent support from Pascal Siakam (21 points and 8 rebounds).
Andrew Nembhard (18 points and 6 assists), Myles Turner (10 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 blocks), and Aaron Nesmith (13 points and 13 rebounds) were also instrumental.
The Pacers only made 1 of 8 three-pointers in the first quarter but corrected it in the following three quarters with 14 of 27 (15 of 35 in total). In contrast, the Cavaliers struggled with 9 of 35 from beyond the arc.
In Cleveland, Mitchell was a question mark for this game due to an ankle injury and, with more pride than accuracy, finished with 35 points (8 of 25 from the field with 4 of 13 from three-point range, and 15 of 21 from the free-throw line) and 9 rebounds.
Garland, physically limited, contributed only 11 points (4 of 16 with 0 of 6 from three-point range), while Mobley added 24 points and 11 rebounds.
Despite some nerves and early mistakes, the first quarter looked promising for the Cavaliers with 13 points from Mitchell and 10 from Mobley.
On the other hand, the Pacers appeared clumsy and lackluster on offense, shooting 31.8% from the field and ending the first period with a deficit (31-19).
The home team's lead extended to +19 (44-25 with 8:10 until halftime), but the Pacers' comeback was impressive.
With a 12-28 run until halftime, Indiana punished Cleveland repeatedly, mainly thanks to a spectacular performance by Haliburton, who had only scored 2 points in the first quarter but then exploded in the second with a fantastic 5-for-5 from beyond the arc.
The 56-52 halftime score left everything open. Haliburton led Indiana with 17 points (5 of 6 from three-point range), while Mitchell led Cleveland with 16 points but struggled with his shooting (3 of 11 from the field, offset by 10 of 12 from the free-throw line).
Garland fared even worse (4 points on 2 of 9 shooting), but the Cavaliers' outside shooting woes contrasted with the inside dominance of Mobley (14 points on 4 of 6 shooting) and Jarrett Allen (9 points on 4 of 5 shooting).
Siakam was also a key player in Indiana's second-quarter resurgence and sealed the comeback with a three-pointer that gave the Pacers the lead (64-65 with 7:04 in the third quarter).
Coached by Rick Carlisle, the Pacers overwhelmed a disoriented Cavaliers team, with the crowd murmuring as Cleveland went over seven minutes without a field goal.
The energy gap between the two teams was immense, resulting in a massive 5-21 run. Siakam (8 points) and Haliburton (7) continued to set the pace, showcasing Indiana's depth with surprising contributions from Thomas Bryant who scored 9 crucial points.
With a score of 76-85 to start the final quarter, the Cavaliers made a desperate final attempt despite their dwindling energy. They came close to a comeback and even got within one point with Ty Jerome and De'Andre Hunter supporting a heroic yet desperate Mitchell.
However, the Pacers had answers for everything, with Nembhard playing a crucial role in the fourth quarter with 9 points and a crucial three-point play in the final moments to bury Cleveland and keep Indiana's dreams alive.
Oklahoma struggles against a masterful Jokic but leaves Denver with no margin for error
In the other game of the night, Nikola Jokic delivered another masterpiece but the Oklahoma City Thunder survived the Serbian genius, coming back to beat the Denver Nuggets 112-105, putting them one win away from the Western Conference Finals (3-2).
After this fabulous and thrilling game in Oklahoma, with both teams giving their all from start to finish, the series now returns to Denver for the sixth game, scheduled for this Thursday.
For someone who is already considered among the best players in NBA history, Jokic had not been particularly effective in the last three games. However, tonight was a different story.
The three-time MVP put on a show with 44 points, displaying impressive accuracy: 17 of 25 shooting, including 5 of 7 from three-point range, and a perfect 5 of 5 from the free-throw line. He also contributed 15 rebounds and 5 assists, playing 44 minutes, including the entire second half.
Jamal Murray also stood out with 28 points (10 of 27 shooting), but the Nuggets squandered a 9-point lead with 10 minutes remaining in a terrible final quarter where they ran out of gas, facing a decisive 34-19 deficit.
Coached by David Adelman, the Thunder had a dreadful 5 of 21 shooting performance (1 of 12 from three-point range) in the last twelve minutes.
On the other hand, Shai-Gilgeous Alexander, the frontrunner to succeed Jokic as MVP, led the Thunder with 31 points (12 of 23 shooting), 6 rebounds, and 7 assists. The point guard scored 10 crucial points in the final quarter.
Five other Thunder players scored 10 or more points: Jalen Williams (18 points and 9 rebounds), Isaiah Hartenstein (15 points and 7 rebounds), Chet Holmgren (14 points and 8 rebounds), Lu Dort (12 points with 4 three-pointers, 3 of them crucial in the fourth quarter), and Alex Caruso (13 points).
Although the Thunder lost the rebound battle (49 for the Nuggets with 16 offensive rebounds compared to 43 for the Thunder), they made the difference from beyond the arc (12 of 29 compared to Denver's 13 of 46).
The first quarter perfectly exemplified the unpredictability of this series: the Thunder started strong with a 12-2 lead in the first four minutes, but the Nuggets responded with a 2-16 run to finish the period ahead 27-28.
Shai struggled to get going, scoring only 11 points (4 of 11 shooting) in the first half, as Oklahoma faced difficulties against Denver's zone defense.