The Indiana Pacers followed the Cleveland Cavaliers by 20 at a point of duration of game 2 of their confrontation in the second round of the NBA playoffs of 2025. The cavs had already abandoned game 1 and were playing without injured stars, Darius Garland and Evan Mobley (as well as the key reserve of Hunter). This was a victory that saved the Cleveland season and maybe bought some time to get healthy.
The Pacers continued to scare away in the last quarter, but it seemed that they were going to run out of time. When Donovan Mitchell sank a couple of free throws with less than 57 seconds in the last quarter, Cleveland led for seven. It seems safe enough, right? Not against Indiana.
The Pacers surprised the Cavs 120-119 in another second round thriller. One night after Aaron Gordon’s dagger surprised Thunder, Tyrese Haliburton replied with an equally great moment to take his team to an impossible victory.
The cavs rose three entrants from the ball with remaining 27 seconds. Andrew Nembhard stole a bad pass from Max Strus, and the Pacers were outside. Haliburton got the ball, led the basket and forced the referees to call a foul. He made the first free kick to reduce the deficit to two with 12 seconds.
Then things got wild: Haliburton lost the second free kick, recovered his own offensive rebound and dripped the ball to the top of the key before shaking an unpleasant backward jersey to give victory. Look at the work here:
Haliburton was appointed the most overvalued player by his teammates in a survey for athletics only a few weeks ago. Now it has been his pacemaker in the hive or consecutive trips to the finals of the Eaastern conference after stealing the first two games of the second round in Cleveland.
Haliburton finished with 19 points, nine rebounds, four assists and zero ball losses in the victory in 7 of 11 shots from the field. Indiana’s furious return was possible thanks to the bidirectional physical game of Aaron Nesmith (23 points, three blocks) and Myles Turner (23 points, five blockages). The Pacers were neglected with the ball all night (18 ball losses), were beaten in the offensive glass and fired six free throws, but somehow he made his way to Cleveland’s heart in the bell.
Donovan Mitchell was sensational with 48 points. The cavs were the best team in the east throughout the year, but the second round could not be worse for them. Garland has lost both games in this series with a sprain, Mobley is now out with a crooked ankle and, suddenly, 0-2 went down addressing Indiana.
It is a pity that Cleveland’s season can end this way. Just know Indiana Tok of them.