2025 NBA PLAYOFFS East Semifinals: #1 Cleveland Cavaliers vs #4 Indiana Pacers (IND leads 2-0)

[The Real Dalic]

Mind showing me where I asked for sympathy?

The other guy was whining so I was reminding him we’ve all been there.

Then I proceeded to talk about how I hate this for Cleveland and wished they were healthy.

You’re mad over nothing.

Whining? Thanks for painting me in the most negative light for literally no reason.

Don't really think saying "whining" is painting you in the most negative light. But my apologies.

All good! It's my bad for being too sensitive about it. Congrats on the win tonight!

[xxSnEaKyPxx]

Whining? Thanks for painting me in the most negative light for literally no reason.

Don't really think saying "whining" is painting you in the most negative light. But my apologies.

All good! It's my bad for being too sensitive about it. Congrats on the win tonight!

Na, was my bad man, should have found a better way to phrase things. Thanks!

[threethehardway]

I'm a longtime Pacers fan and I really want to see Hali and the team succeed. While I don't fully agree with all of your points, I do recognize some of your observations about Hali. In fact, those same things—like his passiveness, being overly unselfish, and not asserting himself enough—have frustrated me at times too.

Sports fans and teams and coaches and etc need to stop calling unassertive, passive, wallflower players unselfish.

No, they are selfish.

Haliburton is a selfish player, it's just that nobody will call it that because they like to project themselves as star player's teammates and admire the "pass-first" type of star player as someone they wanna play with because they make the game fun.

Haliburton gladly hands his team grenades by not taking over possessions.

Watching Nembhard get 8 turnovers is selfish. Haliburton only wanting to do the easy stuff like go ahead passes and cute pick and roll plays, and transition threes instead of the gritty dirty work of getting iso-buckets to temper the momentum of an advancing team is selfish.

Haliburton's playstyle and attitude is the equivalent of not taking players not taking heaves because they don't want to mess up their shooting stats.

Haliburton will sit out entire possessions and quarters because he don't want to mess up his stats. Then he'll "take over" for the last 3 minutes because by then it doesn't really matter, he's 5-9 with 10 assists, if he wins, he looks good, if he loses it isn't his fault.

Haliburton is a selfish player that plays basketball with a ledger, keeping account of everything that he's done to "win" the game.

It's the opposite of someone like Curry, who is competitive and want to win the game and get with over. The Pacers are the 9th best offense in the league, they shouldn't have struggled to score and lose the TO battle without Evan Mobley playing lol.

[xxSnEaKyPxx]

I'm a longtime Pacers fan and I really want to see Hali and the team succeed. While I don't fully agree with all of your points, I do recognize some of your observations about Hali. In fact, those same things—like his passiveness, being overly unselfish, and not asserting himself enough—have frustrated me at times too.

Sports fans and teams and coaches and etc need to stop calling unassertive, passive, wallflower players unselfish.

No, they are selfish.

Haliburton is a selfish player, it's just that nobody will call it that because they like to project themselves as star player's teammates and admire the "pass-first" type of star player as someone they wanna play with because they make the game fun.

Haliburton gladly hands his team grenades by not taking over possessions.

Watching Nembhard get 8 turnovers is selfish. Haliburton only wanting to do the easy stuff like go ahead passes and cute pick and roll plays, and transition threes instead of the gritty dirty work of getting iso-buckets when need to temper the momentum of an advancing team is selfish.

Haliburton's playstyle and attitude is the equivalent of not taking star players not taking heaves because they don't want to mess up their shooting possessions.

Haliburton will sit out entire possessions and quarters because he don't want to mess up his stats. Then he'll "take over" for the last 3 minutes because by then it doesn't really matter, he's 5-9 with 10 assists, if he wins, he looks good, if he loses it isn't his fault.

Haliburton is a selfish player.

[jtan08]

Because you have situations where your "true PG" watches an inferior guard ruin possession after possession for 46 minutes because he doesn't want to make a mistake or impose his will on the game despite the fact that he's going against a team without 3 of their best players and he's supposedly the best player on his own team.

I think we all saw the "true PG" of the 90s and 2000s and how ineffective they were at winning championships because they didn't take over games when they should've and wanted to "play the right way".

It's not a coincidence that the last PG led team was a guy that routinely dropping 40 points in 3 quarters and was sitting out the 4th.

You think Steph Curry would watch Shaun Livingston or Andre Iguodala have 8 turnovers against a squad without their 3 best players with the opposing star going off?

People need to re-watch this game and see how timid and ineffective Haliburton was against a team without 3 of their best players and then tell me how that "true PG" stuff works in practice.

If the player with the ball in their hands the most cannot or refuses to impose their will on the game, they aren't that valuable.

Haliburton has pretty stats and when he's front-running, he makes the game look easy, but I never seen a "star" not wanting to be a "star" unless it's going his way or when it's time to take the last shot just in case it goes in so he can get the credit.

I'm a longtime Pacers fan and I really want to see Hali and the team succeed. While I don't fully agree with all of your points, I do recognize some of your observations about Hali. In fact, those same things—like his passiveness, being overly unselfish, and not asserting himself enough—have frustrated me at times too.

Whoa, JTan! That’s a name I haven’t seen in a long time.

Hi SneakyP! I'm actively following all the Pacers discussions here including yours, but just not actively posting or commenting.

[xxSnEaKyPxx]

Feels like Pacers fans should chant “Overrated!” while at home when Haliburton shoots FTs.

Turn it into a battle cry.

[jars]

I never seen a "star" not wanting to be a "star" unless it's going his way or when it's time to take the last shot just in case it goes in so he can get the credit.

I was going to give you a proper response because your argument about whether a "true PG" as the best player can win a championship in the modern era is valid....

..but after you said people (implying me) need to go back and watch the game while also essentially saying he took the last shot just so he could get the credit for taking the last shot, I just can't deal with this farcical nonsense. You've complained that Hali isn't assertive enough and then when he goes and rips an offense rebound, takes it out, ignores an open teammate and hits the game winning shot, you discount it.

[jtan08]

I'm a longtime Pacers fan and I really want to see Hali and the team succeed. While I don't fully agree with all of your points, I do recognize some of your observations about Hali. In fact, those same things—like his passiveness, being overly unselfish, and not asserting himself enough—have frustrated me at times too.

Sports fans and teams and coaches and etc need to stop calling unassertive, passive, wallflower players unselfish.

No, they are selfish.

Haliburton is a selfish player, it's just that nobody will call it that because they like to project themselves as star player's teammates and admire the "pass-first" type of star player as someone they wanna play with because they make the game fun.

Haliburton gladly hands his team grenades by not taking over possessions.

Watching Nembhard get 8 turnovers is selfish. Haliburton only wanting to do the easy stuff like go ahead passes and cute pick and roll plays, and transition threes instead of the gritty dirty work of getting iso-buckets to temper the momentum of an advancing team is selfish.

Haliburton's playstyle and attitude is the equivalent of not taking players not taking heaves because they don't want to mess up their shooting stats.

Haliburton will sit out entire possessions and quarters because he don't want to mess up his stats. Then he'll "take over" for the last 3 minutes because by then it doesn't really matter, he's 5-9 with 10 assists, if he wins, he looks good, if he loses it isn't his fault.

Haliburton is a selfish player that plays basketball with a ledger, keeping account of everything that he's done to "win" the game.

It's the opposite of someone like Curry, who is competitive and want to win the game and get with over. The Pacers are the 9th best offense in the league, they shouldn't have struggled to score and lose the TO battle without Evan Mobley playing lol.

It seems you are following Hali and Pacers' game, you have some idea and observation how he plays which is somehow accurate but different conclusion. However, it seems you are really mad/angry at him, why? LOL

[Nuntius]

I'm a longtime Pacers fan and I really want to see Hali and the team succeed. While I don't fully agree with all of your points, I do recognize some of your observations about Hali. In fact, those same things—like his passiveness, being overly unselfish, and not asserting himself enough—have frustrated me at times too.

Sports fans and teams and coaches and etc need to stop calling unassertive, passive, wallflower players unselfish.

No, they are selfish.

Haliburton is a selfish player, it's just that nobody will call it that because they like to project themselves as star player's teammates and admire the "pass-first" type of star player as someone they wanna play with because they make the game fun.

Haliburton gladly hands his team grenades by not taking over possessions.

Watching Nembhard get 8 turnovers is selfish. Haliburton only wanting to do the easy stuff like go ahead passes and cute pick and roll plays, and transition threes instead of the gritty dirty work of getting iso-buckets to temper the momentum of an advancing team is selfish.

Haliburton's playstyle and attitude is the equivalent of not taking players not taking heaves because they don't want to mess up their shooting stats.

Haliburton will sit out entire possessions and quarters because he don't want to mess up his stats. Then he'll "take over" for the last 3 minutes because by then it doesn't really matter, he's 5-9 with 10 assists, if he wins, he looks good, if he loses it isn't his fault.

Haliburton is a selfish player that plays basketball with a ledger, keeping account of everything that he's done to "win" the game.

It's the opposite of someone like Curry, who is competitive and want to win the game and get with over. The Pacers are the 9th best offense in the league, they shouldn't have struggled to score and lose the TO battle without Evan Mobley playing lol.

Interestingly, only 3 players attempted more heaves than Hali this season. Jokic, Bridges and Edwards.

So, the analogy kinda backfired here.

[Statlanta]

I feel like this victory is less that the Pacers are clutch and more that the Cavs have excerbated their issues; running Mitchell into the ground and having guys load manage their injuries in the playoffs(I blame the players themselves rather than the coaching/medical staff).

Pacers getting 2024 Boston levels of injury luck especially knowing that 1-384 stat of teams down 7 with 50 seconds remaining.

[FlatearthZorro]

CLE has a lots of injury issues. Felt like they’d win easily if healthy, still tho, this is playoff basketball. I’m super impressed with IND. I wrote “don’t count them out”.

[RB34]

I feel like this victory is less that the Pacers are clutch and more that the Cavs have excerbated their issues; running Mitchell into the ground and having guys load manage their injuries in the playoffs(I blame the players themselves rather than the coaching/medical staff).

Pacers getting 2024 Boston levels of injury luck especially knowing that 1-384 stat of teams down 7 with 50 seconds remaining.

KP was missing last year or nah? Oh that’s right I forgot that doesn’t count.

[Mavrelous]

Indy are the new Miami, the team that refuses to die...

[Johnny Bball]

I just realized that in this movie, the big balls team is Cleveland.

That was wild. I screamed "WE WON" and the wife came running in the room as she had already went to bed. Haha. So I had to backtrack and show her what happened. Damn woman, no faith.

I said out lout, dagger, after the Cleveland 3. That's should have been game. Clock is their friend after that.

[Los_29]

I can’t remember a time where there has been so many heartbreaking games to start a playoff series. Cavs and Thunder couldn’t close out games and it was quite shocking to see the mistakes that both teams made in crunch time.

Both losses were demoralizing and while the Thunder should recover and make it a series, the Cavs will likely get bounced in 5-6 games because of it.

[JujitsuFlip]

Feel so bad for Spida, man. His teammates never show up in the playoffs.

In this case literally lol 3 of em in street clothes.

[DowJones]

So now we call fouls like last one against Hali in playoffs or in general?

It was a disgusting foul to call. Indiana has gotten so many breaks in this series, they didn’t need that from the officials.

[LethalRangee]

I’ve said it during the regular season but i’ll reiterate it now, the Cavs are the biggest 60+ win frauds in history. Lucky break for Indy to the ECF 2 years in a row. WP.

[Hoop Hunter]

Why are you saying this like it is a bad thing? Being elite in the pick and roll, hitting teammates with good passes and being a competent 3 point shooter leading to a high quality offense is literally the idea "true PG". Teams don't need to be constructed around outdated isolation players like it is the late 90s. Your takes reek of someone who lives for instagram reels.

Because you have situations where your "true PG" watches an inferior guard ruin possession after possession for 46 minutes because he doesn't want to make a mistake or impose his will on the game despite the fact that he's going against a team without 3 of their best players and he's supposedly the best player on his own team.

I think we all saw the "true PG" of the 90s and 2000s and how ineffective they were at winning championships because they didn't take over games when they should've and wanted to "play the right way".

It's not a coincidence that the last PG led team was a guy that routinely dropping 40 points in 3 quarters and was sitting out the 4th.

You think Steph Curry would watch Shaun Livingston or Andre Iguodala have 8 turnovers against a squad without their 3 best players with the opposing star going off?

People need to re-watch this game and see how timid and ineffective Haliburton was against a team without 3 of their best players and then tell me how that "true PG" stuff works in practice.

If the player with the ball in their hands the most cannot or refuses to impose their will on the game, they aren't that valuable.

Haliburton has pretty stats and when he's front-running, he makes the game look easy, but I never seen a "star" not wanting to be a "star" unless it's going his way or when it's time to take the last shot just in case it goes in so he can get the credit.

Where did Haliburton touch you? or did he reject you? You really got a "thing" for him.

[brackdan70]

Mind blown. I had to get to bed early and looked at the score thought it was over with a minute left.
Just watching replay of the last minute.
Did Cavs not have a timeout at the end?