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

[hardenASG13]

Cavs in 5. I just don't see indy beating them more than once. I think Cavs win the first 2, split in indy and then close it out. This Cavs team is really good, they don't beat themselves and have everything from size, playmaking, shooting, depth. I think they have to have a bad game for Indy to beat them, and I don't see it happening more than once in this series.

[IMF]

I like the Pacers but I was quite unimpressed with their execution, particularly in big moments against Milwaukee.

What is this take bro

I love when these dudes who don't even watch the games come in with these takes

[Roger Murdock]

I like the Pacers but I was quite unimpressed with their execution, particularly in big moments against Milwaukee.

What is this take bro

I love when these dudes who don't even watch the games come in with these takes

They played terrible, stupid basketball for the last 8-9 minutes of game 5. Milwaukee played terribler, stupider basketball though. They were gifted a few turnovers from an exhausted overmatched team and capitalized from maybe the worst 40 seconds I’ve ever seen from an NBA team.

I’ve spent the season primarily watching Cleveland, Boston, OKC, and Denver, so my expectations for good/smart basketball down stretch of close is different than what I saw in this series.

[JujitsuFlip]

https://www.beaconjournal.com/story/sports/pro/cavs/2025/05/01/darius-garland-injury-all-star-questionable-for-cavs-pacers-game-1-nba-schedule-cleveland-indiana/83390124007/

Garland questionable for game 1.

[John Murdoch]

Always felt like Charlotte should model their build similar to Indy . Lamello is just as talented as Hali but he needs vets

[cgf]

Just wanted to add that Nembhard is actually their best defender and incredibly disruptive.

I might have gotten my Nembhard and Nesmith notes mixed a bit with the similar names. I knew they had a couple of nice defenders at the swing spots.

And New York is the third best team in the east, though I’m down for ranking the Pacers 6th in the NBA behind Boston, Cleveland, OKC, NY, & Minny.

I think the Knicks have talent, but I cannot understand what they are doing from game to game. Thibs is fumbling this a bit with his substitutions. I'm just not impressed with their game to game execution.

Yeah, I like Ben Shepherd off their bench as well…and Walker is super interesting. Their d sucked to start last season but since the lineup change they’ve been pretty tenacious, with a style that wears out teams with less depth, on both ends.


I get what you mean, but some of that is just that this team didn’t have a training camp together, so have had to figure things on the fly…which was complicated by all of the injuries to the limited depth we do have; Robinson ~60 games, Shamet ~30, Achiuwa ~20, McBride & Payne ~10 each; forcing the starters to play crazy minutes, which forced Thibs to cut back on practices.

Luckily that has turned around and we finally got to see our top 7 all healthy for the same game before the end of the regular season, and Brunson’s ankle is the only major health concern at the moment…and we’ve been beating the Pistons without busting some of the things so many of us are clamoring for, and giving Boston tape to pick apart.

But I also don’t think we’re 0-8 below the top 3. We got blown out by each of the top 3 once, but the other games were all close until we gassed in the 4th…despite only having our top 7 for one of those 8 games; the OT loss to Boston, which was the second time we faced them as our third game in four nights, and 3 of the Cleveland games being the second night of a b2b. With 7 guys Thibs trusts + the fringe guys + proper rest, we shouldn’t gas in the 4 like we did in most of the RS matchups…whether that’s enough for us to win or not.

We still smacked the Pacers, Nuggets, Grizzlies, Magic, etc. around the way the top 3 smacked us around. Which makes me think we’re a cut above most of the field…even health + rest isn’t enough to get us in that top tier

[xxSnEaKyPxx]

Cavs in five, we will come away thinking the Yes ‘Cers should have won two more games but they blew it at the end

That was very true last year, Pacers have been absurd in the clutch this year though…of course, can they keep it up or will water find its level?

[oikosnomos]

I’m confident in the Cavs. I truly think they are just better in every facet than the Pacers, but that is why you play the games. There is always anxiety when you play a good team because anything can happen. The best team doesn’t always win. Cavs just have a focus this year and it shows. Heat weren’t good, but the Cavs didn’t let up even a little because they wanted to leave nothing to chance. They only want to go all the way and anything else is failure. So, props to Pacers, but Cavs should handle this series.

[BigDan245]

Always felt like Charlotte should model their build similar to Indy . Lamello is just as talented as Hali but he needs vets

LaMelo is a clown...Please don't compare him to Hali.

[mcfly1204]

Always felt like Charlotte should model their build similar to Indy . Lamello is just as talented as Hali but he needs vets

LaMelo is a clown...Please don't compare him to Hali.

I was more so wondering why Charlotte would set their ceiling as a treadmill team.

[oikosnomos]

I know this is the Cavs-Pacer thread, but I just watch the Knicks play right now and I am befuddled. No flow, no rhythm, seemingly no plan at all. They seems like a bunch of good players just doing whatever. This is why I see the Pacers as better. They have an identity.

[xxSnEaKyPxx]

Just wanted to add that Nembhard is actually their best defender and incredibly disruptive.

I might have gotten my Nembhard and Nesmith notes mixed a bit with the similar names. I knew they had a couple of nice defenders at the swing spots.

And New York is the third best team in the east, though I’m down for ranking the Pacers 6th in the NBA behind Boston, Cleveland, OKC, NY, & Minny.

I think the Knicks have talent, but I cannot understand what they are doing from game to game. Thibs is fumbling this a bit with his substitutions. I'm just not impressed with their game to game execution.

Yeah, I like Ben Shepherd off their bench as well…and Walker is super interesting. Their d sucked to start last season but since the lineup change they’ve been pretty tenacious, with a style that wears out teams with less depth, on both ends.


I get what you mean, but some of that is just that this team didn’t have a training camp together, so have had to figure things on the fly…which was complicated by all of the injuries to the limited depth we do have; Robinson ~60 games, Shamet ~30, Achiuwa ~20, McBride & Payne ~10 each; forcing the starters to play crazy minutes, which forced Thibs to cut back on practices.

Luckily that has turned around and we finally got to see our top 7 all healthy for the same game before the end of the regular season, and Brunson’s ankle is the only major health concern at the moment…and we’ve been beating the Pistons without busting some of the things so many of us are clamoring for, and giving Boston tape to pick apart.

But I also don’t think we’re 0-8 below the top 3. We got blown out by each of the top 3 once, but the other games were all close until we gassed in the 4th…despite only having our top 7 for one of those 8 games; the OT loss to Boston, which was the second time we faced them as our third game in four nights, and 3 of the Cleveland games being the second night of a b2b. With 7 guys Thibs trusts + the fringe guys + proper rest, we shouldn’t gas in the 4 like we did in most of the RS matchups…whether that’s enough for us to win or not.

We still smacked the Pacers, Nuggets, Grizzlies, Magic, etc. around the way the top 3 smacked us around. Which makes me think we’re a cut above most of the field…even health + rest isn’t enough to get us in that top tier

Well, the defense largely sucked because Nembhard and Nesmith, our two best perimeter defenders, both missed a lot of games, then both of our backup Centers got injured, so we had no one behind Turner. It was more of a health issue than anything.

[durden_tyler]

Series Odds:

Cavaliers -2.5 vs Pacers

Meaning you bet on the Cavaliers here you need to the series finished in five games (4-1). i would have thought this is going to be closer but Vegas does not think of it that way.

Edited: Wrong math

[xxSnEaKyPxx]

Always felt like Charlotte should model their build similar to Indy . Lamello is just as talented as Hali but he needs vets

LaMelo is a clown...Please don't compare him to Hali.

I was more so wondering why Charlotte would set their ceiling as a treadmill team.

Better than their ceiling being a bottom 5 team for a decade?

[Wizop]

Series Odds:

Cavaliers -2.5 vs Pacers

Meaning you bet on the Cavaliers here you need to the series finished in six games (4-2). i would have thought this is going to be closer but Vegas does not think of it that way.

Wouldn't it have to be 4 - 1?

2 + 2.5 > 4

[GiannisAnte34]

This is the real 2vs3 seed series lol

Celtics more fitting to be #1 and Knicks more fitting to be #4

[GiannisAnte34]

Series Odds:

Cavaliers -2.5 vs Pacers

Meaning you bet on the Cavaliers here you need to the series finished in six games (4-2). i would have thought this is going to be closer but Vegas does not think of it that way.

Cavs winning 4-2 with series odds -2.5 games means you lose the bet. Cavs have to win 4-0 or 4-1 to cover that spread

[cgf]

Always felt like Charlotte should model their build similar to Indy . Lamello is just as talented as Hali but he needs vets

LaMelo is a clown...Please don't compare him to Hali.

I was more so wondering why Charlotte would set their ceiling as a treadmill team.

Smart to get your shots in before they beat you.

[cgf]

I might have gotten my Nembhard and Nesmith notes mixed a bit with the similar names. I knew they had a couple of nice defenders at the swing spots.



I think the Knicks have talent, but I cannot understand what they are doing from game to game. Thibs is fumbling this a bit with his substitutions. I'm just not impressed with their game to game execution.

Yeah, I like Ben Shepherd off their bench as well…and Walker is super interesting. Their d sucked to start last season but since the lineup change they’ve been pretty tenacious, with a style that wears out teams with less depth, on both ends.


I get what you mean, but some of that is just that this team didn’t have a training camp together, so have had to figure things on the fly…which was complicated by all of the injuries to the limited depth we do have; Robinson ~60 games, Shamet ~30, Achiuwa ~20, McBride & Payne ~10 each; forcing the starters to play crazy minutes, which forced Thibs to cut back on practices.

Luckily that has turned around and we finally got to see our top 7 all healthy for the same game before the end of the regular season, and Brunson’s ankle is the only major health concern at the moment…and we’ve been beating the Pistons without busting some of the things so many of us are clamoring for, and giving Boston tape to pick apart.

But I also don’t think we’re 0-8 below the top 3. We got blown out by each of the top 3 once, but the other games were all close until we gassed in the 4th…despite only having our top 7 for one of those 8 games; the OT loss to Boston, which was the second time we faced them as our third game in four nights, and 3 of the Cleveland games being the second night of a b2b. With 7 guys Thibs trusts + the fringe guys + proper rest, we shouldn’t gas in the 4 like we did in most of the RS matchups…whether that’s enough for us to win or not.

We still smacked the Pacers, Nuggets, Grizzlies, Magic, etc. around the way the top 3 smacked us around. Which makes me think we’re a cut above most of the field…even health + rest isn’t enough to get us in that top tier

Well, the defense largely sucked because Nembhard and Nesmith, our two best perimeter defenders, both missed a lot of games, then both of our backup Centers got injured, so we had no one behind Turner. It was more of a health issue than anything.

I meant last season before the rotation shake up. This season yeah, it was all injuries that left you 10-15 to start the campaign.

[cgf]

This is the real 2vs3 seed series lol

Celtics more fitting to be #1 and Knicks more fitting to be #4

I have to admire your spunk