Be careful of the gutter capsized! The Cavaliers lost to the Pacers three times in the regular season. Is it really a sure win in the second round?

In the second round of the 2025 NBA playoffs, the Cavaliers and the Pacers' narrow encounter will undoubtedly attract much attention. The Cavaliers showed strong dominance in the regular season, and advanced all the way to dominate the Eastern Conference. In the first round of the playoffs, they opened their firepower and fought the Heat without any power to fight back with a destructive force.

However, the Knight will face a more severe challenge - the Pacers. The Pacers also performed well in the first round. Facing the Bucks, whose strength has been greatly reduced due to injuries, they easily passed the level in just five games, and their strength cannot be underestimated.

At first glance, the Knight seems to have an absolute advantage, and is very likely to sweep the Pacers. But in-depth analysis will reveal that this series is much more complicated than it seems.

Pacers are one of the hottest teams in the final stage of the league this season. The team's core Haliburton's condition was fluctuating at the beginning of the season, but as the schedule progressed, he gradually regained his form and played better and better. In addition, the Pacers have also welcomed the return of several key players, and the lineup strength has been further enhanced.

Cavaliers are the best in the regular season and are the well-deserved overlords. This time, they are undoubtedly the more favored side facing the Pacers. But the Pacers will never surrender easily. They will definitely cause a lot of trouble for the Cavaliers' star Donovan Mitchell, and this round of the series is destined to be uneasy.

Regular season matches

Judging from the regular season match situation, the Pacers are not inferior to the Cavaliers, and they can even be said to have performed quite well. The Cavaliers and Pacers fought four times this season, and the Pacers performed surprisingly strongly, and they won three of them.

January 13, 2025: Pacers 108 - 93 Cavaliers

January 15, 2025: Cavaliers 127 - 117 Pacers

April 11, 2025: Pacers 114 - 112 Cavaliers

April 14, 2025: Pacers 126 - 118 Cavaliers (Double Overtime)

April 126 - 118 Cavaliers (Double Overtime)

At the first encounter between the two sides, the Pacers ended the Cavaliers' 12-game winning streak. It is worth mentioning that Halliburton only played half the game at that time. In the second battle two days later, Halliburton was absent due to injury, while the Cavaliers successfully took revenge.

However, the reference value of the last two games is relatively limited. At that time, the Cavaliers had already locked in the number one position in the East in advance. In order to protect the players, they let the main players take a rest. The Pacers also gave the main players a rest in this game at the end of the season.

Linearial position

From the lineup position, the Pacers are also quite interesting with the Cavaliers. Pacers defender Andrew Nembhard is a defensive player who is expected to cause many troubles to the Cavaliers' backcourt core Dalius Garland. In addition, the Pacers have big players with excellent shooting abilities, which can force the Cavaliers' big players to leave the inside, disrupting the Cavaliers' defensive deployment. Both the Cavaliers and Pacers have a group of strong substitutes who can often become the key factor in the game.

Pacers, T.J. McConnell has long been one of the top substitute point guards in the league. He is extremely aggressive on the offensive end and keeps hitting the basket. He is also very tenacious on the defensive end, causing considerable trouble for his opponents. Jares Walker has grown into an excellent space-based big player. Ben Shepard is the Pacers’ bench marksman, while Obi Topin is a player with outstanding physical fitness and good scoring skills.

Cavaliers' substitute lineup is stronger. Ty Jerome has performed amazingly in the playoffs and is currently the best substitute player in the playoffs. Dean Wade has made a huge contribution on the defensive end. DeAndre Hunter is a great 3D winger, while Sam Merrill excelled in filling the squad during a quit with a toe injury in Garland.

In this round of series, the main players of both sides will undoubtedly play an important role, but the performance of substitutes cannot be ignored. The outcome of multiple games is very likely to depend on the outstanding performance of the above substitutes.

In the first round of the series, the Cavaliers deliberately targeted Xiro on the offensive end. They frequently use pick-and-roll tactics to try to get Herro to defend the Cavaliers' elite scorer.

In this round of the series, the Cavaliers will likely reuse the same trick and aim at Halliburton. Halliburton's single defense is not good, and the Pacers must be familiar with this tactic, and they also have solutions to deal with it. The Pacers may let Halliburton step forward and delay the offensive player first, and then quickly return to his defensive position. But the question is, can Halliburton efficiently complete such defensive moves 20 or even 30 times in one game?

Although the Pacers' defense has improved significantly this season compared to last season, Halliburton is still the weak link on the team's defensive end.

Series Prediction

Pacers are regarded as a potential upset team by many people.

First of all, the Cavaliers have not really experienced a severe test in the playoffs. The Cavaliers have been eliminated early in the playoffs in the past two seasons, which is disappointing. Such an experience is still fresh in memory of some people, and they will inevitably have doubts about their playoff prospects.

In contrast, the Pacers, they passed the hurdles last season and entered the Eastern Conference Finals, showing strong competitiveness. Head coach Rick Carlisle is an experienced and highly skilled champion coach, while Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson has relatively little success in the playoffs.

Pacers' fast-paced play has brought considerable challenges to the Cavaliers' originally excellent defense. The Cavaliers are invincible in the regular season, but there are several teams that have made them suffer. These teams are not the strongest, but the fastest-playing team..

Cavaliers have a poor record against the Pacers and Hawks in the East this season. Both teams are keen on playing fast-paced games, and when the Cavaliers send two big players at the same time, they face a lot of pressure when defending such a fast-paced offense.

Last season, the Pacers reached the Eastern Conference Finals with their excellent conversion offense and lineup depth. This season, they are still one of the fastest teams in the league. They will test the Cavaliers' conversion defense, which is only ranked 15th in the league in terms of conversion defense efficiency this season.

However, we cannot ignore the powerful strength of the Knight. The Cavaliers had 64 wins in the regular season, an amazing record. In the first round of the series that swept the opponent, they set a new record with a net win of 122 points. The Cavaliers are so powerful that they seem destined to meet with the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals.

From the perspective of star matchup, Halliburton and Siakam have the ability to compete with Mitchell and Evan Mobley. But there is a gap between the Pacers in terms of strength in the third and fourth scoring points. The Cavaliers’ Garland and Jarrett Allen are both All-Star players, and the Pacers lack the match. In addition, the Cavaliers' substitute lineup is strong, and they often play the iconic "Cavals' Storm" offensive climax in the game, taking away the game in one wave.

Therefore, overall, the Knight is expected to suppress the Pacers with its overall strength.

Predict: Knight 4 - 2 defeated the Pacers