(Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski/Imagn Images/Reuters)
The 4th seeded Indiana Pacers have advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals, taking out the top seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in five games, closing out the series with a 114-105 victory on Tuesday, May 13th. Power forward Pascal Siakam (pictured above to the right) had a strong performance with 21 points, eight rebounds, five assists, one steal, and one block while guard Tyrese Haliburton led the way with 31 points, six rebounds, eight assists, one block, and one steal. Small forward Aaron Nesmith also had a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds. Just an all-around great team victory.
The 4-1 series victory over the Cavaliers comes after a 4-1 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round, making the Pacers 8-2 so far in the playoffs. Haliburton is leading the league in assists per game this postseason with 9.3 to go along with his 17.5 points per game while center Myles Turner’s 2.5 blocks per game is leading the league in the postseason as well. Turner is putting in 16.5 points and grabbing 6.0 rebounds per game, so he’s playing fantastic. When you have the NBA’s top assist guy and top shot blocker on your team, you’re going to be tough to stop.
During the playoffs, the Pacers are averaging 117.7 points per game while their opponents are averaging 112.2 points per game. That’s an average margin of victory of +5.5, which is pretty solid. Especially when you consider they took out the top seed. Their three largest margins of victory have been a 117-98 (+19) home victory over the Bucks in game one, a 129-103 (+26) road victory over the Bucks in game four, and a 129-109 (+20) home victory over the Cavaliers in game four. Those are dominant wins. They also have a pair of one point victories over both teams, one of which came in overtime. So they’ve shown they can win close games as well.
Looking ahead to the Eastern Conference Finals, whether it’s the Knicks or Celtics that they play, the Pacers should be feeling confident right now. They’ve taken out the top seed in the East in the Cavaliers and a Milwaukee Bucks team that isn’t that far removed from a championship. They’re also getting a chance to rest up while the Knicks and Celtics still finish their series with game six coming up on Friday. Honestly, I don’t think it’s at all crazy to have the Pacers favored. They seem to be shifting into another gear and so far nobody has figured out how to slow them down.
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