What The Hali!!!

CLEVELAND! THIS IS FOR YOU!!!

Yeah, a gentleman’s sweep by the Indiana Pacers in Cleveland. I’m sure Max Strus saw this
one coming before he sent out a message to his team saying, “If you don’t believe, don’t show
up.” His next job might be at your local Krispy Kreme the way he served up a donut.
All jokes aside, the Cavs fell short to a very good Pacers team—one that many questioned
would even get to this point. Many people, except me obviously.

There were some injuries for Cleveland heading into this series, as their star guard Darius
Garland was dealing with a toe injury. However, during Game 2, when Cleveland had a decent
lead in the final minute, Indiana snuck in a win off silly turnovers and key rebounds. Tyrese
Haliburton grabbed his own rebound off a missed free throw and hit a game-winner at the
buzzer. That shot crushed Cavs fans, as Indiana went up 2-0 heading back to their home floor.
The Cavs took Game 3, giving them hope of evening the series in Game 4 and returning to
Cleveland tied 2-2.

Unfortunately for them, Indiana was scorching all game and left Cleveland no room for a
comeback. Donovan Mitchell, who had been phenomenal all series, hurt his ankle in the first
half of Game 4 and barely played in the second half. Once again, injuries derailed Cleveland’s
playoff hopes. Mitchell would go on to play in Game 5, but it wasn’t enough—Indiana simply had
too much firepower.

What stood out to me wasn’t just how well the Pacers were clicking offensively, but how strong
they looked defensively too—something we didn’t really see from them last postseason or even
early this year.

Tons of criticism and slander were thrown Haliburton’s way—he was literally voted the most
overrated player in the league. What can they say now? He’s made back-to-back Eastern
Conference Finals appearances as an underdog. Now with a chance to make the Finals, let’s
see if that fuel can spark a Finals run.

The Pacers can no longer be seen as non-favorites. In fact, they might be the most fluid team
left in the playoffs. They now wait to face the winner of the Knicks/Celtics series.

As for the Cavs? They can view this season as motivation to come back better and execute in
the playoffs. But what’s missing for them? Maybe a Darius Garland trade for a stronger second
option. Mitchell seems to be the one delivering every year—others need to show up. There’ll be
discussions within the organization. Hopefully they grow from this and figure it out.

So for NBA fans: is Indiana now a favorite to win it all? They still have two crucial rounds to get
through to hoist that O’Brien trophy. Boston just lost superstar Jayson Tatum to an Achilles
tear—the East is now wide open. Unless Boston somehow comes back from down 3-1, it’s
going to be interesting to see how the East shapes up.

If you ask me, I don’t even have a prediction yet. Let’s see what the Eastern Conference Finals
matchup is first—then maybe I’ll have an opinion.