KEYPOINTS SUMMARY:
- Pacers shock the NBA world by eliminating top-seeded Cavaliers
- Indiana wins Game 5 in Cleveland 114-105 to take series 4-1
- Tyrese Haliburton scores 31, Siakam adds 21 in sensational performance
- Donovan Mitchell returns with 35 points but misses 3 crucial free throws
- Pacers advance to East Finals for the first time since 2014
- Will face either the Knicks or Celtics next—New York leads that series 3-1
- Cleveland collapses after a dominant regular season
PACERS ELIMINATE CAVALIERS IN STUNNING NBA PLAYOFF UPSET!
What. A. Game.
The Indiana Pacers just turned the entire NBA Playoffs on its head—stunning the basketball world by eliminating the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers on their own floor with a 114-105 victory in Game 5!
No one saw this coming. This is the stuff of basketball fairy tales—and it’s unfolding in real time. The underdog Pacers, the team that most bettors laughed off, are now marching into the Eastern Conference Finals like true contenders.
THE BIGGEST PLAYOFF SHOCKER YET!
Let’s get one thing straight: the Pacers were never supposed to win this.
They were last in the betting odds coming into the playoffs. If you bet $100 on them to reach the Eastern Finals, you’d now be cashing out with over $7,000.
Yet here they are, sending home a fully loaded Cavaliers team that dominated the East all season long.
HALIBURTON & SIAKAM DOMINATE
Tyrese Haliburton showed the world why he’s a rising superstar, dropping 31 points and controlling the tempo like a veteran floor general.
Pascal Siakam, a championship-caliber performer, backed him up with 21 points of his own, helping Indiana turn a 19-point first-half deficit into a runaway second-half victory.
They took over Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse like it was their home court.
“We believed in ourselves when no one else did,” Haliburton said postgame.
“This team doesn’t back down. Not now. Not ever.”
MITCHELL RETURNS… BUT CRUMBLES IN FINAL MINUTES
Donovan Mitchell, who had been sidelined with an ankle sprain, came back with a vengeance—scoring 35 points in an inspired effort.
But when it mattered most? He missed three clutch free throws in the final minute—essentially handing the game and the series to Indiana.
Cavs fans were stunned. Silent. Heartbroken.
“It’s all on me,” Mitchell admitted. “I needed to close that game. I didn’t.”
PACERS WIN THREE STRAIGHT IN CLEVELAND!
Indiana pulled off the impossible: winning three games on the road against the East’s best team.
It’s the first time they’ve done that in a series since 2005—and they did it without home court advantage.
They closed the series 4-1, and in the final three games, looked like the more confident, more composed, and more explosive team.
WHAT’S NEXT FOR INDIANA?
The Pacers are now heading to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2014—where they’ll face either the New York Knicks or Boston Celtics.
The Knicks currently lead that series 3-1 with Game 5 set for Thursday in Boston.
If New York wins, get ready for a Knicks-Pacers throwback showdown—a revival of one of the most iconic rivalries in NBA history!
“We don’t care who it is,” Siakam said. “We’re ready.”
CAVS CRUMBLE UNDER PRESSURE
What happened to Cleveland?
- Top seed in the East
- Home-court advantage
- Mitchell scoring 40+ in two games
- Evan Mobley dominating the paint
Yet somehow, they dropped three straight games at home—something that hadn’t happened to them in any postseason series before.
It’s a collapse of epic proportions.
FULL GAME STATS RECAP
Pacers Top Performers:
- Tyrese Haliburton: 31 PTS, 9 AST, 5 REB
- Pascal Siakam: 21 PTS, 7 REB
- Aaron Nesmith: 15 PTS
- Myles Turner: 13 PTS, 8 REB
Cavaliers Top Performers:
- Donovan Mitchell: 35 PTS (but 3 missed FTs)
- Evan Mobley: 24 PTS, 11 REB
- Darius Garland: 14 PTS
- Max Strus: 11 PTS
BETTING MARKET REACTS—PACERS’ TITLE ODDS SURGE
With the Cavaliers eliminated, the odds board just exploded:
- Oklahoma City Thunder: +105
- New York Knicks: +500
- Minnesota Timberwolves: +600
- Indiana Pacers: +900
- Boston Celtics: +3000
- Golden State Warriors: +15000
The Pacers have officially gone from longshot to legit threat.
UPCOMING PLAYOFF SCHEDULE
Tuesday (Tonight):
- Pacers def. Cavaliers 114-105
- 9:30 PM ET — Nuggets at Thunder (Series tied 2-2)
Wednesday:
- 7:00 PM ET — Knicks at Celtics (Game 5)
- 9:30 PM ET — Warriors at Timberwolves (Game 5)
THESE PLAYOFFS ARE PURE MAYHEM
The 2025 NBA Playoffs are giving us everything:
- Historic comebacks
- Crushing injuries
- Underdog runs
- Shocking eliminations
And now the Pacers, a team nobody believed in, are standing tall—just four wins away from the NBA Finals.
Are we witnessing a Cinderella story?
Stay tuned!
