May 6, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Ty Jerome (2) defends Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) on a follow through for a game-winning three-point basket in the fourth quarter during game two of the second round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images David Richard-Imagn Images

NBA's Latest Rankings Is a Another Reminder of Heartbreak for Cavaliers Fans

Originally posted on Cleveland Cavaliers on SI
By Evan Dammarell | Last updated Jul 30, 2025 9:26 PM ET

With things now in the dog days of the offseason, the NBA is looking back at a monumental 2024-25 season. However, in their latest highlight reel of the 25 Most Clutch Plays of the 2024-25 NBA Season, fans of the Cleveland Cavaliers might want to look away when things hit the top five.

That's because it's only going to bring back heartbreak and bad memories of Cleveland's Eastern Conference Semifinals loss to the Indiana Pacers. Landing at No. 5 in the NBA's top 25 clutch-time plays was the game-winning dagger Pacers superstar Tyrese Haliburton nailed to win Game 2 of the series.

Although that shot only gave the Pacers a 2-0 series lead of the Cavaliers, it was a gut-wrenching, heartbreaking play for Cleveland in its fans.

Haliburton made the three-pointer with 1.1 seconds remaining, capping off a Pacers run where Indiana scored the final eight points in 47.9 seconds to stun the short-handed and top-seeded Cavaliers. It was a sucker punch that left Cleveland staggered, feeling their championship hopes slip from their grasp.

“I feel like we outplayed them for the majority of the game and then towards the end we had our mental lapses. They capitalized on every single mistake that we made,” said Cavaliers big man Jarrett Allen, who had 22 points and 12 rebounds in Game 2.

While Haliburton's shot was a dagger, it wasn't a death blow but instead, another nail drilled into Cleveland's coffin. Down 2-0 heading to Indianapolis, the Cavaliers able to go 1-1, trying to keep their playoff hopes alive against Haliburton and the Pacers. However, it still wasn't enough to keep their Central Division foes down.

Indiana sent Cleveland packing in Game 5, punching their ticket to the Eastern Conference Finals and eventually, a shot at the championship in the NBA Finals. This shot by Haliburton, and losing the series as whole still stings for the Cavaliers, who hope to avenge this series defeat heading into the 2025-26 season.

But until that happens, the NBA is happy to give Cleveland and its fans an unfortunate reminder.

This article first appeared on Cleveland Cavaliers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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