May 6, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Ty Jerome (2) dribbles beside Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) in the first 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

Pacers Cannot Overlook Depleted Cavaliers Team

Originally posted on Indianapolis Pacers on SI
By Jason Fray | Last updated May 7, 2025 11:07 AM ET

Don't count the Cleveland Cavaliers out just yet.

Behind a furious comeback in the final quarter, Indiana overcame a 14-point deficit to beat the Cavs 120-119 on a Tyrese Haliburton three-point make with 1.1 seconds left.

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The Pacers are now up 2-0 in the series, with it now shifting to the team's home court in Indianapolis. On the surface, this clearly doesn't bode well for Cleveland. Down 0-2 and heading on the road is one thing. It's another to have this situation in addition to three of the team's top players (Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, DeAndre Hunter) all nursing injuries with their respective availabilities yet to be determined moving forward.

It would be easy to write Cleveland off at this point. Indiana has now become the heavy favorite to advance based on how these first two games went. With that said, is that the most conventional way to approach the series from an analytical standpoint?

Yeah, second point here can't be stated enough. April 10 game in Indy the Pacers were healthy, Cavs didn't have Mobley, Mitchell, Strus or Garland. Cavs were winning with 4:12 to go. https://t.co/yo2LeaZYtn
— Tony East (@TonyREast) May 5, 2025

Cleveland dominated three quarters of Game 2 without the aforementioned trio. Donovan Mitchell nearly carried the Cavs on his back for the win — totaling 48 points on 15-of-30 from the field and 17-of-21 from the free throw line. This was a vintage Mitchell performance where he was attacking the rim at will — undeterred by anything Indiana threw at him.

Save for a clutch Haliburton shot, the Cavs were seconds away from evening up this series 1-1. With Garland, Mobley, and Hunter all sitting out, it could be a case of Cleveland playing the long game, hoping that all three can get healthy and ready to go for Game 3 of this series.

this angle of Tyrese Haliburton's game-winner and the final moments in Cleveland pic.twitter.com/C8t0NVaowV
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) May 7, 2025

This is a proud team that won more games than the defending champion Boston Celtics did in the regular season. Mitchell can go on a heater — as we saw Tuesday night — as well as anyone in the league. Cleveland also nearly pulled off the win with Ty Jerome going 1-for-14 from the field. Given how consistent of a shooter he's developed into, the odds of a similar stinker of a game occurring again this series are slim.

If Cleveland gets its full team back for Game 3 and wins, the momentum suddenly will change in a flash. Indiana landed the first two big blows — and the Cavs are more than capable of answering with an uppercut of their own.

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This article first appeared on Indianapolis Pacers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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