Pacers Have Savage 6-Word Clap Back for the 11 ESPN Experts Who Picked Against Them

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Evan Massey | Last updated May 14, 2025 9:35 AM ET

On Tuesday night, the Indiana Pacers closed out the No. 1 seeded Cleveland Cavaliers. In Game 5, the Pacers faced adversity, but were able to pull off another comeback and advance to the Eastern Conference finals for the second straight season.

Heading into the series against the Cavaliers, Indiana was not viewed as having a good chance to win. In fact, all 11 ESPN experts picked Cleveland to come out on top.

Following the Pacers' Game 5 closeout win, the team's social media sent a savage six-word response to those experts.

"it was always 'Cers in 5," the post read.

Indiana also screenshotted all of the experts from ESPN who picked against them.

it was always 'Cers in 5. pic.twitter.com/OFWqjKLxWy
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) May 14, 2025

All year long, the Pacers have overcome expectations. After a rough start to the season, Indiana was one of the best teams in the NBA throughout the second half of the year.

In the Game 5 win, Tyrese Haliburton put together a massive performance. He scored 31 points, dished out eight assists, and grabbed six rebounds, while shooting 10-for-15 from the field and knocking down six of his 10 attempts from beyond the 3-point line.

Haliburton received a lot of help from Pascal Siakam, who scored 21 points to go along with eight rebounds and five assists. Andrew Nembhard came up big as well with 18 points and six assists.

Next up for the Pacers will be an Eastern Conference finals matchup with either the New York Knicks or Boston Celtics. The Knicks hold a 3-1 series lead over the Celtics and Jayson Tatum is now out due to a torn Achilles tendon.

After beating both the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round and the Cavaliers in the second round, Indiana likely will not be slept on quite as much in the Eastern Conference finals.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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