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Shaquille O'Neal Picks Unexpected Winner of Pacers-Cavaliers Series

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Max Escarpio | Last updated May 9, 2025 12:57 PM ET

The NBA playoffs are underway, leaving fans and media personnel revealing their predictions on the outcome of the postseason.

After an intriguing first round, which eliminated some of the top players in the NBA, such as LeBron James, Luka Doncic and Giannis Antetokounmpo, all eyes are on the contenders in round two.

The remaining teams in the NBA playoffs are: the Cleveland Cavaliers, Indiana Pacers, New York Knicks, Boston Celtics, Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves, Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder.

Shaquille O'Neal, an NBA legend and current TV analyst for "Inside the NBA," recently discussed the playoffs on his "The Big Podcast with Shaq" alongside Adam Lefkoe.

When sharing his thoughts on the current second round matchups, O'Neal picked the Pacers to defeat the Cavaliers.

"I'm going with the Pacers because I like Tyrese and his daddy walking on the court talking trash to people," O'Neal said, per The Big Podcast with Shaq. "Yeah, I'm with all that smoke."

Despite the Indiana Pacers having a 2-0 series lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers, they have +1300 odds to win the NBA championship, while the Donovan Mitchell-led team has +850 odds to win the league title, per ESPN BET.

Indiana defeated Cleveland 121-112 in Game 1 and followed that with a 120-119 victory over the Cavaliers in Game 2.

Despite the Pacers heading back to Gainbridge Fieldhouse to potentially close out the series at home, the oddsmakers still seem to favor the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Indiana may be playing against the odds, but O'Neal is confident the Pacers will advance to the Eastern Conference Finals and compete for a spot in the NBA Finals.

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

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