Stephen A Smith Reacts to Pacers 2-0 Series Lead vs Cavs

The Indiana Pacers did the improbable and secured a 2-0 series lead over the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Pacers proved to be the gritty, tougher, and more clutch team down the stretch in the first two games. 

Now, the Pacers have a golden opportunity to close the series out in front of their home fans with Games 3 and 4 in Indiana. Media and pundits, including long-time ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith, are starting to realize the Pacers are a force to be reckoned with. 

On his show First Take, he gave his flowers to the Pacers, crediting them with their style of play and never-saying-die attitude. 

“We’ve gotta give some love to the Indiana Pacers, and say this has more to do about this kid (Aaron) Nesmith, this kid (Andrew) Nembhard, 13 assists last night to go along with his 13 points. Myles Turner, who wasn’t even wanted a couple of years ago, and the way that he’s been ballin’," said Smith. 

"We’re talking about Haliburton, he has shown up considering the kind of things that happened to him in the first round series that involved his dad and all this other stuff, and now his dad is not at the games, and he’s out there and he’s just flat out ballin’.

Smith is certainly surprised by what he's seen from the Pacers, but those who have followed them all season long are not that surprised. Since Jan 1, the Pacers have been one of the best teams in the league, recording a 34-14 record until the end of the regular season, which is good for fourth in the league. 

They only trailed teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder, Boston Celtics, and the Cavaliers. In that span, the Pacers averaged 119.3 points per game while shooting 48.3 percent from the field and 36.6 percent from three. 

The Pacers are proving to be that team when it matters most, if not better. They are deep and loaded with talent, capable of going up to nine players deep in the playoffs. 

Indiana is feeling good and will now look to take care of home-court advantage this weekend. 

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For more news and notes on the Indiana Pacers, head on over to Indiana Pacers on SI.