Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) drives to the basket against Indiana Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard (2) during the second half in game one of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Rocket Arena. Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Kendrick Perkins has strong prediction for Pacers-Cavaliers playoff series

By Kevin McCormick | Last updated May 6, 2025 5:33 PM ET

After knocking off the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the NBA playoffs, the Indiana Pacers are attempting to pull off another upset in the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Following a strong start to the series, one former player turned analyst is confident in their ability to get back to the conference finals.

The Cavaliers were one of the top teams in the NBA all season but were unable to take care of business on their home floor in Game 1 on Sunday. Indiana had six different players finish in double-figures en route to a 121-112 victory.

Ahead of Game 2 on Tuesday night, Kendrick Perkins gave his thoughts on the future of the series. He expects the Pacers to keep control of this series and eventually go on to win in just five games.

"I have the Pacers winning this series, they're going to win this series," Perkins said. "And I wouldn't be surprised if Cleveland only gets one game."

"The Pacers winnin' this series. And I wouldn't be surprised if they win it in five."@KendrickPerkins believes the Pacers are a "matchup problem" for the Cavaliers pic.twitter.com/cSq0iNJnPy
— First Take (@FirstTake) May 6, 2025

Now without homecourt advantage, the Cavaliers do find themselves with their backs against the wall. Injuries also have them fighting an uphill battle, as Darius Garland was unable to suit up in Game 1.

Though currently trailing in the series, the Cavs are far from out. Donovan Mitchell is more than capable of having a big scoring night to lead Cleveland to a victory. Not to mention Evan Mobley is manning the frontcourt, impacting the game on both ends of the floor. He has a chance to be a real X-factor in this series if he can slow down Pacers star Pascal Siakam and Myles Turner.

Looking ahead to Game 2 Tuesday night, the Cavaliers cannot afford to drop another matchup. If they end up going down 0-2, Perkins' bold prediction could have a good chance of becoming reality.

Based on how resilient it's been all season, Cleveland is sure to come out motivated to even up the series.

Kevin McCormick

Kevin McCormick is a basketball writer for Yardbarker with years of experience in the journalism field. Based out of Philadelphia, he graduated from Holy Family University with a degree in Sports Management in 2019. Since then, Kevin has gone on to build a career in sports writing

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