Pacers Pull Off Another Miraculous Playoff Win to Go Up 2-0 vs Cavs

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

That was so nice that we had to say it twice.

INDIANA PACERS. WHAT IN THE WORLD JUST HAPPENED AGAIN?

Down by seven points with only 48 seconds left, the resilient Indiana franchise once again pulled off a ridiculous stunner and completed the come-from-behind win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, 120-119, to take a comfortable 2-0 advantage in their NBA Eastern Conference best-of-seven semifinal playoff series on May 7, 2025.

The Pacers replicated what they did during their closeout dub over Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks where they were also trailing by seven points in the remaining 36 seconds of their first-round playoff clash.

In the history of the NBA, Indiana became the only team in the playoffs to overcome a seven-point deficit with less than a minute left in regulation.

That’s just total insanity.

To bag the stellar win, the Pacers had to climb a seven-step ladder in a limited amount of time, and they did it in an unexpected way that left the Rocket Arena and the thousands of Cleveland fans stunned.

Indiana was already in trouble after Pascal Siakam missed all his free throws with 48 seconds left, but Aaron Nesmith made it up as he soared for a thunderous put-back dunk that trimmed the Cavaliers’ lead to just five points.

After a completed defensive stop, the Pacers hurried to add another deuce to their tally, which they did, courtesy of Siakam who quickly put his head down for the wide-open drive to the basket.

Suddenly, what was supposed to be a sure win in the pocket for Cleveland turned into a single-possession ball game, 116-119, with 27 seconds left in the final frame.

The Cavaliers found it hard to find the open man off the inbounding pass, which forced their head coach Kenny Atkinson to call a timeout and map out a play that could free up his guards.

Just when Cleveland thought that their looping backdoor pitch could save them, the Pacers turned on the jets defensively, led by Andrew Nembhard who out-positioned Ty Jerome and stole the Cavaliers’ inbound play.

Nembhard dribbled quickly past half court and gave up the leather to their ultimate closer, Tyrese Haliburton, and let him do his thing in the final 17 seconds of the ball game.

Instead of taking an early three-pointer, Haliburton decided to attack downhill, which paid off after he drew a foul and earned a trip to the charity stripe.

Cheers from the Cleveland fans filled the Rocket Arena after the floor general missed his second attempt, but those cheers instantly turned into dead silence as Haliburton caught Myles Turner’s offensive tip rebound.

After completely getting hold of the possession, Haliburton pulled back from the top of the key and milked some clock in preparation for his next move.

With five seconds left to operate, Haliburton drove past Jerome but made another counter move and stepped back to the three-point line.

As soon as he gathered his feet, Haliburton let that rock fly and boom.

Swish.

Game over.

The cold-blooded three-pointer gave the Pacers the 120-119 lead with only 1.1 seconds left, and the Cavaliers were left with no option but to fire a desperation heave with no timeouts left.

After Sam Merrill failed to hoist the last attempt on time, the Pacers showed their emotions and screamed in front of a hostile environment, moving to just two wins away from clinching the Eastern Conference finals seat.

Cleveland led by as much as 20 points in the ball game, but man, Indiana’s DNA was built for moments like these.

For the second time in two weeks, the Pacers staged a massive 8-0 run in less than a minute and no better time than to unleash a clutch run like that in the post-season.

Haliburton, who once again carried the Pacers in the clutch, finished the Game 2 win with 19 points, nine rebounds, four assists, and a block.

Backstopping Haliburton was the duo of Nesmith and Turner, who each had 23 markers, followed by Bennedict Mathurin’s 19-point contribution.

On the other hand, the Pacers spoiled Donovan Mitchell’s 48-point explosion, who went so close to leading his team to a victory without the presence of the injured Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and De’Andre Hunter.

Man, what a ball game.

Can the Cavaliers still recover from the demoralizing loss? Or will Indiana ride on their momentum and oust the no. 1 team in the East?