The Indiana Pacers are up 2-0 of their collection in opposition to the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers. That is an final result nobody noticed coming into the collection, however it’s not as far-fetched as you might suppose.
The Pacers are on a roll and have an actual shot at making the NBA Finals, and who is aware of what occurs once they get there. Listed below are three explanation why the Pacers could make the NBA Finals.
They’ve been glorious post-All-Star break
Tyrese Haliburton began the common season chilly and ineffective, which led the Pacers to be considerably disappointing within the first half of the season. They had been 30-23 and an afterthought amongst Japanese Convention contenders. Nevertheless, that modified after the All-Star break.
The Pacers had a 20-9 report after the break, third-best report within the Japanese Convention proper behind the Boston Celtics and Cavaliers. Haliburton regarded just like the All-Star level guard from the final two seasons, bumping his PPG from 17.8 to twenty.6 and his APG from 8.5 to 11. He additionally introduced his FG% from 45 p.c to 53 p.c.
The second half of the season confirmed the true model of the Pacers, which has translated to the postseason.
The 2024 playoffs had been just the start
The explanation for the early-season expectations in Indianapolis was because of the crew’s success within the 2024 playoffs, throughout which the Pacers made a magical run to the Japanese Convention Finals. They weren’t afraid of the second all through the postseason and even took down the New York Knicks in a Recreation 7 at Madison Sq. Backyard to advance to the ECF.
That postseason run has set them up for this one. They aren’t afraid of the second, which has been evident of their comeback victories.
