In the upcoming 2025 NBA playoffs, the Pacers are showcasing an incredible offensive power, especially in their series against the Cavaliers, where their performance has been nothing short of spectacular. In this matchup, the Cavaliers’ defense looked utterly helpless, trailing by a staggering 41 points at halftime—setting a new record for the largest deficit in playoff history. With Mitchell getting injured during warm-ups, the Cavaliers find themselves in a do-or-die situation.
In the previous game, the Cavaliers employed various defensive strategies to effectively disrupt the Pacers’ offensive rhythm, ultimately leading to a series victory. However, this time against the Pacers, the Cavaliers’ zone defense strategy faltered. Tyrese Haliburton’s aggressiveness allowed the Pacers to quickly shift the ball to their weaker defenders, creating mismatches that proved challenging for the Cavaliers to counter.
Despite the Cavaliers’ attempts to adjust and implement double-team defense, the Pacers were quick to find openings, securing plenty of opportunities for three-pointers. In the first half, with the enthusiastic support of their fans, the Pacers dominated the Cavaliers with scores of 38 to 23 and 42 to 16, leading by 41 points at halftime.
In this match, the Cavaliers’ performance can be described as Impossible to breach, impossible to defend. They made 14 turnovers in the first half, showing remarkably low offensive efficiency, hitting only 8 shots in total. Given this situation, if it weren’t for the Cavaliers getting 20 free throw opportunities, the situation could have been even worse.
Mitchell’s injury undoubtedly dealt a heavy blow to the Cavaliers. In the first half, his shooting was off, hitting only 3 out of 11 attempts for 12 points, and then he had to leave for the locker room due to injury, which meant the team lost a key scorer.
In contrast, the performance of the Mavericks was outstanding, with scores of 56, 52, and 80 in the three quarters, ultimately racking up a total of 109 points. Three players on the team scored over 20 points, and impressively, as many as seven players scored in double digits throughout the game. Their first half scoring even set a new franchise record.
Facing the offensively strong Pacers, the Cavaliers need to quickly find a way to break through the defense if they want to turn the tide in the upcoming games. When they return to Cleveland for Game 5, even if Mitchell’s injury improves, the pressure of not having won at home will still be looming. Will the Cavaliers be able to create a miracle in the next game? Let’s wait and see.
