Oh how far the mighty have fallen. The Indiana Pacers, the team that pushed the Oklahoma City Thunder all the way to Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals, entered their Friday night NBA Cup contest against the Cleveland Cavaliers with a 2-13 record overall. They've been ravaged by injuries in a big way, and at this point, this season is nothing but a lost cause.
Just to rub even more salt on their open wounds that have been bleeding all season long, the Pacers became the first team eliminated from 2025 NBA Cup contention after being on the receiving end of a 120-109 loss to the Cavs. They have a 0-2 record in the tournament thus far, with a point differential of -31, which, curiously, is not the worst in the group even though they were the first eliminated team.
The Washington Wizards have been more dreadful, as they have an equally as bad 0-2 record and an even worse point differential of -63. But the Pacers' loss to the Cavs sealed their fate. Since the best record they can finish with is 2-2, the best they can do is tie the Cavs, which currently have a 2-0 record. But with Cleveland having won the head-to-head against Indiana, they will be finishing ahead of them in the standings no matter what, therefore eliminating the Pacers from NBA Cup contention.
The bill comes due for the Pacers' magical 2024-25 campaign
At this point, the Pacers have simply been so unlucky. It's hard to remember when the last time a good team has missed this many players simultaneously, causing them to plummet. The most memorable instance is for the 2019-20 Golden State Warriors, a team that also took a nosedive after making the NBA Finals the previous year. But that was a team that lost Kevin Durant (in free agency) and Klay Thompson (injuries).
Nonetheless, the Pacers are starting to get healthier. Andrew Nembhard and TJ McConnell are back, and so is Bennedict Mathurin. But Tyrese Haliburton will be out for the rest of the season, while Aaron Nesmith and Obi Toppin will be sidelined for a considerable period of time. This season has long been lost for Indiana, and all they have to play for now is pride as well as a high draft pick next year.
