The Indiana Pacers have displayed incredible poise all playoffs long, and Tuesday night was no different for them even as they faced a desperate Cleveland Cavaliers team that was on the brink of elimination in Game 5 of their second-round matchup. During the dying minutes of the game, the Cavs were still scrapping and clawing and was making the Pacers sweat — but not before Indiana sealed the deal with huge plays to eliminate the Eastern Conference's top seed for good with a 114-105 win.

With Donovan Mitchell having cut the lead to three, 106-103, with a corner triple, the Pacers put their foot down and said that there was no way Cleveland was coming back. Andrew Nembhard first pushed the lead back to six, 109-103, with a monster and-one over Darius Garland, and then with Tyrese Haliburton and Evan Mobley trading two points, the Pacers had a six-point lead with less than 40 seconds to go in the ballgame.

That's when the Pacers found an open Myles Turner in the corner for a triple, and Turner, who's been a Pacer for his entire career, made the biggest three of the night, driving the dagger deep into the Cavs' hearts. This prompted some “night-night” celebrations from the Pacers bench, which goes to show how much Stephen Curry has influenced the league.

Players bust out the “night-night” celebration when there's no way the other team can make a comeback. It's time for them to go to bed, and the Pacers definitely tucked the Cavs in with that epic Turner triple that sent the crowd at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse into a collective groan.

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Pacers always do it as a team

Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam (43) and forward Obi Toppin (1) celebrate a made basket during game four of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
© Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

There's no greater indication of how the Pacers play with such unselfishness and togetherness than the way they ended Game 5 against the Cavs. They did not rely on a single player to get the job done; Andrew Nembhard and Myles Turner made the crucial shots that kept Cleveland at bay, while Tyrese Haliburton was at the controls of the offense and made sure everybody was well-fed.

The Pacers have always refused to get ahead of themselves, remaining locked in and focused on finishing the series. The Cavs were the East's best team this past season for a reason after all. But they can now celebrate their rousing triumph in preparation for their Eastern Conference Finals clash against whichever of the New York Knicks or Boston Celtics make it out on the other side of the bracket.