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The Indiana Pacers are currently floating on cloud nine after taking a 3-1 lead in their second-round matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers courtesy of a 129-109 win in Game 4 that wasn't as close as the final score would suggest. They were so dominant to the point that they took a 41-point lead into the halftime interval and saw their lead balloon to as many as 44 points, putting up a two-way masterclass that now has the Eastern Conference's best regular-season team in 2025 on the ropes.
From the jump, the Pacers looked like the livelier team, perhaps hungry to redeem themselves after a lethargic effort in their 126-104 loss in Game 4. Indiana ended up having three 20-point scorers on the night, one of which was Myles Turner, which was a very promising sign after he ran into some leg injury troubles late in their Game 3 loss.
While the Pacers should now be heavily favored to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals, they are not resting on their laurels until they win four games — with Turner even channeling his inner Kobe Bryant by firing off a defiant take that has their eyes fixed on the prize.
“Job's not finished, quote the great Kobe Bryant. Need to be able to stay focused,” Turner said in his postgame presser, via Tony East of Sports Illustrated.
Bryant famously dropped the “job's not finished” quote way back in 2009 during the NBA Finals; the Los Angeles Lakers had just taken a 2-0 lead over the Orlando Magic, but the late great Black Mamba refused to get ahead of himself, remaining focused on the task at hand. They ended up finishing the series in five games.
Game 5 will be tough for the Pacers; they should expect the Cavs to play with the sense of desperation that only teams on the verge of elimination can muster, especially when that game will be in Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse. But it's a good sign that this Pacers team is not taking anything for granted.
Myles Turner, Pacers on the brink of a second straight ECF appearance
It's a testament to how good of a roster the Pacers front office has built that they have assembled together a team that gets better when the postseason comes around. This 64-win Cavs team is no joke, as they posted the best offense in the NBA this past season and the third-best net rating, but the Pacers managed to outplay them thoroughly, especially in Game 4, and now, they need to win just one more game to advance to their second-consecutive Eastern Conference Finals.
There might be some who would put an asterisk on the Pacers' playoff excellence over the past two seasons, chalking it up to them benefitting from major injury-related luck. But teams can only play what's in front of them, and the Pacers have done a solid job of taking care of business — which they will try to do in Game 5 to dispose of the Cavs for good.
