The Cleveland Cavaliers were just one minute away from getting even in the series.
Even without Evan Mobley (ankle), Darius Garland (toe), and De’Andre Hunter (thumb) in street clothes, they led by as many as 20 points.
That’s why Jarrett Allen admitted that blowing such a big lead was heartbreaking.
Following the loss, the star big man opened up about he team’s struggles and failure to close things out (via Daryl Ruiter):
“It’s just, ‘damn,’ it’s one of those. He hit a tough shot,” Allen said of Haliburton’s game-winning shot. “They came back. They did everything that they were supposed to come back on. It’s definitely frustrating. We were up by 20. We felt like we were doing everything right to win this game. Just a couple of moments led to our downfall.”
Jarrett Allen’s reaction to Tyrese Haliburton’s rebound and game-winning 3 #Cavs #Pacers #NBAPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/zWpVAr7PAF
— Daryl Ruiter (@RuiterWrongFAN) May 7, 2025
The Indiana Pacers proved why all teams need to play until the final buzzer, especially in the playoffs.
With less than one minute left, they came back from a seven-point deficit to secure a 120-119 win and a 2-0 series lead.
This was the first time that all four road teams won in the opening game of a series, and we’ve now seen four epic comebacks and even more impressive collapses in four of the first five conference semifinal matchups.
Unfortunately, the Cavs might not be able to recover from this game.
Falling to 0-2 before hitting the road is often a death sentence, and the Cavs are just too banged up right now.
Even if they get their stars back on the court, the Pacers will play with house money and the confidence of a team that has won four out of five games against their opponents this season, and they will have homecourt advantage.
Of course, anything can happen in the playoffs, and the Cavs had the No. 1 record in the East for a season, but this was a huge emotional blow that not many teams can overcome.
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