Start Date Revealed For Cavaliers Second Round Matchup With Pacers

The NBA officially announced a date for Game 1 of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers Eastern Conference Semifinals matchup

Apr 28, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley (4) signals as he talk to a referee in the second quarter during game four for the first round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs against the Miami Heat at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Cavaliers wasted no time advancing on in opening round of the NBA playoffs. The wine and gold cruised past the Miami Heat in just four games to clinch a second consecutive trip to the Eastern Conference semifinals.

One night later, they learned who their opponent will be after the Indiana Pacers finished off the Milwaukee Bucks in dramatic fashion via a 119-118 overtime win in Game 5.

Shortly after the Pacers victory, the NBA announced that the two mid-west foes will begin their showdown with Game 1 on Sunday, May 4 in Cleveland. No time has been announced for tip-off yet.

Additionally, the league has yet to reveal what the rest of the schedule will look like for the second-round matchup. For what it's worth, though, last year, when Cleveland was a four seed and squared off with the top-seeded Celtics, the series followed an every other day format for each game.

While the teams wait to find out what the rest of the schedule will be, each will have several days to rest up and prepare for what should be a highly competitive bout. That's good news for Cleveland's star guard Darius Garland, who was sidelined for Games 3 and 4 of the team's first round series due to a toe injury.

Now he'll have some time to heal up before squaring off with Tyrese Haliburton and his up-tempo squad.

Both the Pacers and Cavs ranked in the top 10 in pace of play this season, with Cleveland boasting the best offense in the NBA based on offensive rating. Indiana was ninth.

This particular series is bound to provide plenty of offensive fireworks, with the Cavaliers coming off of the most lopsided playoff series in NBA history, outscoring the Heat by 122 points in 4 games.

Meanwhile, Indiana is looking to ride it's offense on a return trip to the Eastern Conference finals.