ESPN's Kendrick Perkins Has Seen Enough, Declares Pacers Over Cavs in Five Games

One game of film was enough for Perkins to declare the winner of the Eastern Conference semifinal matchup.

The Indiana Pacers lead the Cleveland Cavaliers 1-0 in the Eastern Conference semifinals tilt. / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

The Indiana Pacers went on the road and captured a victory in the first game of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday to take a 1–0 series lead, and ahead of Tuesday night's Game 2 in Cleveland, ESPN's Kendrick Perkins has already seen enough.

Not only does he think the Pacers are going to win the series, he thinks they'll do so in five games.

"The Pacers winnin' this series, and I wouldn't be surprised if they win it in five. Period," Perkins said emphatically on Tuesday's episode of First Take. "This is a matchup problem and we forget, this is a Pacers team that went to the Eastern Conference finals last year. The reason I bring that up is because all the guys that are in that rotation have playoff experience at a high level. They defend at a high level, they get into you and make you uncomfortable, they pick you up 94 feet. ... I have the Pacers. They're gonna win this series, and I wouldn't be surprised if Cleveland only gets one game."

"The Pacers winnin' this series. And I wouldn't be surprised if they win it in five."@KendrickPerkins believes the Pacers are a "matchup problem" for the Cavaliers 😯 pic.twitter.com/cSq0iNJnPy

— First Take (@FirstTake) May 6, 2025

The Pacers are certainly a tough matchup for Cleveland given that they can match the Cavaliers' size in the frontcourt and contend with their shooters in the backcourt. But Cleveland won 64 regular season games for a reason—they'll be a tough out.

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