Experts in Unanimous Agreement on Outcome of Pacers-Cavaliers Series

The upcoming series between the Indiana Pacers and the Cleveland Cavaliers is set to be an exciting one with two of the most exciting offenses in the entire league.

charging up for Cleveland 🔋 pic.twitter.com/4TuSo30S05
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) May 2, 2025

Needless to say, fans and experts alike are excited for what will likely be an explosive series. Despite this, experts seem to be in agreement that the Cavaliers are going to come out on top.

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During an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, ESPN NBA Analyst Quentin Richardson revealed that he expects Cleveland to come out on top despite both teams having similar records toward the end of the season.

"I think you've got to look at that this is a very narrative-driven league. Everything is, like, based on the very last game, it's not based on the full body of work. And I mean, those numbers you just threw out there, you lose everything not being based on what the real body of work is."

"If I had to pick in this series, I probably would pick Cleveland to win."@QRich favors the Cavs over the Pacers in the second round of the NBA playoffs 👀 @PatMcAfeeShow pic.twitter.com/Wu1hduzGXs
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) May 2, 2025

"The narrative and the story is that the Cavs have led the East wire-to-wire. They've been the No. 1 team from the beginning to the end. And they just walloped the [Miami] Heat in the first round. So they're looking like they're primed to do these great things, and we know how it is in the playoffs."

"I like Cleveland. If I had to pick in this series, I probably would pick Cleveland."

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This is supported by the current betting odds on BetMGM Sportsbook (per AZ Central). Right now, the Cavs have -500 odds overall to win while the Pacers have +375 odds.

Additionally, multiple outlets suggest that, while this will be competitive, Cleveland will win in six games.

Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman believes that NBA Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley will be the key factor alongside Jarrett Allen, bringing up key stops against Indiana.

Ben Rohrbach of Yahoo! Sports was of a similar mind, thinking that Indiana's lack of defense will come back to bite them in the end.

Steve Aschburner of NBA.com thinks both teams could come out on top, but the Cavs will succeed due to having homecourt advantage.

Finally, Stephen Noh of Sporting News believes that Cleveland will barely win in the end because they have more bench depth.

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Needless to say, the Pacers are going to have their work cut out for them. However, all of these experts seem to forget one thing: Indiana is at their best when they seem like they cannot win.

Not only did Indiana wrap up their series against the Milwaukee Bucks with a historic come-from-behind victory, but they exceeded expectations last year when everyone said they would be out in the first round. They wound up making it to the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Pacers have been the perennial underdogs in the league the past few years, and it wouldn't be surprising for them to prove the doubters wrong once again.

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For more news and notes about the Indiana Pacers, head on over to Indiana Pacers on SI.