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NBA History Shows Pacers May Not Have Great Shot at NBA Finals

Jeremy Hanna|
Apr 10, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) in the second half against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
Apr 10, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) in the second half against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

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Indiana Pacers

Nearing the end of the regular NBA season, the Indiana Pacers have officially sealed their place in the Eastern Conference playoffs, sitting in fourth place with a 49-32 record, two games ahead of the fifth-place Milwaukee Bucks.

This is largely because of Indiana impressively winning seven of its last 10 games, defeating the likes of the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Denver Nuggets while also scoring an astounding 162 points against the Washington Wizards.

However, just because the Pacers were impressive at the end of the season doesn't mean that the march to the NBA Finals will be a cakewalk. In fact, history seems to indicate the opposite for the hyper-offensive team.

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The NBA has been around for 78 years, meaning there have been 78 champions. Of those champions, only two were seeded below third place.

Simply looking at the history, this spells bas news for the Pacers, who are sitting behind the Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics, and New York Knicks.

While the Pacers have defeated these teams this past season, they have only beaten each team once. Additionally, Indiana has an unfavorable matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks, whom they will face in the first round of the playoffs.

Needless to say, Indiana has a tough road ahead of them when it comes to making it to the NBA Finals. However, this wouldn't be the first time the deck was stacked against them.

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Last season, the Pacers finished in similar fashion, winning seven of their last 10 games, but this time finishing in sixth place behind the same teams mentioned earlier as well as the Orlando Magic and Bucks.

Despite this worse seeding, the Pacers were able to push themselves all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals, defeating the Bucks and the Knicks on their way. While they were swept by the Celtics, who eventually became NBA Champions, Indiana proved that they were a contender.

Now, the Pacers are heading into the Eastern Conference Playoffs in a better position and the same team, particularly point guard Tyrese Haliburton and power forward Pascal Siakam, meaning they could potentially find even more success.

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Jeremy Hanna
JEREMY HANNA

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