CNN
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The Indiana Pacers fought back from a 19-point second-quarter deficit, eliminating the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers from the NBA playoffs, reaching the Eastern Conference Finals for the second year in a row.
Tyreese Halliburton, who struggled in games 3 and 4, recorded 31 points, six rebounds and eight assists to secure the Pacer 114-105 win and a 4-1 series.
“We’re certainly very excited about our fans, our ownership, our city,” Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle told reporters after the game. “It’s very difficult to win a closed-out game on the road.
“We were 19, but in the second quarter, Ty’s shotmaking run came back to us.
“We had a lot of people who played very hard and then they said, ‘Hey, let’s hang this thing, and try and wear them down and see if we can last them long.”
The Cavaliers, who have lost all three home games in this series, kick themselves by giving up a big lead again, like games 1 and 2 at Cleveland.
The Cavs were troubled by injuries in this series, with Darius Garland missing the first two games, with star guard Donovan Mitchell sitting in the second half of Game 4.
Both returned to Game 5 on Tuesday, but there was little difference. Garland was a non-factor, scoring 11 points with 6/16 shooting. Including 3-6-6 – Mitchell scored a game-high 35 points on an inefficient 8-8 shooting night.
Mitchell dealt a lot of damage from the free throw line. His 21 attempts from the charity stripes were fewer than the entire pacer team.
When asked about Cleveland’s injuries that affect the series, Carlisle recalled that recently someone said “the winning team is writing the script.”
“I have to give credit to our peers, they’ve earned this,” Carlisle said. “This (Cleveland) is one of the best teams in the league and there are no injuries, dings or dents. They had an amazing year. I’m sorry their season had to end like this. They had a perfect season.
“We’re talking about eight more NBA Championship wins,” Carlisle added. “The league is wide open this year, and there are a lot of great teams, but it’s wide open. We just need to keep faith. We have a great group that is committed to each other.”
The Pacers are ready to face the New York Knicks or Boston Celtics for another shot to reach the NBA Finals, but the Cavs will be left to the lost season, when they appeared as the East’s best team in 82 games.
This is the fourth time in NBA history that ESPN has not made progress past the second round.
“I couldn’t believe it,” Mitchell said after the defeat. “I didn’t want to believe it. I don’t want to believe it. But I still don’t want to believe it.
“I love playing in that f**king arena. That energy, that crowd. We were 0-3 at home. This place is special. This place is really special and we didn’t get it done.
“It hurts, especially at home.”
The Knicks and Celtics played Game 5 in Massachusetts on Wednesday, with New York holding a 3-1 series lead and Boston lost star Jason Tatum due to a torn Achilles tendon.
