The Indiana Pacers grabbed a 2-0 series lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers, winning the first two games of the series on the road. The Pacers overwhelmed the Cavaliers in Game 1 and stormed back from a massive deficit in Game 2 to shock Cleveland.
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Now heading back home for Games 3 and 4, the Pacers are in a very good spot. But when looking at the Last Minute Report, it seems that the refs missed some calls that helped the Pacers win.
One of the plays came from a lane violation involving Pacers forward Pascal Siakam. With 48 seconds left, Siakam and wing Aaron Nesmith jumped early on a free throw attempt, ultimately getting a rebound for the Pacers.
Indiana got a putback dunk and cut the Cavaliers’ lead down to five. The league now says that Nesmith’s point shouldn’t have counted, which would have changed the entire trajectory of the game.
There was another lane violation toward the end of the game, resulting in Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton hitting a game-winning 3-point shot. Both of these calls seemed to benefit the Pacers, resulting in them stealing Game 2 from the Cavaliers.
While these few moments did impact the game, they aren’t the only reason why the Pacers won. Cleveland did blow a large lead on its home floor, so there are multiple reasons why the Pacers were able to pull off the comeback.
Indiana now gets to head back home up 2-0 in the series, and they have a chance to potentially end it there. While it will be tough to sweep the Cavaliers, Indiana has all the momentum on its side, and they have been one of the better home teams around the NBA.
Either way, the Pacers have set themselves up very well and have shown that last year’s run to the Eastern Conference Finals was no fluke. The series will get tighter now, but the Pacers are in a great spot.
More news:
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Pacers Have Massive Advantage in Postseason They Didn’t Have Last Year
For more news and notes on the Indiana Pacers, head on over to Indiana Pacers on SI.
