Pacers Adjustment Superpower Leads Team To Third Win In Series Vs. Cavs

INDIANAPOLIS – 13 seconds had passed in Game 4 of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers 2025 second-round NBA playoff series when Pacers All-Star Pascal Siakam earned a steal. He lobbed the ball ahead to Tyrese Haliburton, an All-NBA level guard, and he raced ahead for a crowd-igniting dunk that put the Pacers ahead 2-0.

It was just one play. Less than 20 seconds of time had ticked off the clock in the fourth game of the best-of-seven set. But that one sequence was a sign of things to come for the Pacers. They were about to erupt, and they were going to do it less than 48 hours after getting crushed by the Cavs in Game 3 – “obliterated’,” as head coach Rick Carlisle put it.

3.5 minutes into the action, Indiana led 12-5 and Cleveland took a timeout. Halfway through the first quarter, the blue and gold were ahead by six. That lead reached 14 about two minutes later, then 15 by the time the first period ended. Indiana had slow starts in Games 2 and 3, but they looked excellent to begin Game 4.

Their second quarter was even better. Siakam was hot to open the frame while Myles Turner couldn’t miss to end it. The scoreboard in just that period read Indiana 42, Cleveland 16. In a playoff series full of runs and strong punches, it was the hardest hit yet. Gainbridge Fieldhouse exploded with cheers on multiple occasions.

“We were up about 25 and it went to 40 quick. The place was getting loud. It was just happening, we were just playing in the flow,” Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard said of the first half. “When I looked up at halftime, I was surprised how big the lead was.”

It was a bonkers first two quarters for the Pacers. They scored 80 points, a ridiculous number for a postseason setting that features increased preparedness and heightened intensity. Their defense conceded just 39 points, nearly equal as an impressive total. The 41-point halftime lead was tied for the largest in NBA history.

The Pacers did just about everything well in that first half. Outside shots were falling. Their ball movement was crisp, only outshined by their player movement. Every small opening became a high-quality chance – and those were converted into points. Turner, Siakam, Obi Toppin, and Tyrese Haliburton all shined. Indiana had all but put the game away after just 24 minutes of play. Yet despite the gaudy numbers, it was their adjustments and problem solving that really shined that half. Those changes were the difference between Indiana losing their home court advantage in the series and pushing the Cavaliers to the brink.

It all started with a film session on Saturday, the day after the Pacers Game 3 loss. They had to watch that outing back and figure out what went wrong. That film session, one that Haliburton called “ugly”, revealed that they had a lot to fix. And it wasn’t the actual process of watching the game or the conversations that were ugly, it was the basketball product Indiana was watching. They stunk in Game 3 and knew it.

That night, they were swallowed by a zone defense. They started slow and were wrecked in the possession battle thanks to poor rebounding and a higher-than-normal turnover number. Carlisle opened his press conference ahead of Game 4 talking about how many more chances the Cavs had than his team in Game 3.

Adjustments were made after that film session. It was up to the Pacers roster to actually execute them, but the coaching staff gave Indiana’s players the strategies to succeed in Game 4. Prior to tipoff, the team just had to hope those tools were enough to win at home – something that hadn’t happened yet in the series.

The new plans were more than valuable – they were perfect. The Pacers faced a zone defense 19 times and scored on 10 of those opportunities, netting them a whopping 24 points – good for a 126.3 offensive rating against the zones. They dominated the glass and held a 22 to 15 rebounding edge at halftime. Their start to the game was strong for the first time since Game 1 as they forced a Cavs timeout leading 12-5. Everything the Pacers had an issue with in Game 3 was a strength in Game 4.

“We just know we didn’t play the way we were supposed to,” Siakam said of Game 3. He noted that poor outings like that are supposed to hurt, and in this instance it did. “The way we approached the game, it just wasn’t us. So we tried to get back to who we are.”

What makes the Indiana Pacers so good at adjustments?

This particular win continued a trend for the Pacers. They’ve lost three games by 20+ points in the playoffs the last two years yet have won the following battle all three times. One of Indiana’s superpowers in their current era is responding to their lowest moments. That takes effort from everyone in the organization.

Players have to be more focused and dialed in with a new, more tailored plan of attack. Coaches have to come up with new ideas. Errors have to be limited. It all sounds simple, but if every team could solve each new problem after big postseason losses they would. The Pacers have done it every time they lose big during their current era.

They did it again on Sunday, responding with perfection to their largest loss this postseason. A 41-point lead at any point in a game would have driven that fact home – doing that by halftime shows an even stronger resolve. The Pacers stole the Cavs soul and rolled to a win.

“We have guys that care,” Siakam said of his team’s ability to counter their low points. “When we watch film or we look at things that we do well, it’s not emotional. It’s all about correcting. It’s all about getting better… At the end of the day, we all care about winning.”

Pacers players deserved the ridicule they received for getting crushed in Game 3. Yet they deserve equal – if not more, given the specific score – praise for executing a new game plan in Game 4. The coaching staff holds similar credit for their creativity and leadership in a film session. It all came together for a record-setting win.

“I think that he did an amazing job just getting us ready,” Turner said of Carlisle’s work preparing the team for Game 4.

Indiana knew what went wrong in Game 3. Two days later, they shoved the Cavs in a locker and put them on the brink of elimination. That’s what the playoffs are all about, and being deft with adjustments is a major factor in the Pacers being one game away from the Eastern Conference Finals for the second-straight season.

Game 4 was a big-time win for that exact reason. Can the Pacers make it happen more time? They’ll hope to do it without having to respond to a huge loss.