Pacers playoff performance summed up with wild stat

Naturally, trailing by seven or more points in the final minute of a game is not an effective strategy for an NBA team — unless that team is the Indiana Pacers in the 2025 Playoffs.

For nearly all of Tuesday night’s Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, it looked as though the Cleveland Cavaliers would defeat the Pacers, bringing the series to a 1-1 tie heading to Indianapolis for Games 3 and 4. And while Indiana closed the deficit throughout the second half, Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell sank a pair of free throws with 57.1 seconds remaining, giving the Cavaliers a seemingly safe 119-112 lead.

And while the Pacers continued to narrow the gap, it looked like they’d run out of time. Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton went to the free-throw line with 12.1 seconds remaining and Cleveland leading 119-116. Haliburton’s first free throw was good. He missed his second but the Pacers secured the rebound, giving them one final chance to tie — or win — the game. They didn’t squander it, as Haliburton drilled a game-winning three, giving the Pacers a 120-119 win in Game 2 and a commanding 2-0 lead in the series.

For most teams, erasing such a lead is nearly impossible. But for the Pacers, it’s old hat.

Jamal Collier of ESPN shared on X (formerly Twitter) that since the 1997-98 season, “Since 1997-98, teams are 3-1,640 when trailing by 7+ in the final minute of the 4th quarter/OT.”

He added that two of those three wins belong to the Pacers in this postseason.

Indiana’s other win came in Game 5 of the first-round series against the Milwaukee Bucks. After the Pacers rallied to force overtime, the Bucks assumed control and took a 118-111 lead with 40 seconds left.

But as was the case on Tuesday, Indiana rallied and Haliburton hit the game-winner.

So, it seems the safest lead the Pacers can hold is a seven-point deficit with less than 60 seconds remaining.