The Indiana Pacers were able to send the Cleveland Cavaliers packing in five games after pushing them to the breaking point with breakneck pace, strong passing, and unbelievable endurance. Those are things the Cavaliers can replicate and implement for themselves.
The NBA is a copycat league after all. For a team hoping to finally break through and reach the NBA Finals for the first time since LeBron James was in wine and gold, why not look at the team who just got there?
There will be naysayers who will be quick to remind everyone that Indiana went on to lose their NBA Finals series against the Oklahoma City Thunder. That fact purposefully ignores the series-altering moment that was Tyrese Haliburton getting injured in Game 7.
What would have happened in the 2025 NBA Finals if the Pacers star point guard never goes down with an Achilles tear will remain one of the biggest what-ifs of recent memory. What is crystal clear for Cleveland will be how they can adapt what worked for Indiana and install it into their own system.
Pacers' success offers a clear path for the Cavaliers to follow
Terry Pluto of Cleveland.com took Cavaliers fans on a trip down memory lane when referring back to last year's second-round matchup in a recent write-up. The Cleveland reporter discussed several key elements of how the Pacers managed to stun the Cavaliers in the 2025 NBA Playoffs.
Pluto wrote, "The more the Cavs studied their loss in five games to Indiana in the second round of the playoffs, the more obvious that conditioning was an issue. Not that the Cavs were in bad shape. But the Pacers were in superb condition."
The NBA writer pointed out that two of the three teams in the 2025 NBA Finals, the Thunder and Pacers, had the second and third fastest paces of play among the teams in the postseason. That fact served as stark contrast to the old mantra of playoff basketball slowing things down.
It was actually keeping things fast that helped those two competitors. The Cavaliers were good at that, but not good enough. They ranked fifth among playoff teams, pointed out by Pluto.
That is not a sizeable gap to close for the Cavaliers. Pluto added that Kenny Atkinson will be trying to do just that by pushing the team harder, hoping to 'build up endurance.'
With Cavaliers training camp just around the corner, the opportunity to work towards that goal will start. Chris Fedor reported earlier in the offseason that Cleveland believes they have learned their lessons from last year's postseason failure. This would be a great way to demonstrate that.
Pluto chimed in with one last important note, stating: "It came down to keeping up with the Pacers, who were among the NBA leaders in getting the ball past halfcourt the fastest … and throwing the most passes per possession. "
While the Cavaliers may not have someone of Haliburton's playmaking prowess to run their offense, those are elements that can be adopted too. If you can't beat them, join them. Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery after all.