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The Indiana Pacers have been the must-watch team of the NBA playoffs. They have dazzled us with impossible comebacks, jaw-dropping game winners, scoring barrages and fastbreak clinics. Now they are just one win away from a trip to the NBA Finals.
They've done it as a No. 4 seed following their conference finals run as a sixth seed in 2024. But we've seen enough of this team to know this isn't just another cute 'Cinderella' run. They are legit title contenders, even with the Thunder lurking. Indiana can close out the Knicks in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals on Thursday night.
[Knicks vs. Pacers prediction, Game 5 odds, pick, time: Best bet as New York tries to keep season alive
Knicks vs. Pacers prediction, Game 5 odds, pick, time: Best bet as New York tries to keep season alive](https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/knicks-vs-pacers-prediction-game-5-odds-pick-time-best-bet-as-new-york-tries-to-keep-season-alive/)
For the Pacers and their leading scorer, Tyrese Haliburton, this is an offensive juggernaut with production and flair that rivals the 'Showtime' Lakers, who owned the league in the 1980s. It's not hyperbole, either.
The 'Showtime' Lakers are the (purple and) gold standard for offensive success. They led the NBA in offensive rating five times during a nine-season stretch from 1979-80 to 1987-88, when they won five NBA championships.
It's hard to believe the Pacers are anywhere in their stratosphere, but the numbers don't lie. Indiana has played 31 games over the last two playoff runs. This is enough data to know the numbers they are putting up night after night are no fluke.
Postseason scoring
The Pacers have averaged 116.0 points per game in the last two postseasons, the most by any team in a span of two postseasons (minimum 20 games) since the 1986-87 Lakers, who put up 118.3.
Indiana has also taken it up a notch in 2025 after putting us on notice last postseason. The Pacers are averaging 118.5 points per game this postseason. The last two teams to hit that figure in a single postseason (minimum 10 games) were the 2017 Warriors and 1987 Lakers.
You better not blink, because the appropriately named Pacers have been putting up points in a hurry. They scored 80 in the first half of Game 4 against the Cavaliers in the last round. Aaron Nesmith made six straight threes in the fourth quarter of Game 1 at the Knicks to pull off a historic comeback as they trailed by nine points in the final minute.
The Pacers have won three games this postseason when trailing by at least seven points in the final minute of the fourth quarter or overtime. All other teams have one win in those spots since play-by-play data was first kept in 1998.
How else could any team overcome impossible odds to win not once, not twice, but three times?! It's this historic offense.
Historic shooting
The Pacers are shooting 50.4 percent from the field in the last two postseasons, the best rate by any team in a span of two postseasons (minimum 20 games) since the 1987-88 Lakers (50.9 percent).
That's insane. It's been 37 years since we've seen a team hit half its shots during two playoff runs, and the Pacers have done it in an era when 3-pointers account for 38 percent of their shot attempts. Shooting from beyond the arc accounted for just under eight percent of the shots by the 1987-88 Lakers.
The Pacers have also shot over 50 percent from the field in each of the last two postseasons. Prior to that, no team has made half its shots in a playoff run (at least 10 games) since the 1991 Bulls.
The Lakers hit 50 percent of their shots in six straight postseasons from 1982 to 1987, so Indiana has its work cut out to match that streak.
Powered by pace and passing
The Pacers are averaging 29.3 assists per game in the last two postseasons, the most by any team in a span of two postseasons (minimum 20 games) since ... you guessed it ... those 'Showtime' Lakers from the 1987-88 season.
Indiana's passing prowess is evidenced by its 16 games with 30+ assists in the last two postseasons. No other team has more than five in that span. They have seven games with 30+ assists and fewer than 10 turnovers. No other team has that many playoff games with those numbers in their franchise history.
By some measures, this Pacers offense surpasses not only the 'Showtime' Lakers but any other team. They have the highest offensive rating (119.6) by any team in a span of two postseasons since the NBA-ABA merger in 1976-77 (minimum 20 games).
Pacers in last two postseasons
Best in Two-Postseason Span Since...
PPG 116.0 1986-87 Lakers (118.3)
Off rating 119.6 Ever
FG pct 50.4% 1987-88 Lakers (50.9%)
APG 29.3 1986-87 Lakers (30.1)
No, the Pacers aren't the 'Showtime' Lakers, but at least on offense, they possess the firepower to do what Los Angeles did five times in the 1980s -- win a championship.
'Showtime' Lakers vs. Pacers: Playoff numbers
1980-88 Lakers 2024-25 Pacers
PPG 114.7 116.0
Off rating 113.7 119.6
FG pct 51.6% 50.4%
APG 29.8 29.3
Plus, the cherry on top here is the trigger man for each offense. In many ways, Haliburton is playing like a modern-day Magic Johnson. The numbers, clutch play, showmanship and flair for the dramatic all back that up.
Magic vs. Hali: First 29 career playoff games
Magic Johnson Tyrese Haliburton
PPG 17.9 19.0
APG 9.3 9.0
FG pct 49.6% 47.8%
Many people view the Thunder as inevitable after a historic season led by a relentless defense. But the Pacers are showing they would be worthy competitors, and their offense vs. the Thunder defense would make for one heckuva matchup to watch.