Indiana fell after becoming the first team to be eliminated from the 2025 NBA Cup
Oh, how far the mighty have fallen. The Indiana Pacersthe team that pushed the Oklahoma City Thunder all the way to Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals entered its Friday night NBA Cup they are competing against the Cleveland Cavaliers with an overall record of 2-13. They were rdamaged by injuries to a great extentand at this point, this season is nothing but a lost cause.
Just to further rub their open wounds that have been bleeding all season, Pacers became the first team to be eliminated from the 2025 NBA Cup after being on the receiving end of a 120-109 loss to the Cavs. They are 0-2 in the tournament so far, with a difference of -31, which, interestingly, is not the worst in the group even though they were the first team eliminated.
The Washington Wizards have been scarier, as they have an equally bad 0-2 record and an even worse point differential of -63. But the Pacers’ loss to the Cavs sealed their fate. Since the best record they can finish with is 2-2, the best they can do is tie the Cavs, who are currently 2-0. But since Cleveland won the head-to-head against Indiana, they will finish ahead of them in the standings no matter what, eliminating the Pacers from the NBA Cup.
The bill is coming for the Pacers’ magical 2024-25 campaign
At this point, the The Pacers were just unlucky. It’s hard to remember the last time a good team missed this many players at once, leading to their downfall. The most striking example is for the 2019-20 Golden State Warriors, a team that also rebounded after making the NBA Finals last year. But that was a team that lost Kevin Durant (in free agency) and Klay Thompson (injuries).
Regardless, the Pacers are starting to get healthier. Andrew Nembhardt and TJ McConnell are back, as is Benedict Maturin. But Tyrese Halliburton will be out for the rest of the season, while Aaron Nesmith and Obi Taupin will be sidelined for extended periods of time. This season is long gone for Indiana, and all they have to play for right now is pride, as well as a high draft pick next year.
2025-11-22 05:20:00
