MIAMI – The Cavaliers took care of the Miami Heat in historic fashion in the first round, and they now have their second-round opponent.
The No. 1-seeded Cavs will face the No. 4 seeded Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. The Pacers dispatched the No. 5 Milwaukee Bucks in their first-round series, 4-1.
The Cavs swept the Heat and out-scored them in the series by 122 points, which represented the most lopsided NBA playoff series in league history.
Cavs playoff schedule: When is Cavaliers vs Pacers Game 1 of NBA playoffs series?
Exact dates have not yet been determined, though the earliest Game 1 could take place would be Saturday, May 3. The NBA is able to flex games on their schedule, so there’s technically a four-day window for when the Cavs-Pacers series could start.
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Games 1 and 2 will be in Cleveland.
Shop Cavs vs. Pacers NBA playoff tickets Darius Garland injury update; Will Cavs All-Star guard be available in second round?
Darius Garland’s status is a storyline to watch as the Cavs await their second-round series to begin. Garland missed Games 3 and 4 in Miami due to a sprained big toe, something that also gave him trouble during the regular season.
Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson said just before Game 4 that he didn’t see it being “an eight-week thing,” but noted that a big toe injury can be difficult in terms of pain management on the court.
Cavs-Pacers season series in regular season
The Pacers bested the Cavs during the regular season, beating Cleveland in three of the four matchups, though two of those games took place after the Cavaliers had already secured the No. 1 seed in the East and had nothing on the line in terms of incentive.
In the two games during the regular season before that end-of-the-year period, the road team won both games. First, the Cavs lost 108-93 in Indiana in what was one of their worst offensive performances of the entire season. The Cavs rebounded two days later, beating the Pacers in Cleveland 127-117, with Donovan Mitchell scoring 35 points.
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