Indiana Pacers 2025 NBA Playoffs Picture: Dissecting potential first-round matchups, key stats and more

The Indiana Pacers were last season's dark-horse team in the playoffs, making it to the Eastern Conference Finals before being swept by the Boston Celtics. They are in the same boat this season, one of a few teams that can be a spoiler in the Eastern Conference playoff picture behind the duo of Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam.

The Pacers are one of only a few teams to keep their entire postseason rotation together, a rare feat in today's NBA. Indiana has gained another year of experience playing together, while Haliburton had the opportunity to learn from the NBA's best when playing with Team USA in the Olympics this summer. The experience has served him well, both as a playmaker and a leader.

Tyrese Haliburton suffered a hamstring injury in the back half of last season, and the 6-foot-5 guard has been dealing with it ever since. Since the beginning of the calendar year, though, it appears that he has fully recovered and will be entering the playoffs at full health.

The Pacers have won five straight games but have a three-game gauntlet before the postseason begins. Indiana plays the Cleveland Cavaliers at home and in Cleveland with a visit from the Orlando Magic squeezed in between to end their regular season.

The Indiana Pacers only need to win one of those three games in order to secure home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs as they continue to fend off the Milwaukee Bucks.

Defining Statistic: Efficiency in transition

As they have risen up through the Eastern Conference over the past few seasons, the Indiana Pacers have credited their success to two things: the play of their stars and their energetic style of play. The Pacers, who have an average age of just over 25 years old, have been one of the better transition teams in the league, both in points per game and efficiency.

According to NBA.com, the Pacers average 26.2 points per game and shoot 56% from the field in transition, ranking within the top ten of the league in both. General manager Chad Buchanan has built the roster with that in mind, surrounding Haliburton with wings who want to get out and run in transition. Unfortunately, the Pacers have struggled in the half-court, which is the majority of playoff basketball.

If they can't get out in transition, Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle will need to find ways to put Haliburton in the best spots to run an effective offense against the more formidable defenses they will face in the postseason. Luckily for him, Pascal Siakam has emerged as a bona-fide playoff-riser as a scorer and was a big reason why the Pacers were able to take down the New York Knicks last season.

Playoff X-Factor: Bennedict Mathurin

The Pacers made it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals last season in a playoff run that surprised many experts around the NBA. However, they are arguably better equipped heading into this year's postseason, adding a healthy Bennedict Mathurin to the mix. If he hadn't started so many games, Mathurin would be one of the favorites to win the Sixth Man of the Year award.

In the long run, the shoulder injury that ruined Mathurin's season last year was a blessing for the Indiana Pacers, who had to turn to Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith to cover his absence in the playoffs. Both guards proved themselves as solid rotation pieces, and the trio has grown into two-way players that can take on the primary defensive assignments each night.

Carlisle has discovered a rotation that works with all three, and Bennedict Mathurin has embraced coming off the bench and leading the Pacers' offense as the lead ball-handler when Haliburton rests. If Mathurin's 16 points per game translates into the playoffs, the Indiana Pacers will have yet another offensive weapon to throw at their opponents in a seven game series.

The Pacers will go as Haliburton and Siakam go, but having Mathurin as the third star makes things easier for everyone on the court in a postseason atmosphere that is so dependent on half-court offense.

Potential first-round matchups for the Indiana Pacers

With three games left in the regular season for the majority of the NBA, the Pacers will almost assuredly host a first-round playoff series. Their possible opponents, though, have been narrowed down to just two teams: the Milwaukee Bucks and the Detroit Pistons. Both teams finish their season with two games against the other, which will determine the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference.

If the Indiana Pacers get the Bucks in the first round, Giannis Antetokounmpo and his teammates will get the opportunity to pay back the Pacers for eliminating them from the first round of last year's playoffs. The Bucks were not fully healthy in that series, though, as Antetokounmpo sat out all six games of the series after suffering a calf injury.

If Damian Lillard is back on the court after fully recovering from blood clots that have kept him out since March 25th, then the Milwaukee Bucks and Indiana Pacers would quite possibly be the most thrilling first-round series.

The Detroit Pistons present a different challenge to the Indiana Pacers, though. A series between the two would be a battle of strengths, both teams being effective in transition and relying on their youth to bring the edge on their opponent. The Pistons are unfortunate for the Pacers, though, in that they have multiple defenders they can use against Haliburton to cut back on his production.

A Pacers-Pistons series would heavily depend on the performances of both teams' stars. While Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard are superior to Haliburton and Siakam by argument, the Pistons lack elite talent other than Cade Cunningham. Whoever they play in the first round, the Indiana Pacers desire to reach at least the Eastern Conference Finals again.