Indiana Pacers: How the last 8 playoff teams would fare in a tournament bracket

(2) 2011-12 Indiana Pacers vs. (6) 2017-18 Indiana Pacers

The opening game shocker continued as the 2018 Pacers once again battled back from a double-digit deficit to win by 10 behind Oladipo’s 26 and Bogdanovic’s 24 on six treys despite Granger’s 31. A surprising big game from reserve Tyler Hansbrough fueled 2012 Indy in Game 2 to tie the series at one apiece.

Young and Collison then played efficient games to lead the 2018 squad to a 99-84 win to take back the series lead. They also roared out of the gates in Game 4, jumping out to a 12-point lead in the first quarter, but George Hill’s 25 led a furious comeback as the 2012 Pacers won by nine to prompt a best-of-three.

Game 5 was another thriller. Down six heading to the fourth, the 2012 Pacers managed to force overtime and ultimately took the game and the 3-2 series lead behind Hibbert’s monster 23-18 double-double as Oladipo tallied 30 in a losing effort. But the 2018 Pacers were not done. In Game 6, they carved a wire-to-wire victory to force a Game 7, led by Oladipo’s 25. Ultimately, the veteran 2012 group took care of business in the last game, holding the 2018 team to 86 points and winning the series with Granger scoring 28.