Despite being the underdogs in their second-round playoff series against the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Indiana Pacers have a few advantages in the series. However, perhaps none of them are as notable as Indiana having deeper playoff experience than the Cavaliers.
Last year, the Pacers made it all the way to the conference finals with mostly the same roster they currently have. Furthermore, Pascal Siakam and Thomas Bryant each have one NBA title under their belt as members of the Toronto Raptors and Denver Nuggets, respectively.
As for Cleveland, they have two championship-winning players on the roster (Tristan Thompson and Sam Merrill) with just two other players with at least a conference finals appearance on their resume (De'Andre Hunter and Max Strus).
This is a notable advantage the Pacers have over the Cavaliers, and it could play an important role in the series.
Deep playoff experience is a big advantage for the Pacers
While it is not unheard of, it is incredibly rare for the top players on championship-winning teams to not have any prior conference finals experience. The last NBA team to win a championship where one of their top-two players did not make a conference finals appearance before was the 2014-15 Golden State Warriors, and even they were the first such team to win a championship in multiple decades.
This is not a guarantee that the Pacers will eliminate Cleveland and make it back to the conference finals, but deep playoff experience typically matters, and the Pacers have the advantage in this series.
Whether it is this year or any time in the near future, it should not be a surprise if the Pacers power through and make it to the NBA Finals, something they have not done since 2000. On top of their deep playoff experience, they also play fantastic team basketball and have developed into a well-rounded unit. However, in order to get that far, they must take it one step at a time, with the Cavaliers as their current obstacle.
The Pacers currently have a 1-0 lead over the No. 1 seed Cavaliers, but the series is far from over. Both teams will meet for Game 2 on Tuesday night, which should be a pivotal contest in the series. As it stands, the Pacers will aim to keep their foot on the pedal in an attempt to pull off the upset. In doing so, they will need to keep relying on what has worked so far, including what got them to the conference finals in the first place last year.