The Cleveland Cavaliers had four notable major players fans needed to keep an eye on in their series against the Indiana Pacers (Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen). However, the Cavaliers also relied on Ty Jerome a lot, who is a key part of their offense despite his (mostly) disappearing act against the Pacers.
Jerome, on his own, was never going to win a playoff series for Cleveland, but he still provided a ton of value and was arguably their biggest X-factor against the Pacers. In Game 1, the New York native scored 21 points while shooting 8-for-20 from the field and 1-for-4 from the three-point line. He also recorded eight assists in the game. While the efficiency was not entirely there, Jerome still played a big role despite the team's loss. However, he was virtually nonexistent in Games 2-4, when he averaged 3.7 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 1 assist while shooting 4-for-25 (16%) from the field and 1-for-9 (11.1%) from beyond the arc. He also committed eight turnovers across that span.
In the regular season, Jerome had a career year, averaging 12.5 points and shooting 51.6% from the field and 43.9% from the three-point line. Jerome finished third in Sixth Man of the Year voting and was a big reason the Cavaliers ended the regular season as the best offensive team in the league. He was a weapon off the bench for the Cavaliers and made them a threat in the East. However, now that he is essentially out of the equation, it puts the Pacers in a unique spot as they are now taking on a Cavaliers team without one of their biggest weapons.
The Pacers have exceeded expectations
Even after their dominance over the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the playoffs, not many predicted that the Pacers would beat the Cavaliers in the following series, though the general consensus was that they were a tough matchup for them and could make it competitive. The series is not over yet, but things are looking great for the Pacers as they are just one win away from officially pulling off the upset.
It is true that the Cavaliers have dealt with injuries all postseason, but even when they were mostly healthy in the first half of Game 4, they were significantly outplayed by the Pacers. The team has executed the gameplan perfectly against the Cavaliers, and it has helped them reach a level that very few thought they could.
The Pacers are not the flashiest team in the playoffs, but they play well together and shine when the lights are at their brightest. Assuming the Pacers eliminate the Cavaliers, they will advance to the conference finals for the second straight year, where they will have another chance to win their first NBA title in franchise history.