After a battle that went on for quite some time, the Indiana Pacers have officially secured homecourt advantage for the first time since 2020 after their victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday. For much of 2025, the Pacers were in a three-team battle for the No. 4 seed between the Milwaukee Bucks and Detroit Pistons. However, they officially pulled away and have clinched a top-four seed in the East (while unlikely, the Pacers can still grab the No. 3 seed from the New York Knicks by the end of the season).
With just two games left to go, the Pacers will soon shift their focus to the playoffs, where they will look to make another deep run. However, they also have a chance to accomplish another notable feat before the end of the regular season that could bode well for their championship dreams.
The Pacers still have 1 more milestone to achieve this season
Following their win against Cleveland, the Pacers are now 49-31 on the season. If they can win one of their last two games, the Pacers will have at least 50 wins on the season. The last time the Pacers crossed the 50-win threshold in a season was the 2013-14 campaign, when they went 56-26. Additionally, that same season, the Pacers made their second consecutive conference finals appearance, which is precisely what they are looking to do this year.
Despite entering last year's postseason as the No. 6 seed, the Pacers stunned the basketball world by making it all the way to the conference finals for the first time in a decade. Ultimately, they got swept by the eventual champion Boston Celtics, but it was an impressive run regardless. The Pacers are looking to repeat this success this season.
One or two more regular season wins will not do much for the Pacers on paper. However, getting 50 wins is still an incredible milestone for the team, especially following their slow start to the season. Additionally, Pacers fans know exactly how well this worked out for the team last time, so there is an extra reason to keep an eye on their win total.
No matter what happens, the Pacers will end the regular season as one of the hottest teams in the league in 2025. Furthermore, though they have yet to get their respect from the national media, the Pacers are one of the most well-rounded teams in the league and will have a chance to prove that last year's deep playoff run was not a fluke.