Thursday night was a historic night for the Indiana Pacers. In a victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Pacers secured homecourt advantage for the first time in five years. They are also now just one win away from their first 50-win season since 2013-14. However, their notable night was beyond just team success as guard Tyrese Haliburton recorded three blocks in a game for the third time this season.
While the Pacers' victory on Thursday was enough on its own, the feats that came with it made it that much better for the team and the fans. Furthermore, the Pacers also broke an NBA record with their performance against Cleveland, and it is one that bodes well for their upcoming playoff run.
The Pacers made history against the Cavaliers
In the win against Cleveland, the Pacers scored 114 points. According to the Pacers' X account, this is the 107th consecutive time the Pacers scored 100+ points at home. This broke the San Antonio Spurs' previous record of 106 such games, which they set between 1978-1981. The Pacers will have just one regular season game in Indiana left this season to extend their record.
While this is clearly an impressive accomplishment, it means much more than that to the Pacers. They were already one of the best offensive units in the NBA, and this solidifies them as such. Additionally, now that the Pacers have secured homecourt advantage, this elevates them to another level.
As a top-four seed, the Pacers will begin the first round of the playoffs at home, where they have been amazing this year. The Pacers, who are a dangerous team regardless of where they play, certainly benefit from playing in their home arena. This will be crucial for their playoff run as they look to follow up on last year's conference finals appearance with another successful postseason campaign.
The Pacers, while they have improved in this area, are not known for their defense. Additionally, against some of the best teams in the league, it will be important for the Pacers to rely on their offensive firepower more than anything else. Now that they will be at home to start the playoffs should give them a major boost and begin their run on a high note.
Indiana still has two games left on the schedule, but their focus will soon shift towards the playoffs, where they will aim to prove their doubters wrong once again and show that they are among the best teams in the league.