The University of Virginia is going to be represented in the NBA Finals. Former Cavaliers guard Rick Carlisle and the Indiana Pacers were able to defeat the New

CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Cleveland Cavaliers are coming off of a very successful regular season in which they won 64 games and earned the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs, but they were eliminated in the second round of the playoffs by the fourth-seeded Indiana Pacers.

The Pacers polished off the New York Knicks on Saturday, winning 125-108 in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals after a third-quarter rally. It will be their first NBA Finals appearance since 2000, back when Reggie Miller and Jalen Rose starred while Larry Bird coached.

The Indiana Pacers have punched their ticket to the NBA Finals after defeating the New York Knicks in six games, claiming the 2024-25 Eastern Conference title.

The Pacers come in as decided underdogs against the team that had the NBA's best record this season (68-14). These teams met twice in the regular season, with the Thunder winning both ( 120-114 on Dec. 26 in Indianapolis; 132-111 in March 29 in OKC).

The Oklahoma City Thunder is favored to defeat the Indiana Pacers, and Gilgeous-Alexander is favored to win the NBA Finals MVP award, in odds released Saturday by FanDuel Sportsbook. Here's a look at the latest betting odds for the 2025 NBA Finals.

The Indiana Pacers wasted one chance to wrap up the Eastern Conference finals. They don’t intend to let it happen again.

"It is a must-win for the Pacers. If they come back here, they're gonna get another ass-kicking like they had tonight," Barkley said after the New York Knicks never trailed in winning Game 5 111-94.