Tyrese Haliburton scored 31 points, Pascal Siakam added 21 and the Indiana Pacers advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals with a 114-105 victory over Cleveland, eliminating the top-seeded Cavaliers in five games.

The Cleveland Cavaliers now place themselves on the wrong side of history after second-round exit against the Indiana Pacers.

The Indiana Pacers fought back from a 19-point, second-quarter deficit to eliminate the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers from the NBA playoffs and reach the Eastern Conference Finals for a second straight year.

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Max Strus attempted to light a fire under his teammates prior to Game 5 of their second-round playoff series. Before Game 5 tipped off, TNT's Jared Greenberg revealed Strus texted the Cavaliers group chat: "If you don't believe, then don't show up for work."

Despite a coaching change, the Cavs ended their season in the same place — Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. So all eyes are on the roster.

Yes, the Cavs had injuries. Darius Garland (toe), Evan Mobley (ankle) and De‘Andre Hunter (thumb) missed games. But all were back on the court for the last three games, even if they weren’t 100% healthy.

One of the main adjustments Atkinson made was a bigger reliance on depth, leading to fewer minutes for the team's primary stars. The strategy was fairly straightforward in the sense that it would help save tired legs for when the postseason rolled around.