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.

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."

The top-seeded Cavs lost Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals to the underdog Pacers, 114-105 — a failure that showed Cleveland how far it still needs to go.

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.