Schedule and 2017-18 Results
Regular Season Records: Cleveland 50-32, Indiana 48-34
Game 1 on Sunday 15 April: Indiana wins at Cleveland, 98-pts-80
Game 2 on Wednesday 18 April: Indiana loses at Cleveland, 100-pts-97
Game 3 on Friday 20 April: Cleveland loses at Indiana, 92-pts-90
Game 4 on Sunday 22 April: Cleveland wins at Indiana, 104-pts-100
Game 5 on Wednesday 25 April: Indiana loses at Cleveland, 98-pts-95
Game 6 on Friday 27 April: Cleveland loses at Indiana, 121-pts-87
Game 7 on Sunday 29 April: Indiana loses at Cleveland, 105-pts-101

SERIES NOTES:

After Game 7: The Cleveland Cavaliers hosted and defeated the Indiana Pacers 105-pts-101 to complete a 4-games-3 best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1371 victory. With the series 1371 win, the Cleveland Cavaliers improve their best-of-7 NBA playoff series record to 21-10 overall and 9-0 in the Preliminary round. With the series 1371 loss, the Indiana Pacers see their best-of-7 NBA playoff series record fall to 14-16 (with an active four-series losing streak) overall and 5-6 in the Preliminary round. The win order for the victorious Cleveland Cavaliers in series 1371 was LWLWWLW: Series 1371 thus becomes the first NBA Preliminary-round series, the eighth NBA series (all rounds), and the 24th MLB/NBA/NHL series (all rounds) to follow that win order to completion. The 9-0 best-of-7 NBA Preliminary-round playoff series record by the Cleveland Cavaliers is the best such record in the NBA or NHL; next are the NBA Golden State Warriors at 6-1.

After Game 6: The Indiana Pacers hosted and defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 121-pts-87 to tie best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1375 at 3-games-all. When tied 3-games-all in a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series, the Cleveland Cavaliers have a Game 7 record of 3-2, while the Indiana Pacers have a Game 7 record of 3-5. The Cleveland Cavaliers have a 2-0 Game 7 record in Cleveland. The Indiana Pacers have a 2-5 Game 7 record on the road. The only previous best-of-7 NBA Preliminary-round playoff series to play out LWLWWL @ HHVVHV (as series 1375 has through six games, courtesy of Cleveland) was series 1238, with the Toronto Raptors posting that win/site order through six games of their 2014 NBA Preliminary-round series against the Brooklyn Nets. Brooklyn defeated the Raptors in Toronto to win that series in seven games.

After Game 5: The Cleveland Cavaliers hosted and bested the Indiana Pacers 98-pts-95 to take a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1371 lead of 3-games-2. When leading a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 3-games-2, the Cleveland Cavaliers have a series record of 8-1 with an active five-series winning streak and a Game 6 record of 6-3 with an active five-Game 6 winning streak. When trailing a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 3-games-2, the Indiana Pacers have a series record of 1-12 and a Game 6 record of 5-8.

After Game 4: The Cleveland Cavaliers visited and defeated the Indiana Pacers 104-pts-100 to knot best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1371 at 2-games-all. When tied 2-games-all in a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series, the Cleveland Cavaliers have a series record of 6-6 and a Game 5 record of 7-5, while the Indiana Pacers have a series record of 5-10 and a Game 5 record of 5-10. In eleven of the twelve best-of-7 NBA playoff series in which they were tied 2-games-all after four games, the Cleveland Cavaliers Game 5 outcome presaged their series outcome (six series wins; six series losses).

After Game 3: The Indiana Pacers hosted and defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 92-pts-90 to take a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1371 lead of 2-games-1. When leading a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 2-games-1, the Indiana Pacers have a series record of 10-3 and a Game 4 record of 6-7. When trailing a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 2-games-1, the Cleveland Cavaliers have a series record of 4-5 and a Game 4 record of 7-2. The Indiana Pacers trailed the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers in series 1371 Game 3 by 11 points after one quarter, and by 17 points at halftime, but won. In the history of best-of-7 NBA playoff games, home teams trailing by 11 points after one quarter had a 10-23 (.303) game record. In the history of best-of-7 NBA playoff games, home teams trailing by 17 points after one half had a 1-14 (.067) game record; series 1371 Game 3 is thus the Spring 2018 comeback of the season to date.

After Game 2: The Cleveland Cavaliers hosted and outscored the Indiana Pacers 100-pts-97 to knot best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1371 at 1-game-all. When tied 1-game-all in a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series, the Cleveland Cavaliers have a series record of 4-4 and a Game 3 record of 4-4, while the Indiana Pacers have a series record of 7-9 and a Game 3 record of 9-7.

After Game 1: The Indiana Pacers visited and outscored the Cleveland Cavaliers 98-pts-80 to take a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1371 lead of 1-game-nil. When leading a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1-game-nil, the Indiana Pacers have a series record of 10-4 and a Game 2 record of 7-7. When trailing a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1-game-nil, the Cleveland Cavaliers have a series record of 4-9 and a Game 2 record of 5-8. The 18-point victory in series 1371 Game 1 by the Indiana Pacers is the largest best-of-7 NBA Preliminary-round Game 1 victory by a road team since series 1078, in which the Houston Rockets defeated the Trailblazers in Portland 108-pts-81 in Game 1 of their 2009 NBA Preliminary-round series. The series 1371 Game 1 loss by the Cleveland Cavaliers breaks a 14-game best-of-7 NBA Preliminary-round winning streak by the Cleveland Cavaliers (beginning with series 1104 Game 4 in the 2010 NBA Preliminary round against the Chicago Bulls), and is the first best-of-7 NBA Preliminary-round Game 1 loss by the Cleveland Cavaliers (who had been 8-0 in best-of-7 NBA Preliminary-round Game 1s).

Pre-series assessment: In the 2017-18 NBA regular season, the Cleveland Cavaliers finished two games ahead of the Indiana Pacers. From 1947 through the 2017 NBA Finals round, when NBA teams led their best-of-7 playoff series opponents by two regular-season games, they have posted a best-of-7 playoff series record of 20-13 (.606) in those series against those opponents. MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1371 is the 31st best-of-7 NBA playoff series for the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the 30th for the Indiana Pacers. In best-of-7 NBA playoff series, the Cleveland Cavaliers have an all-rounds series record of 20-10, a Preliminary-round series record of 8-0, and a Game 1 record of 17-13, while the Indiana Pacers have an all-rounds series record of 14-15, a Preliminary-round series record of 5-5, and a Game 1 record of 14-15. Series 1371 is the second best-of-7 NBA playoff series meeting between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Indiana Pacers. Cleveland defeated Indiana in their only previous best-of-7 NBA playoff series meeting, in the 2017 NBA Preliminary round.