The East was left without the best team of the league part, while the best team of the West and the entire league came within a step of the conference finals through a great fight.
Cleveland ended a season that was very promising, the Cavs had to congratulate the great Indiana, which advanced to the conference finals with a 4:1 record, while Oklahoma in the West reached 112:105 after another triumph over Denver (3:2).
The clash at the "Paycom Center" once again saw a duel between the league's two best players this season, and Shay Gilges-Alexander once again celebrated, nullifying another incredible game by Nikola Jokić - his 44 points and 15 rebounds were not enough for Denver to take Colorado 3:2.
"What great players do is rise up in the moments when the challenge is greatest and when it's most difficult. As the game progressed, SGA seemed more and more composed. Despite the increasing tension, he remained calm, made the right decisions and played the way he knows how," Thunder coach Mark Degnolt praised his best player.
The Canadian finished the match with 31 points, seven assists and six rebounds, and also hit a three-pointer for an unattainable plus six in the final - before that, Jokić was accurate for three points from a turn and for 103:103, and with one minute and 18 seconds left, Jaylen Williams took OKC to 7,24:106 with a shot from outside the 103 line.
"A really disappointing loss. The players in the locker room should be disappointed. It's also a tough loss. We need to bounce back quickly and win Game 6," Denver coach David Adelman said.
For Oklahoma, Williams ended up scoring 18 points, Isaiah Hartenstein 15, Chet Holmgren 14, Alex Caruso 13 and Lou Dort 12 points.
In addition to Jokić, Jamal Murray also had a good game for the Nuggets with 28 points.
The Cavaliers had a 64-18 record in the league, but it was in vain for them in the playoffs - in the new match with the Pacers they were defeated 114:105 and for the first time in history they lost all three duels of a playoff series on their home court, while Indiana had been waiting for three away triumphs since 2005.
How much Indiana is willing to go to Ohio is also shown by the fact that they won all five away games against Cleveland this year.
The Pacers were once again led by the brilliant Tyrese Halliburton with 31 points, eight assists and six rebounds, while Pascal Siakam also stood out with 21 points, seven rebounds and five assists. For Cleveland, Donovan Mitchell was better than the others with 35 points and nine rebounds and Evan Mobley with 24 points and 11 steals.
Indiana will play either New York or Boston in the Eastern Conference finals, and the Knicks currently have a 3-1 lead.
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