Pacers Clinch Eastern Conference Playoff Berth with Win vs. Heat

The Indiana Pacers clinched a berth in the 2018 NBA playoffs on Sunday with a 113-107 overtime win over the Miami Heat.

This marks the Pacers' third consecutive postseason appearance and the franchise's seventh in the past eight years.

Currently the Pacers are fifth in the Eastern Conference with a record of 43-31. 

Indiana will be looking to advance beyond the first round for the first time since the 2013-14 campaign. After missing the playoffs three years ago, it was eliminated by the Toronto Raptors in seven games in 2016 and swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers last season.

The Pacers entered the year with uncertain expectations following the trade of longtime franchise stalwart Paul George, who was dealt to the Oklahoma City Thunder in July.

Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis came back to Indiana in the swap, and they helped shape a new playing style that focused more on pace and ball movement. It allowed the team, which doesn't feature nearly as much star power as the NBA's top squad, to remain highly competitive.

Pacers forward Thaddeus Young explained the change in the Pacers' approach and why he felt it led more players to enjoy success to James Herbert of CBSSports.com in January.

"I think it's more free," Young said. "Free basketball. We're playing free, clear of our minds. We're just playing basketball. We're having fun. When you have a team that's just full of ISO players and it's just isolation basketball, it's not as fun. You're just standing around and watching."

It's still hard to consider the Pacers a legitimate title contender heading toward the playoffs. They simply don't have the high-end talent of teams like the Raptors, Cavs and Boston Celtics in the East, which is why they have the seventh-best odds to win the conference, per OddsShark.

Getting through the first round would represent progress. Anything more is a bonus.