The Pacers head into their fifth playoff appearance in six years against the Toronto Raptors, but their path to a deep run in the Eastern Conference won’t be as typical. For the first time since 2011, the Pacers aren’t favored in the first round. In fact, FiveThirtyEight has Indiana’s odds of advancing at 18% before the first tip on Saturday.
All is not lost for the Blue and Gold, however. The Raptors haven’t won a playoff series since 2001 and the Pacers have a few advantages heading into the matchup.
Here are 5.