NBA playoff predictions: Expert picks for Celtics vs. Knicks and Cavaliers vs. Pacers in East’s second round

In a strange bit of scheduling, the second round of the 2025 NBA playoffs will get underway on Sunday before the first round concludes. But while we’ll have to wait until the result of Game 7 between the Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors to know the full bracket for the second round, the Eastern Conference matchups are already set. 

As expected, the top four seeds in the East have all advanced. The No. 1 seed Cleveland Cavaliers destroyed the Miami Heat in a four-game sweep, while the Boston Celtics got past the scrappy Orlando Magic in five games, the New York Knicks outlasted the Detroit Pistons in a narrow six-game series and the Indiana Pacers took care of the short-handed Milwaukee Bucks in five. 

Now, the Cavaliers will take on the Pacers, and the Celtics will renew their rivalry with the Knicks. To little surprise, the Cavaliers and defending champion Celtics are big favorites to advance, and none of our experts are expecting an upset. The only dispute between our panel was about how many games it will take each team to get the job done. 

Here’s a look at CBS Sports’ predictions for the second-round matchups in the Eastern Conference.

Series odds via BetMGM: Cavaliers -500, Pacers +375

Botkin: Cavs in 5. The Pacers are going to do everything in their power to not help off Cleveland’s shooters, and they are capable of scoring big even against the Cavs’ defense. But not four times. Not even three times. I worry about Indiana getting hurt on the offensive glass, and extra possessions will be the death of them. Cleveland moves on in easier fashion than I think most will predict.

Herbert: Cavs in 5. This is not about the Pacers, a League Pass favorite that took a massive step forward defensively this season. It’s about the Cavs, who are absolutely terrifying. I suspect that Cleveland’s combination of ball movement, player movement and shooting will make it look like Indiana’s defense hasn’t improved at all.

Maloney: Cavs in 6. The Pacers are probably a bit underrated coming into this series. They have a unique style that’s very difficult to slow down, and are better defensively than they were last season. That being said, the Cavaliers are a well-oiled machine that has cruised through the regular season and the first round of the playoffs. They’re operating at such a high level on both sides of the ball right now that it’s impossible to pick against them.

Ward-Henninger: Cavs in 7. There’s just something about those Pacers. They were one of the hottest teams in the NBA to finish the regular season, and the way they sealed their series against the Bucks has to give them all sorts of momentum and confidence heading into a series against a Cavs team they beat three out of four times this season. They have the offensive firepower to keep up with the Cavs, which is what makes me think this will be a long series, but ultimately I trust Cleveland’s defense more than Indiana’s, and that should make the difference.

Wimbish: Cavs in 6. The Pacers looked great in the first round but some of that was a byproduct of playing an injured and old Milwaukee Bucks team. Still, Indiana is probably underrated in this matchup, but that doesn’t mean they have enough to take down the top-seeded Cavaliers, who looked like world-beaters in their first-round sweep of the Heat. The Cavaliers simply have too many offensive weapons, and employ a defense that have people who can slow down Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam.

Series odds via BetMGM: Celtics -800, Knicks +550

Botkin: Celtics in 6. The Knicks built their team specifically to match up with Boston, and Jalen Brunson is arguably the best player in this series. But I don’t trust New York’s defense to hold up, nor do I believe Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns, New York’s all-in acquisitions, will consistently perform. On the nights they do, New York can win. But the trust factor isn’t there to do it enough to take four games. Boston and Cleveland have been on a collision course all season. There’s no stopping it. 

Herbert: Celtics in 5. Beyond the Celtics getting hurt or going cold from 3-point range, I struggle to see the Knicks’ path here. It’s obvious that Boston is going to attack New York’s weak links mercilessly, but the other end of the court is almost as worrisome. The Knicks haven’t been consistently great on offense since before the All-Star break, and I feel worse about their approach than I did two weeks ago.

Maloney: Celtics in 6. The Celtics didn’t look all that great at times in their first-round series, but that was a credit to Magic’s impressive and extremely physical defense. While the Knicks are a more talented team than the Magic, especially on the offensive end, they’re also a more comfortable matchup for the Celtics, who won all four meetings in the regular season. The Celtics have some health concerns, but they should take care of business. 

Ward-Henninger: Celtics in 5. Jalen Brunson is used to doing things on his own, but that’s going to be astronomically more difficult against the host of long, quick, powerful defenders the Celtics can throw at him. I just haven’t seen enough from the Knicks’ supporting cast to make me trust them in a series against a team that knows exactly what it is and what it wants to do. New York has more potential than a five-game exit, but I just don’t see them living up to it against the Celtics.

Wimbish: Celtics in 6. This will be the most exciting second-round series for the simple fact that it’s New York vs. Boston. There’s going to be some additional emotion here, but while the Knicks built a team to beat the Celtics, what we’ve seen from them this season is that they’re still just a step behind. Jalen Brunson will perform like the MVP-caliber player he is, but will Karl-Anthony Towns be consistent enough? Will Mikal Bridges live up to the five first-round draft picks the Knicks spent to get him? I don’t see it happening four times to advance against a Celtics team that still has yet to play its best basketball in these playoffs.