The Indiana Pacers are currently the best team in the NBA. I’ll let that soak in. In the month of April, the Pacers have amassed a 10-1 record. Although only four of those wins have come against winning teams, it is still an impressive feat. Even better is that right now is when you want to be playing your best basketball. The Playoffs begin in just a couple weeks, on April 28th. You don’t want to start the playoffs without any momentum or success to build off of.
So, how about those Playoffs? Indiana is currently is control of the #3 seed and will most likely end up there. In my last post about the Pacers, I mentioned it was possible for us to get the #2 seed from the Miami Heat. That opportunity is no longer possible, but honestly, nobody really wants that to happen because whoever ends up as the #2 will likely have to play the suddenly fantastic New York Knicks. On the flip side, the #3 seed will most likely play the Dwight Howard-less Orlando Magic. All the Pacers have to do is win two more games and they will clinch the #2 spot. One win and the best the Celtics or Hawks can do is tie us. We hold the tiebreaker against the Hawks, but we tied with the Celtics 2-2 in the season series. I’m not sure what breaks that tie.
When the season first started, Lance Stephenson was the backup shooting guard behind Paul George. Before the All-Star Break, Stephenson was averaging 11 minutes and 2.4 points per game. Post All-Star Break, he is averaging 6.5 minutes and .4 points per game. That drop-off in playing time is because of the signing of Leandro Barbosa. This has not dampened Stephenson’s enthusiasm though. In every game, you can always see Stephenson giving players high-fives and jumping off the bench after one of his teammates makes a big shot. It’s great to see guys like him who can still support the team even when he isn’t getting the playing time he probably wants.
Remaining schedule:
4/19: vs. Milwaukee Bucks (29-32)
4/21: vs. Philadelphia 76ers (32-30)
4/23: vs. Detroit Pistons (23-39)
4/25: vs. Chicago Bulls (47-15)
The Pacers handled the Bucks and 76ers last week, and both games were on the road. We should take care of business this week, especially at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Even though those teams are desperately trying to secure their playoff spots, the Pacers are trying to secure their #3 seed. If we do win those games, I wouldn’t be surprised to see some of the starters get plenty of bench time against Detroit. Then the regular season concludes against Chicago. This game seemed like a blockbuster at the beginning of the season. Now it seems like it could be a snoozer. There’s a good chance both teams will be resting their starters, especially Chicago, who has been battling health issues all year.
No comments:
Post a Comment