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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Pacers should have a better record

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There are a lot of NBA teams that would be thrilled to have a 21-12 record at the half-way point of the season.

The question is should the Indiana Pacers be one of those? Before you call me crazy, please be advised that I have not forgotten about the futility of recent seasons past, and I also remain, shall we say, cognizant of last yearā€™s playoff appearance in which they represented themselves pretty well against the Chicago Bulls.Ā But if you have followed the Blue and Gold religiously this year as I have, then you know there have been letdowns and as a result, missed opportunities.

While they have protected the home court for the most part, there was a recent shellacking from Miami and a loss to Denver that clearly should have been a home win.

On the road, they have taken care of business pretty well winning 10 games to date, but along the way there were stinkers such as Sacramento and yet another beat down from Miami. They also have dropped two out of three to Orlando, a good team they may very well see in the playoffs.

You notice I mentioned playoffs without hesitation, as this team, barring multiple injuries, will make the playoffs, but where they will be seeded is just about anyoneā€™s guess. Now lets be real here,Ā if you would have asked me before the season if I would take such a record at the break, I would have said certainly, but having watched this team closely, I can tell you their record should be better.

Defensive lapses aside, this group has shown toughness and the ability to match their opponentsā€™ physicality on a regular basis. To advance to the next level in the second half of this shortened season, the Pacers must avoid slow starts on the road and minimize unforced errors. They also will need free agent acquisition David West to return to the form he displayed in New Orleans before his knee injury. While West has played solid this year, he has yet to perform at the level the Pacers undoubtedly expected when they disregarded his surgically repaired knee and bestowed some $20 million upon him to join the ranks in Indianapolis. Pacers President Larry Bird has done a good job of putting together a nucleus of Granger, Hibbert, Collison, George, Hansbrough, and Hill to go along with the aforementioned West,Ā  but the Pacers need the toughness and more importantly the leadership that West can provide. As they embark on the second half of the season they will encounter 14 road contests with the bulk of those coming against teams within the Eastern Conference.

Can they make ā€œhayā€ and secure a playoff seed high enough to host a first round playoff series? Absolutely.

The real question is will they? There are times when it seems like a forgotten conclusion that they will, and then there are moments when it looks like the wheels are falling off. Granted, young teams will be inconsistent until the maturation process kicks in fully, but this lockout-shortened season is unique, and the Pacers have a legit opportunity to prosper in the post season. Time will tell, but one thing is certain, this team has improved. Now they must shoot for the upper echelon and that may prove daunting to a group that has never been there before. At the very least, it should prove to be interesting.

Danny Bridges can be reached at (317) 578-1780 or at Bridgeshd@aol.com.

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