You just might have missed it. The Indiana Pacers limped into the NBA playoffs recently, nearly 14 games behind the Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers and tied for the final playoff spot with the hapless Detroit Pistons. By virtue of a tiebreaker, the Pacers were seeded seventh, leaving the Pistons as the last team to sneak in from the East. Hardly the stuff championships are made of, but it is a slight (key word) improvement over last year, when the blue and gold missed the playoffs on the final day of the regular season.
That mediocrity aside, the real question is: Which Pacers squad will report to Toronto to face the Raptors when the playoffs begin? Will it be the team that, at times, showed great potential this year, or will it be the one that suffered from defensive lapses, turnovers and poor offensive execution, especially down the stretch heading into the postseason?
Let’s start with Paul George, who overall has had a splendid comeback season and hopefully has put his serious leg injury behind him. Will he put this team on his back in the playoffs, or will he sulk when the offense doesn’t go through him? If he’s ever going to be a true superstar rather than just a very good player, the defensive end of the floor would be a great place to start. Jacking up three-point attempts early in the shot clock along with defensive miscues at times has made George seem just like any other player in the NBA, and he’s just too talented for that to occur.
Despite his displays of inconsistent aggressiveness, George Hill can be a difference-maker for Indiana, but he, too, must buckle down and take the ball to the basket and get to the free-throw line every night if the Pacers are to upset the highly favored Raptors. Impossible, you think? No. Toronto isn’t Golden State, so the Pacers have a chance.
Monta Ellis, you say? At times, he’s made me wonder what the Pacers brass knew about him that Golden State or Dallas didn’t. Other times, he has played well. That pesky consistency thing comes into play with him as well, but I give him credit for being a solid citizen in the locker room and off the court. He, too, must penetrate the Raptor defense for the Pacers to have a puncher’s chance. Ian Mahinmi, C.J. Miles, Miles Turner, Jordan Hill and Rodney Stuckey? Well, the reality is they are all bench players, and that’s just more fuel on the fire that leads me to place Pacers head coach Frank Vogel firmly into the NBA Coach of the Year discussion. You can throw Ty Lawson into the bench mix as well, but until he’s given extensive minutes, the jury is still out on his ability to really help this team with his quickness and ball-handling capability. Turner gets a pass, as he’s a raw, talented player just barely old enough to vote. His potential is unlimited and, without question, he is the big man of the future.
The bottom line: When this team holds its own on the boards and plays good defense collectively, they can be both competitive and fun to watch. Again, which team will show up when the Pacers roll in to Canada to start the playoffs? The one that at times looked like the surprise of the division, or the one that looked as lackluster as their playoff seeding?
Las Vegas seems to believe the Pacers are simply sacrificial lambs for Toronto, but the Raptors haven’t hung a championship banner in the history of their franchise as well, so let’s not hand them a pass to the second round just yet. Sure, Kyle Lowry and Demar DeRozan are a dynamic tandem, but after that, the Pacers’ roster compares relatively favorably to their opponent’s. Again, rebounding, taking care of the basketball and hitting free throws is the recipe for this Pacer team to advance in the playoffs, but their inconsistency in these exact areas is what concerns anyone who has seen them play at all this year. Chances are, the Raptors will corral them, but there is really no reason the Pacers can’t compete with them, especially at Toronto. The only question is which Indiana team will get off the plane when they arrive, and your guess is as good as mine.
One thing is for certain: a probable early exit from the postseason will call for a complete review of the team over the summer, and that includes its architect, one Larry Bird. Regardless of which team they are, he is responsible for the product and somehow must begin to answer for it. Rebuild or reload? Well, I guess it depends on whom you ask or, more importantly, which team we are talking about.
Danny Bridges, who thinks the Pacers can beat Toronto, can be reached at (317) 370-8447 or at Bridgrshd@aol.com.
