You can hear the vibe all over town. From barber shops to breakfast joints and all points in between – the message the fans are shouting is loud and clear.
The Pacers will have home court advantage throughout the playoffs and defeat the defending champion Miami Heat. They will then go on to battle the winner of the Western Conference for the NBA title this town is starving for. Indeed it sounds grand.
Now you can call me a doubter and say I am raining on that parade, but in my opinion, it just isn’t that cut and dry yet. There is that pesky thing known as life on the road in the NBA and while the Blue and Gold has certainly played much better this year when they travel, there have been some problems with the second night of back to back games as well as turnovers.
Then there is that demon needing exorcised known as LeBron and company down in South Beach.
Chances are they probably will show up on March 26 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse to test the local talent and they will undoubtedly be an ungracious host when Indiana comes a calling to their house on April 11.
The Heat will not hand the conference crown to the Pacers and they still give the good guys so many of you love a tough time in the open court. One thing is for certain, barring any injuries to key personnel, the series should be a donnybrook and then some.
The questions that remain about this team are rather simplistic in terms of identifying, but indeed remain complex regarding the answers. Can the Pacers play at a high level every night, or do they revert to some of their bad habits they display when they actually looked bored against lesser competition? A great question indeed and not because a ham and egger like me is proposing it. Granted, there are times when this team toys with the opposition and then others in which they looked lost. Sure more often than not it is the former, but the stinker performances have reared their head enough to be duly noted and cause concern for the coaching staff.
While Pacers head coach Frank Vogel has done a masterful job managing minutes and confidently matching his starting lineup against any in the league, there are still some concerns regarding the overall offensive production and the ability of the bench to score consistently each night. While we have to recognize this version of the bench as being superior to that of last year, there are times when it too comes up short.
The recent addition of Evan Turner acquired in the Danny Granger trade will help and if the oft injured and rarely interested Andrew Bynum can get in shape and contribute just a few minutes a night, the Pacers will have additional ammo for the playoffs that they have lacked before.
Speaking of starters, Paul George has been remarkable more often than not this season, and Roy Hibbert, while inconsistent at times, is still 7 feet, 2 inches and that has to count for something. George Hill and Lance Stephenson are the wild cards as when they share the basketball and force an up-tempo game, Indiana is a formidable opponent.
The elder statesman and glue of the front line David West said it best when I asked him how this team can be successful moving forward.
“Focus on each game one at a time,” said the veteran power forward who has had a stellar season to date. While West’s theory sounds simple enough, the reality of it is these Pacers, while capable of beating anyone soundly when firing on all cylinders, have from time to time shown some misfire, allowing teams they should thump to steal wins.
While Miami has laid a ton of eggs on the road this year, they are still only two games in back of Indiana as we go to print. That does not bode well for the quest of home court advantage even though the Pacers are still more than capable of securing the top playoff seed.
Simply put, which Pacers team will show up down the stretch these final games?
Danny Bridges, who has watched more playoff basketball than he would care to admit, can be reached at (317) 578-1780 or at Bridgeshd@aol.com.
Danny Bridges is an award-winning journalist and a longtime sports columnist for the Indianapolis Recorder. He covers college, professional sports and especially all things IndyCar racing. He can be reached at 317-370-8447 or at bridgeshd@aol.com.
