Indiana Pacers: Breaking Down Potential Eastern Conference Finals Matchups
Paul George is leading the way for the Indiana Pacers this season with 17.5 points per game. (Photo Credit: IsoSports, Flickr.com)
The Indiana Pacers are currently the No. 3 seed and that is where they will need to stay to have a realistic chance of advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals.
However, the Pacers still have to shake off the fourth-seeded Brooklyn Nets, who trail in the standings by two games, with two games remaining for both teams.
Just to add a little more pressure for the Pacers, the Nets own the tiebreaker, having swept the season series 3-0.
Finishing third ensures not facing the Miami Heat until the Eastern Conference Finals, while finishing fourth would set up a date in the second round, according to the 2013 NBA Playoffs Bracket.
With that in mind, here is a quick look at the potential matchups for the Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals and what it would take to get there.
The Path From The No. 4 Seed
If the Pacers enter the playoffs as the fourth seed, they would face the Atlanta Hawks as of now, but the Chicago Bulls are also a possibility as they trail the Hawks by just one game and hold the tiebreaker, having won two of three meetings this season.
The Hawks have reached the playoffs in the previous five seasons, although they haven’t advanced beyond the conference semifinals in that span and last season were defeated 4-2 by the Boston Celtics in the opening round.
The Pacers and Hawks won two games apiece in four meetings in 2012-13, with the Pacers notching 100-plus points in three of those contests–surprising because the Pacers have reached that mark just 26 times all season and rank 21st in scoring at 94.9 points per game. Like many teams, the Hawks struggle when allowing their opponent to score 100 or more points, winning on just 11 of 29 occasions.
Apparently the Pacers have the recipe for success against the Bulls this season as they won three times in four attempts. Their 80-76 victory in Chicago on Dec. 4 and an 87-84 loss in Chicago on March 23 help illustrate a series that would surely be a defensive battle.
Last season, the Bulls matched the San Antonio Spurs for best record in the NBA (50-16), and obviously earned the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, but were dispatched in six games by the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round.
Derrick Rose suffered a knee injury late in the fourth quarter of the Bulls’ victory in Game 1 of that series and has not returned to game action since.
While the Pacers have a legitimate shot to overcome the hurdles presented by either the Hawks or Bulls, they would run into a brick wall afterwards.
A semifinal series meeting with the Heat would be a rematch of last year’s playoffs. In 2012, the Pacers jumped out to a 2-1 series lead, only to see Miami reel off three straight victories.
In the event that Miami loses to the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round, the Pacers would have a seemingly easier route.
That would then leave the New York Knicks, Celtics, and Nets as possible opponents in the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Path From The No. 3 Seed
By winning their two remaining games this week, the Pacers would head into the opening round in a much more comfortable position. At this point, they would face the sixth-seeded Chicago Bulls in a matchup that was briefly discussed above.
However, the Pacers might fare even better against the Bulls in these circumstances, knowing that they wouldn’t draw the Heat in the conference semifinals. Instead, the Pacers could just focus on the Bulls (without looking past them) and then approach their second-round series with a high level of confidence.
In this scenario, the Pacers would move on to face either the Knicks, who have not advanced beyond the first round since 2000, or the Celtics, who lost to the Heat in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals last season.
In general terms, these would both be tough opponents, but with the Knicks being the bigger challenge of the two.
Once again, if Miami faltered, and the Pacers prevailed against either the Celtics or Knicks, then their Eastern Conference Finals matchup would be one of Milwaukee, Brooklyn, or Atlanta.
Outlook
These are simply the possible matchups for the Pacers if their playoff journey takes them all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals. To say the least, there are some very exciting possibilities.
When the Pacers playoff seeding is solidified, HoopsHabit.com will provide a much more thorough analysis of their chances in the first round and possibly beyond.