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Pacers Hope To Hang On To Playoff Spot

By Matthew Handel

Mar 24, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner (33) dribbles the ball against the New Orleans Pelicans at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The Pacers won 92-84. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 24, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner (33) dribbles the ball against the New Orleans Pelicans at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The Pacers won 92-84. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nine games remain between the Indiana Pacers and a spot in this year’s NBA playoffs, but if they aren’t careful, they could miss out.

The Indiana Pacers are currently in seventh place in the Eastern Conference, but the Chicago Bulls are only 2.5 games back of stealing their playoff spot and dropping them out of contention. The Pacers have been playing well as of late, six wins out of the last 10 games, but playing against quality teams has been a little bit of a struggle.

The Pacers are 2-8 in the last 10 games against teams that have a record better than .500. This should worry the Pacers; if they can’t produce wins against teams that will most likely be in the playoffs, it could be a short postseason for the Pacers.

Paul George will be the Pacers biggest key to getting wins late in the season, but rookie Myles Turner, has shown that he too will be a major key. Turner has averaged 10.8 points and 7.3 rebounds per game over the last 10 games, even playing in the greatest game of his career against the New Orleans Pelicans on March 24, when he dropped 24 points and 16 rebounds.

To prove just how dominant he has been, take a look back at his breakout game against the Pelicans:

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Looking ahead can be dangerous to a team trying to make the playoffs, because they can overlook the next opponent and lose to a team that should be an easy win. With that being said, the Bulls are up next on the Pacers’ schedule and if it is anything like the last two meetings, this game will be very close.

In the two games the Pacers have played against the Bulls, they have lost both by a combined score of three points. This game is the most important one of the season so far for the Pacers. Not only are they trying to keep their spot in the playoffs alive, they are trying to keep the Bulls out.

A player that hasn’t done as much as he nor the Pacers would have hoped for at this point, but will be very important moving forward, is Ty Lawson. Although Lawson is only averaging 4.2 points and 2.6 assists per game in the five games he has played for the Pacers, the Pacers are 4-1 in those five games.

Lawson gives the Pacers a deeper bench, specifically at the point guard spot, and also provides quickness on the floor.

The Pacers’ last game against the Houston Rockets was a good win for the team and even better for Lawson, who played for the Rockets before joining the Pacers this season. In a post-game interview following the win against the Rockets, Lawson, along with other Pacers’ players, talks about the game.

Although, this game against the Bulls will be tough, the rest of the Pacers’ schedule will be very favorable. Out of the next nine games, six of them are against teams that have a record below .500. If the Pacers can go 6-3 to finish out the year, they will almost certainly make the playoffs.

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Most likely, they will go into the postseason with a No. 7 seed in the East and go up against the Toronto Raptors. Nothing in the postseason is easy and this matchup wouldn’t be any different. The Pacers are 1-2 against the Raptors this season, but still have one game to play against them. It would be an interesting matchup to say the least.

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