Indiana Pacers: Being A Playoff Threat Is Possible
By Jason Oliver
The Indiana Pacers have been all over the place in the first half of this season but are threatening to be relevant in the Eastern Conference come playoff time.
The Indiana Pacers are quietly putting it together and creeping up the Eastern Conference standings. After a pedestrian start at best, health, chemistry, and cohesiveness have come together to produce a 6-2 record for the month of January and the sixth spot in the race for the playoffs.
Predicted to be anywhere from just behind the Cleveland Cavaliers to out of the playoffs altogether, nobody really knew what to expect from this 2016-17 Pacers team.
As teams around them undoubtedly improved in some form or another, the Pacers had an air of unpredictability surrounding them. The certainty in which some suggested them as Eastern Conference contenders was showered in bias. Likewise, the vehement dismissal of them as a potential top-six team in the East was unambiguous at best.
They may not be tailgating the East’s elite just yet, but they are a speck in the rearview mirror slowly creeping closer.
Through the first 34 games (16-18 record) leading into January, the Pacers were scoring 104.1 points per game on 45 percent shooting. Their 102.8 offensive rating had them in the lower half of the NBA (20th), barely propped up by their 104.7 defensive rating (15th).
So far in 2017, the Pacers have taken on the “New Year, New Me” approach.
Scoring 111 points per game and shooting 50.1 percent throughout January, the Pacers have a 112.0 offensive rating, second to only the San Antonio Spurs. Now connecting on 41 percent of their three-point shots, up from 35 percent, Paul George and company have found their mojo.
While some have suggested George is falling behind his superstar rivals, he’s undoubtedly an All-Star caliber player capable of carrying this team to respectable playoff performance.
Averaging 22.0 points, 3.3 assists, and 6.1 rebounds per game, George has been a consistent and reliable presence. Still getting comfortable and possibly easing his way through the season after injuries in November, George still has the ability to take a game by the horns — much like he did on New Year’s Eve when he shot 50 percent for his 32 points, including 11 in the final five minutes to beat the Chicago Bulls, 111-101.
Before the season began, Pacers general manager Larry Bird knew what he wanted from his team as a whole, telling The Dan Patrick Show:
"“We want a style where we can score. I’d like to score 105 points a game, maybe 106 if we can, and still defend the way we’re capable of defending.”"
With shots dropping and the offense now booming to bring the Pacers’ average points per game to 105.5, Bird can be happy with where his team is at with the ball.
Defensively, it’s not quite the same story.
Throughout their recent 6-2 stretch, the Pacers have averaged 111 points per game, but they have also allowed the opposition 110 points of their own.
Taking away the nightmare in London where they gave up 140 points to the Denver Nuggets — which if we’re feeling generous we can put down to jet lag and an off-night — the Pacers are still allowing 105 points per game throughout January.
That’s not going to cut it if they plan on being a recognized threat to even the East’s second tier come playoff time, especially since they have been giving up those 110 points to opposition with a combined 130-215 record.
How they end the season is anyone’s guess. Some fans claim they will make their mark after the All-Star break. Others are still rueing the losses of George Hill and Ian Mahinmi and have little hope for the rest of the season.
As the Pacers threaten to make noise in the Eastern Conference, they continue to be muted by losses to teams they are favored to beat. If they can find a way to win the games they are meant to and collect a few bonus wins against the NBA’s top third, they might give a possible playoff opponent a scare. But if they can’t shake the habit of losing to bad teams, it won’t be long before they are considered a bad team themselves.
Next: Indiana Pacers: 2016-17 Season Outlook
It seems unlikely a team with so much talent and a star player like George could slip out of the East’s top eight, but with only four wins separating sixth place from 12th, they can’t afford too many more “off nights.”