Indiana Pacers: Best- and worst-case opponent for the first round

The Indiana Pacers have blown away expectations all year. With the playoffs around the corner, which opponent gives them the best chance to advance?

Call them the Rodney Dangerfield of the 2017-18 NBA season.

Somewhere out there right now, there are basketball bloggers for the Cleveland Cavaliers and Philadelphia 76ers plugging away in mommy’s basement writing similar pieces to this (I’m a proud homeowner, just FYI). They’re looking at the possible playoff opponents and sneering at the idea of playing the team that shouldn’t be here to begin with. The fan in them is begging “Please give us the Indiana Pacers in round one” in between handfuls of Cool Ranch Doritos.

They should be careful what they wish for. Coming off an emphatic thumping of the defending champion Golden State Warriors (and a “let’s burn the tape because we were all gassed” dud the next night in Toronto), the Pacers are now 20 games over .500 in games Victor Oladipo has appeared in. That’s a better winning percentage than all but the top four teams in the league. Sleep on Indiana at your own risk.

Looking ahead to the first round possibilities, it seems a given that the Pacers will find themselves matched up with either the three-time defending conference champs or the team that figures to be the Eastern representative in many, many Finals to come.

Facing either the Cavs or the Sixers will be a brutal task, but one should present an easier path to advancing than the other, and it might not be who you think.