The Indiana Pacers are one of two Eastern Conference teams looking like NBA elites this season. That alone might buy them a return ticket to the conference finals and the chance to exact some revenge on the two-time defending champion Miami Heat.
But it's been a while since the Pacers carried themselves as such—a long while.
A defense that was once historically strong is now simply good (101.8 defensive rating since March 1, sixth overall). An offense that's been problematic all season has become crippling (97.6 offensive rating over the same stretch, 29th).
A season-long transparent pursuit of the conference's top seed has been abandoned:
There are caution flags flying in the Circle City like the Indy 500 ran through a torrential downpour.
Minor stumbles don't raise any eyebrows over the course of an 82-game season. This is not a minor stumble. Eyebrows are raised and panic alarms are ringing as the Pacers are crashing and burning toward a potential premature playoff exit:
Notice Pacers forward David West's word choice there. The use of "months" is k ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
Article written by Zach Buckley
Are Slumping Indiana Pacers Poised to Be the Biggest Playoff Upset?
April 5th, 2014 by Zach Buckley Leave a reply »
Advertisement