The Indiana Pacers have been the toast of the league in 2013-14, ripping through opponents behind a stifling defense, the continued development of Paul George and Lance Stephenson and a bench that suddenly goes more than two guys deep.
However none of that—not their elite point differential, not their spot at the top of the Eastern Conference, not even George’s participation in the All-Star Slam Dunk Contest—matters as much to the team as beating the Miami Heat and making the finals.
By any measure, the Pacers are an excellent team, but its contender status means that everything about this team warrants more scrutiny.
The offense looks decent at times, but they are ranked just 20th in points per game at 98.4 and when George is struggling from outside, Indiana can have some serious trouble scoring.
The Pacers remade bench, featuring Luis Scola, C.J. Watson and a healthy Danny Granger, has been far better last year’s Tyler Hansbrough-anchored squad, but it hasn’t been perfect.
Additionally, the regressi ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
Article written by Grant Rindner
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