The Pacers are set to begin their toughest stretch of the season with 11 of the next 14 games coming against current playoff teams along with dates against the defending champion Mavericks and the surging Minnesota Timberwolves sandwiched in between. (The combined winning percentage of the Pacers' opponents is an astoundingly high .610)
To make it worse, eight of those contests come on the road. The only cupcake on the otherwise gruesome schedule is a home date with the hapless New Jersey Nets.
When all is said and done, Indiana will have a very clear idea of where they stand and whether or not they've successfully climbed from borderline playoff pretender to a legitimate contender in the Eastern Conference.
This crucial stretch will also either prove or discredit Larry Bird's six year theory in the making that a complete team can compete and win against a team with a collection of superstars, or in Chicago's case, the reigning MVP.
So far, Bird's wisdom has paid dividends. The Pacers are off to a hot 10-4 start and have been one of the league's darlings in the early going.
In large part, the success can be attributed to the fa ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
Article written by David Dietz
Indiana Pacers: Toughest Stretch of the Season Starts at the Lakers
January 21st, 2012 by David Dietz Leave a reply »
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