Indiana Pacers Are Sucking
This year’s incarnation of the Pacers came into the season with goal of winning the East. That very well may still happen but, as the regular season comes to a close, few would argue that they are at the height of their powers.
The worries for the Pacers began in earnest in the beginning of March. Indiana started the month by dropping four of their first six games, including a 26-point rout at the hands of the Houston Rockets, their most one-sided loss of the season.
The Pacers then ripped off four wins a row, but that did nothing to dissuade anyone’s worries about the team. Two of those wins were against the historically bad Philadelphia 76ers and the other two were against the Boston Celtics (tanking) and Detroit Pistons (wholly dysfunctional).
The Pacers now find themselves with a record of 2-5 in their last seven games and yet retain a one game lead over the Heat for the top spot in the conference.
The reason the Pacers have held on to that top spot is a combination of good effort and good fortune.
On the effort side, the Pacers put in work early in the season amassing a 40-12 mark at the All-Star break. As for good fortune, the Heat have been almost as bad with a record of 8-8 in March while the Pacers went 8-9.
The main struggle for Indiana during this downturn has been their inability to put the ball in the basket. Through Sunday, the Pacers cracked the 80-point mark only once in their last five games, this after scoring less than 80 only once in their first 69 games.
Throughout the season, Indiana has relied on the scoring ability of Paul George. Over the last couple of weeks, he just hasn’t had the scoring touch.
George has been shooting more than 12 percent below his season average over the last two weeks. But he is not alone. David West’s has dropped nearly 14 percent over the same period.
The Pacers are looking for answers and should find them soon if they hope to even make it to the conference finals.
Pacers Top Heat in 84-83 Thriller
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4EP6NVKKLc
The aforementioned Pacers took on the Heat in what was billed a marquee matchup between two heavyweights.
Both teams were struggling mightily coming into the game, but it seemed that they had saved their best game for each other.
In today’s era, the amount of distaste these two teams have for one another is downright refreshing. The healthy dislike they share adds a level of physicality that is unmatched in any current NBA rivalry.
This matchup was no different. In this game elbows were flying, faces were assaulted and some of the hardest picks since you filled out your NCAA Tournament bracket were set.
There were three technical fouls and one flagrant assessed when LeBron James gave Roy Hibbert a smack in the face on a wild drive. This was a playoff atmosphere with neither team giving an inch.
LeBron put on a show. The reigning MVP reminded us (as if we needed a reminder) why the award is his to lose every year.
James threw down 38 points, eight rebounds and five assists against what has traditionally been a tough defensive team to crack for James. LeBron was able to get into the lane early and often, scoring 14 on drives.
Unfortunately for Miami, LeBron was the only one of the Big Three to really get going. Bosh had only eight points on 11 field goal attempts. While Wade was slightly more effective in scoring 15 points, he also had six turnovers against one assist.
The Pacers biggest stars were able to eschew their offensive struggles, at least for one night.
Paul George and Roy Hibbert combined to score 44, more than half of the team point total of 84. Lance Stephenson also contributed 15 points on 6-12 shooting.
The Heat had a seven-point lead after a LeBron connected on a jumper to open the final quarter. From there, the Pacers used their defense to get back into the game, holding the Heat scoreless for more than four minutes and taking a four-point lead in that span.
After Lance Stephenson was ejected with his second technical foul, the Heat then went on an 8-0 run of their own to lead 80-76 and set up a wild finish.
Evan Turner connected on back-to-back layups to regain the lead for Indiana at 81-80 with 1:30 left to play. Then, out of nowhere, David West connected on a deep 3-pointer that put the Pacers up four with less than a minute to play.
A Chris Bosh 3 with two seconds remaining cut the Indy lead to one. After George Hill missed two straight free throws that would have iced the game, Bosh had one last shot for the win but his attempt from deep was no good.
These two teams play each other again once more in Miami before the season ends. It is possible that the No. 1 seed in the East could go to the winner of that matchup.
If you think this battle was intense, get ready for April 11.
Spurs Are Cruising to Victories
The Spurs have extended their winning streak to 18.
This ties a franchise records for wins and puts them behind the 2009 Celtics (19), 2000 Lakers (19), 2008 Rockets (22) and last year’s Heat (27) for the longest winning streak in the last 30 years.
The Spurs streak means that five of the 12 longest win streaks in NBA history have occurred in the last 15 years. It is near impossible to say why exactly that is.
Some would argue that the talent pool is too diluted with 30 teams. Others might argue that letting in too many young players has hurt their development, thus making weaker teams. Some might argue that it is the lottery system, David Stern or any number of other things.
We probably can’t isolate exactly why this has occurred, but it sure is fun to speculate.
Knicks Are Gaining In On Eighth Seed vs Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks have been on a slide at the worst possible time. They just finished March with a 6-10 record. On March 4, the Hawks had a 6.5 game lead on the NEw York Knicks and a firm grip on the eighth seed in the East.
At the time of this publication, their lead was down to a single, solitary game. Going back even further since February 1, the Hawks have gone 7-20. The Knicks over that same period went 13-15.
Knicks fans who were so despondent during their team’s terrible start to the season probably won’t be writing any thank you notes to the front office in Atlanta, given the preseason expectations levied on the team.
But if the Hawks blow it and the Knicks are able to sneak into the playoffs, fans can credit the lousy play of the Hawks a bit more than the effort of their Knickerbockers.
The Sixers Finally Win a Game
The Sixers avoided a terrible fate by winning 123-98 over the reeling Pistons on Saturday night.
The win snapped their 26-game losing streak and instead of being the sole owners of the NBA record for most consecutive losses, the Sixers will instead share the mark with the 2011 Cleveland Cavaliers.
26 is the most consecutive losses by any team playing any professional sport in North America.
