Indiana Pacers Need to Win Today
With such a slim hope of winning that second seed in the East, the Pacers have to come out and win today. But more to the point, to show that they’re ready for a playoff run. Right now, I am nervous about the first round for the Pacers. With such high expectations, falling down in that first round would be the disappointment of the season. It would make the regular season look worthless. The Pacers have to come out with some urgency today. That’s been missing in the past four games as they’ve got down by 20 points at some point in all those games. They did come back in the last two, but couldn’t finish the deal in the loss to Brooklyn. Brooklyn ends up sweeping the season series, and looks to be taking that third spot away from the Pacers. That’s why today’s game is so important to the Pacers.
Paul George looked a bit better in his last game out, but he needs to regain his form, and with the success he’s had against the Knicks, it would be a great time to step up. The big men of the Pacers have been big, and today’s a time to look to them. The Pacers have been good at times feeding the post and letting Roy Hibbert and David West do some work. If the Knicks are missing some key guys in the post, today’s game should be all about feeding Hibbert and West. Feed them more. Feed them more. George Hill might have to sit out, but with the importance of the game, he might just have to man it up and go out there. I don’t know if D.J. Augustin would be ready for a moment like today.
The Pacers just have looked so bad over the past four games, so it would be great to see what the team has looked like during that four game west coast trip. We fans were all excited about the possibilities after that. But for whatever reason, the team hasn’t looked the same. No one can pinpoint what exactly is going on either, which is a bad thing. The team could be wearing down. Maybe this is the Pacers team we should have expected all along. But I do think this team has shown those signs of being such an elite team, when they’ve handled the Miami Heat in a couple of games. They were able to go four straight games out West for the first time in a decade. They won the division for a first time in a decade. There are those signs of life as the team has that energy. That is what is needed today. Show some passion for what you can do. Play up to the moment that is today. Who knows if the Knicks slip up, the Pacers could sneak into that second spot? The Pacers would have to win out, and the Knicks have to lose out. But more important is that momentum for the playoffs. Today is time for that to come. Time for the city to show their Blue and Gold. Time for the team to show up in one of the most famous sports arenas, and show that they’re ready.