Indiana Pacers Final Test
Tomorrow night is the last game of the regular season, and one final chance for the Pacers to make their mark on the season. Tonight’s game against the Boston Celtics was scheduled to be played, but due to the tragic events in Boston, that won’t be played, and isn’t rescheduled. The Pacers are locked into their third spot, and the Celtics in their seventh spot, so no reason to play the game, especially after all those events yesterday. But now the Pacers can shift their focus to finish the season on a strong note, and prepare for what could be a great playoff run. If the team can come out with some focus and passion for the game tomorrow, some of my faith will be restored as to what this regular season was all about. This month of April has been disappointing in the sense that the team hasn’t shown that defensive side they had all season. Their offense has lacked at times, and the focus just looks to be gone. It could be the wear and tear of the season finally came to a head, but I believe we would have seen that in March. March was a great month for the team, so I don’t know if I can buy that reasoning. That’s the worst thing about this slump, there’s no reasoning behind it. Guys aren’t hitting shot, and the turnovers are high. But other than that, it’s hard to pin point exactly what’s going on.
Therefore, tomorrow night could be a great test to see how the Pacers want their last game of the season to be remembered. With it being fan appreciation night and playing at home, you would hope the team comes out with some fire. But then again, it’s hard telling who might be playing this game. George Hill and David West could probably be sitting out. I think Paul George and Roy Hibbert will see limited action. Those are the four most important guys for the playoff run, so you need them at as healthy as they’re going to get. Pacer fans might be seeing plenty of Tyler Hansbrough, D.J. Augustin, Sam Young, and company. But those guys come to play, and with a game against the Philadelphia 76ers, they should be able to pull off the win. Getting that win could be the refocus this team is lacking. I know it’s easy to say that, and I believe that’s what is missing from the Pacers.
But time to focus up the effort of what could be a fun finale to the season. A season that ended up with the first division title in years. A season that saw Paul George transform into an All Star. A season that saw the defense approach historic measures. A season that saw David West glue this team together. A season that saw the loss of Danny Granger, but wins came together. A season that saw the team complete a west coast trip 4-0 for the first time in years. How about two big wins against the Miami Heat? How about the lengthy home court winning streak? Plenty to be proud of this season, but still enough to finish on. Let’s hope the Blue and Gold bring that swagger tomorrow, and pick up a season finale win.