A Season in the Balance — The Indiana Pacers Final 5 Games
By William Furr
If the playoffs started today, the Indiana Pacers (and an antsy, championship focused Paul George) would be on the outside looking in from 9th place.
Despite there being a mere 5 games left in the season, the Indiana Pacers could still finish as high as 5th; they could also finish as low as 11th. They don’t control their own playoff destiny anymore.
At 37-40, they’re: 3 games behind 5th place Milwaukee (40-37), 2 behind the 6th place Hawks (39-38), 1 behind the 7th place Heat (38-39), and tied with the 8th place Bulls. Not only that, they don’t own the tiebreaker against either the Heat or the Bulls, meaning they have to finish with a better record, not just the same.
With 5 games left, the Pacers playoffs have already started. The Pacers need to start winning, and they need to start immediately. Here’s a look at the final 5 games.
4/4: vs Toronto Raptors (47-30)
Game notes: The Pacers are 0-2 against Toronto this season, including losing 111-110 in Toronto last week. Kyle Lowry may be returning at some point this week, but he has ruled himself out against the Pacers. Glenn Robinson III (calf strain, to be re-evaluated 4/7) and Al Jefferson (sprained ankle, expected out at least another week) will miss the game for the Pacers.
DeMar DeRozan scored 40 points in the last meeting between the two, and Jonas Valanciunas had 17 rebounds, including 13 in the 3rd quarter. Lance Stephenson was not a Pacer the last time these two teams played, and will likely see some time guarding DeRozan, as he’s a good (in theory) physical match against him. The Pacers lost in 7 games against Toronto in the first round last year.
4/6: vs Milwaukee Bucks (40-37)
Game notes: The Pacers are 0-3 against Milwaukee this year, losing the last one 85-99 in Milwaukee on 3/10.
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Jabari Parker is out for the season for the Bucks, but they recently got their starting shooting guard Khris Middleton back. The Bucks have been the hottest team in the bottom half of the East, winning 3 of their last 5 and 7 of their last 10 to vault up the playoff rankings.
The Pacers have struggled recently against the Bucks size and length, and have had real difficulty getting buckets. Thon Maker has been starting at center for the Bucks recently. Maker, the 20 year old rookie, is a threat from behind the arc, but has not been a good defender or rebounder for the Bucks, and lacks any kind of physical bulk.
4/8: at Orlando Magic (27-50)
Game notes: The Pacers are 3-0 this season against Frank Vogel’s Orlando Magic.
The Magic and Pacers both are currently sitting on 4 games losing streaks, and are 3-7 in their last 10. The Magic have seemingly mailed the season in after trading Serge Ibaka to the Raptors, and just lost to the moribund Brooklyn Nets.
Their bench of Mario Hezonja, D.J. Augustin, Bismack Biyombo, and Jodie Meeks might be worse than the Pacers bench at this point. Hezonja looks like a bust, and Augustin and Meeks can both be taken advantage of of defense. The Magic are starting recently acquired Terrance Ross at small forward. Ross (6’6, 206 pounds) is giving up 3 inches and about 15 pounds to the white hot Paul George, and the Magic don’t have many better options without asking their power forward Aaron Gordon to try to guard him.
Glenn Robinson III is scheduled to have his strained calf evaluated the day before this game, and could be available.
4/10: at Philadelphia 76ers (28-49)
Game notes: The Pacers lead the season series with the Sixers at 2-1.
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They beat the Sixers in their last matchup, winning 107-94 in Indianapolis. Philadelphia has shut down star center Joel Embiid for the year, as well as prized rookie Ben Simmons.
The Sixers most recent starting lineup is (again) full of guys you probably haven’t heard of: T.J. McConnell, Timothe Luwawu-Caborrat, Justin Anderson, Dario Saric, and Richaun Holmes.
Sergio Rodriguez (Hamstring), Jahlil Okafor and Robert Covington (right knee issues) have all missed time recently, and those 3 are probably 3 of the best 4 Sixers not shut down for the year. The Sixers also recently signed Alex Poythress from the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, and he’s seen immediate time with Rodriguez out.
4/12: vs Atlanta Hawks (39-38)
Game notes: The Pacers have split with Atlanta this season, thanks to Glenn Robinson’s game-winner the last time the two met.
The Hawks have joined the Pacers in free fall, losing 8 of their last 10 and tumbling through the standings. Paul Milsap is just returning from an tightness in his left knee, though it seems likely he’ll be back in the starting lineup by the 12th.
The Pacers could very well be fighting the Hawks for a playoff spot on the final day of the season, meaning this game could be an all or nothing proposition for both teams. Jeff Teague will be facing off against his old team and his old understudy (Dennis Schröder), possibly with the fate of both teams on the line, in his hometown (granted, this will be his 41st game in his hometown this year).
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The Pacers may not need to win out in order to make the playoffs, but it’s very possible that they might. There are 2 teams they should beat (Orlando and Philly), and 1 more they probably should given their recent slide (Atlanta). They’ll probably need at least 1 of Toronto or Milwaukee especially in order to make the playoffs and keep Paul George at least a bit happy. Here’s hoping Paul George has some superman left in him, GRIII heals quickly, and “Lance being Lance” becomes a popular — and positive — part of Pacers fans lexicon again.