NBA Preseason: Indiana Pacers Lose First Two, But Not Concerned
So far two losses have happened for the Indiana Pacers and their preseason. But is there cause for concern? Personally, I say no…not yet. I think that it was going to take this team some time to get all together on the same page when you consider that there are new pieces for the second unit. There are even some new coaches to the coaching staff. Then throw in Danny Granger returning, and what to do with him. I feel like there’s still not a set answer to who’s starting for the team, but am still of that belief that it’s probably best to start Granger as long as he can go.
And that’s ultimately, I want to see this preseason, how is Danny Granger moving on the court. Unfortunately, he seems to be a slow starter, just not exactly shooting the ball well out of the gates. Then to try to come back to the full speed of a game has to be tough. With a different role on this team, it probably will take a few weeks for this team to truly get rolling. To me, it’s all about the finish of this season as well. Sure, if the Pacers start slow and get some games behind the Chicago Bulls, then something will have to change. Light bulbs will have to turn on and all that.
But right now, we’re talking two games against two good teams. Look at that first game out of the block and you see the Chicago Bulls, a team that looks to be ready to go. The concern in that one was how the second unit of the Bulls was on the floor at the end, and they ended up picking up the win. Good things to take away were that Paul George and David West each went for 14 points. You’d like to see a few more points from each guy, but still hitting for double figures is right where each one should be every night.
Today’s game was early morning for us fans in the States as the Pacers and Houston Rockets played for a game in the Philippines, which was the first game ever played over there in the preseason. To me, that’s just great to get some exposure for the Indiana Pacers and the game of basketball over there. Then you look at the Rockets, and they’re bound to be quite a team with James Harden and Dwight Howard looking to be highly featured players. That’s a great inside outside force to be reckoned with.
It’s one of those things that this preseason won’t be concerning unless the Pacers are slow to start in the regular season, and never seem to get going. But even then, I don’t think that happens as I do believe the Pacers are ready to be a top team in the WHOLE NBA. This is just that starting round to get the actual season going. Failures there, we can start talking about what needs to be concerning.