8p9s Roundtable: What Seed Will the Pacers Get?

Fill in the Blank: The Indiana Pacers will finish the season in ___ place in the East?

Donahue: 7th. They’re not a lock, but they’re playing better basketball than most of their competitors right now. The schedule turns tougher — games at Chicago and Cleveland, home games left against Houston, Dallas, and Oklahoma City — so it’s unlikely they’ll continue to win 90% of their outings. They’re probably a little too far back to catch Milwaukee, but should win enough to stay ahead of the Hornet/Heat/Celtic struggle for the 8th seed.

Gibson: 6th. I do think it is entirely possible for them to jump Milwaukee and get the 6th seed. Milwaukee doesn’t have a lot of easy games left and the Pacers seem to have a more favorable schedule down the stretch. The Pacers just need to play decently to cover the four-game gap.

Washburn: 6th. Have you seen Milwaukee’s upcoming schedule? Brutal. They might go 1-9 over their next 10 games. Indiana’s schedule gets tougher, too, and I could see Charlotte (which has the easiest remaining schedule of the entire group by far) hopping over both Indiana and Milwaukee if Al Jefferson’s injury isn’t too bad, but if I was a betting man, I would wager that Indiana gets to six.

Bishop: 7th. I can’t see them bumping up another spot due to a tough second half of March and the possibility of Paul George returning, which could take time to gel. Things get a little hairy through the next week with Toronto, Chicago, Cleveland, and Houston on schedule.

Medworth: I’m not afraid to say it: The Pacers are finishing 6th. Not only are the Pacers on some sort of fire right now, the remaining schedule for the Bucks, who currently hold the 6 spot, is brutal. David West and Co. will not let this team fall back into another November-like despair.

Next: Beating the Hawks or Cavs?