At the beginning of the season, the outlook for the Indiana Pacers wasn’t exactly bright in the eyes of many fans.
The Paul George injury remain the focal point of despair, and then they learned that George Hill, David West, and C.J. Watson would both start the season on the sideline with significant injuries.
The team started out poorly, dropping five straight to hit 1-6 after an opening night victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. They managed to win back-to-back games to climb to 3-6, but the injury bug started to bite even harder — and it knew just where to hit.
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Rodney Stuckey suffered from a sore foot and the Pacers lost to Denver. C.J. Miles was hit with migraines. Ian Mahinmi hurt his foot. Roy Hibbert sprained his ankle. On and on it went.
It wasn’t all bad though, and Indiana kept it exciting until the end.
Throughout February, they played the best offense in the league and on the 27th they beat the Cavaliers at home, 93-86, to spark a seven-game win streak that ended with a loss to Boston. Unfortunately, that loss at Boston started a six-game losing streak that ended with a win against Washington thanks to George Hill’s game-winning layup.
After losses to Brooklyn and Boston, their direct rivals for the 8-seed, the Pacers knew they had to win out completely – and they almost did.
They beat Charlotte and Miami at home and New York and Detroit away before outlasting both Oklahoma City (and Russ!) and Washington, though it was an uuugggllyyy game. The last game of the year came away to Memphis and the Pacers’ undefeated streak in the FloJo’s was on the line. They weren’t able to get it done and fell 95-83, ending their hopes of a postseason run with PG13.
Things weren’t great for Indiana, but it’s safe to say they exceeded the expectations of many — especially given all the injuries. Though it’s difficult to pick the best moments, we think these are the best games of the 2014-15 Indiana Pacers season.
Next: Game #5