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8p9s Roundtable: The Indiana Pacers’ Long December

By Ben Gibson

Nov 29, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers center Roy Hibbert (17) battles for the ball with Indiana Pacers guard George Hill (3) in the first half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 29, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers center Roy Hibbert (17) battles for the ball with Indiana Pacers guard George Hill (3) in the first half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 27, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers forward Lavoy Allen (5) and Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah (13) battle for a rebound in the first half at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The Pacers won104-92. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 27, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers forward Lavoy Allen (5) and Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah (13) battle for a rebound in the first half at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The Pacers won104-92. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports /

After 11-2 in November, how have your expectations for this team going forward?

Barth: Top 5 team in the East. They deserve to be right up there with the Bulls and Heat. They’ve beaten both of those teams already and should be well-positioned after this upcoming Western Conference road trip. Expect them to continue their climb in the East if the team continues to jell, gain more confidence and can stay relatively healthy.

Hughes: I never agreed with the people saying they would miss out on the playoffs, but this? Never even imagined it. Frankly, I didn’t know what to expect at all. This, this definitely never even crossed my mind. I credit their success thus far to the new pieces gelling quickly, Paul George, and the defense being good. All major questions coming into the season, all of which have been answered.

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Furr: I thought these guys would have around 44 wins in em coming into the year; I still think that’s a reasonable number, though they’re on pace for closer to 50 right now. I’m (so far) not letting a hot stretch completely alter my expectation for these guys. It’s getting close though.

Washburn: I thought the team was better than it showed during it’s 0-3 start, and the realistic side of me tells me that the team is probably a little worse than 11-2. But boy, if Paul George is really this “I’m probably the 4th best player in the entire league” monster going forward, then I will have to radically alter my expectations. Give me another month to know for sure.

Gibson: Rational and sane minds didn’t expect them to be great, but they are just that right now. I think finishing in the top half of the Eastern Conference playoff bracket, and at minimum a run into the second round. This team was expected to barely break .500, so maybe we are just being greedy, but so far they’ve forced us to have higher expectations for them.

Next: What Will be the Pacers Record at the End of the Month?

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