Indiana Pacers Slide, But Remain in Top 10 of Power Rankings
By Ben Gibson
The Indiana Pacers took a small slide in this week’s power rankings roundup, but they still remain in the top 10.
Are the Indiana Pacers good? Yes. Are they great? Eh, maybe not.
The last few weeks have seen the Pacers bounce between looking like an absolute fraud while at other times looking pretty damn good. A rough December that included a 3-game losing streak exposed a few issues with Indiana, but they still remain as one of the tougher outs in the NBA, and especially in the Eastern Conference.
With wins over the Minnesota Timberwolves and Atlanta Hawks, the Pacers are building a win streak once again. But that came after that rough stretch before Christmas.
The Pacers dropped to an average position of 8th, with an average change of -2.6
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ESPN’s Marc Stein had a fair point in that though the Pacers are doing better than expected as they adjust to all their changes, some players haven’t lived up to their full potential. He points out Monta Ellis, but the same could be said about Paul George (and really the whole team) in December.
"Frank Vogel is probably not going to win Coach of the First Trimester honors when our selections are released later this week because the field is too dang deep. But we can’t say enough about Vogel’s role in changing Indy’s identity on the fly, especially with marquee offseason acquisition Monta Ellis not exactly making a splash so far."
NBA.com’s John Schuhmann also pointed out the fun stat the Pacers have struggled in the first half for the past three years.
More from 8 Points, 9 Seconds
- 2 Studs, 1 dud from gut-wrenching Indiana Pacers loss to Charlotte Hornets
- Handing out early-season grades for Pacers’ Bruce Brown, Obi Toppin
- 3 positives, 2 negatives in Pacers In-Season Tournament win vs. Cavaliers
- 2 positives, 3 negatives from first week of Indiana Pacers basketball
- Should Isaiah Jackson’s days with Indiana Pacers be numbered?
"The Pacers have made significant changes to both their personnel and their style of play, but for the third straight season, they’ve been more than six points per 100 possessions better in the second half of games than in the first half. A 15-point halftime deficit against the Kings on Wednesdayultimately turned into a three-game losing streak. That, as well as Paul George’s mini-slump, came to an end in Minnesota on Saturday."
Matt Moore of CBS.com has some jokes about that “PG Does Everything” plan.
"After a spectacular November, their December has been decidedly worse (15th in offense, 17th in defense). Turns out “Paul George being a super-volcano” was not a sustainable strategy. They play five Eastern Conference playoff contenders between now and January 6. They’re 12-4 vs. the East going in. Let’s see where they’re at when they come out."
Early season success jacked up expectations, but while reality has set in, that reality isn’t so bad for the Indiana Pacers. They may not be a juggernaut, but they don’t look like road kill either.