8p9s Roundtable: Getting the Indiana Pacers Back On Track
By Ben Gibson
The Indiana Pacers survived December, barely. Now they have to turn their attention to getting things back on track after a losing record of 7-9 last month.
As of Saturday they sit at 21-15 and in 6th place in the Eastern Conference, 5 games back of the Cleveland Cavaliers. The schedule ahead in January isn’t easy but isn’t too rough either.
With that in mind, we gather at the 8 Points, 9 Seconds Roundtable to look back at some of the team’s recent issues and also look ahead to what awaits the Indiana Pacers.
Considering the schedule and other factors, how do you grade the Indiana Pacers in December?
Will Furr: I give them a C-. I don’t think 7-9 in December is an abject failure (I predicted 8-8), but they should’ve won both of the overtime games. And yes, I know, bad calls, yadda-yadda. Both of those were collapses that may hurt the Pacers down the stretch.
Ryan Barth: C – Tough schedule, but a lot of poor play down the stretch. We knew going in it would be tough to hit .500, but no reason they shouldn’t have with the 4th quarter leads they let get away.
Jared Wade: Poor. Paul George went from the around second place in the MVP race in November to a guy who shot 37.1% in December. And the team followed his lead, playing uninspired ball with mediocre defense and lackluster rebounding. The team’s 3-point shooting also fell off a cliff, dropping to 34.1% in December after a scorching 41.0% in November.
Tim Donahue: Based on SoSHR – Strength of Schedule adjusted for Home/Road records – the 7 wins is exactly what you would expect against the third toughest December SoSHR in the Association. Still, the month feels more like a failure – marred by bad losses (at home to Sacramento & Milwaukee), uncompetitive losses (POR, GSW, & DET) and games left on the table (UTA & CHI). Allowing 103 points per 100 possessions isn’t a great sign, either.
Next: Deja Vu In January?