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Reggie Miller Believes Pacers Will Contend With the Cleveland Cavaliers

By H.B. Hayes

Apr 23, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner (33) and forward Paul George (13) wait to be introduced before the game against the Toronto Raptors in game four of the first round of the 2016 NBA Playoffs at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 23, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner (33) and forward Paul George (13) wait to be introduced before the game against the Toronto Raptors in game four of the first round of the 2016 NBA Playoffs at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /
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Lost in the sea of free agency reactions was that of Indiana Pacers legend Reggie Miller, who was very excited about the Pacers off-season moves.

Reggie, you’re a homer.

https://twitter.com/ReggieMillerTNT/status/748947016118439936

While I love the off-season moves as much as the next Indiana Pacers fan, it’s wise that we be rational.

ESPN forecasts the Pacers to finish 45-37 this season, but I can’t argue with that as much as I may want to. According to the projections, that would have them tied for the fourth seed with Detroit.

While I think the fourth seed is respectable, the distance between first and fourth are miles, not inches.

Yes, the Pacers are in the upper tier of Eastern Conference teams, and much more soundly than Detroit, but they are not ready to contend with Cleveland Cavaliers or Boston Celtics with the addition of Al Horford.

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As it stands, the Cleveland, Boston, and Toronto Raptors are better teams than the Pacers on paper.

We have no idea what the Jeff Teague acquisition means yet, and advanced analytics showed that George Hill was far more efficient than Teague as Hill ranked 17th in ESPN’s Real Plus-Minus among point guards, Teague ranked 29th.

Larry Bird set out to make this team faster and more athletic, and mission is accomplished. The Pacers now have an identity. The fast-paced, up-tempo offense should keep the ball flowing, making it difficult to simply double Paul George and dare someone else to beat you.

Paul George may be the most underrated superstar in the league if you can be both of those things. While people rave about his thunderous dunks and defensive prowess, his basketball IQ may be his strongest quality. This new style of play is going to do him the most favors. Being able to get out in transition and have multiple options is really going to open up the canvas for George to paint his picture.

One thing I expect to see this year is the true coming out party for Myles Turner. If it weren’t for Karl Anthony-Towns being the absolute beast mode up north, Turner would’ve been your Rookie of the Year in 2016. Averaging 10.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game, Turner was a surprising force for the Pacers.

The expectation is that he will take that next step in his development and really cement himself as one of the game’s best young big men. His performance this summer with the Team USA Select Team had his coaches and colleagues raving. I look for that to only continue into his second season.

The addition of Thaddeus Young makes the Pacers frontcourt long and athletic. Defensively, this could really be a problem for the East.

But this is not enough to actually contend with, or dethrone the King. The Pacers don’t appear to have all the tools to compete for a spot in the NBA Finals.

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Sorry, Reggie.

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