8p9s Roundtable: Will the Pacers Get Home-Court Advantage in the Playoffs?

2. Fact or Fiction: The Indiana Pacers will have home-court advantage in the first round of the 2017 playoffs?

Furr: F………act. The Pacers are probably about the fourth best team in the East, but any playoff spot outside of first place is a possibility for this squad. If everything comes together and goes right, the Pacers could push Boston and/or Toronto in the top half of the East. Both are probably better teams, but Paul George is the best player in either matchup, and that matters. If injuries hit, or the Pacers can’t defend/rebound, they could be hitting the road first round, but I expect the Pacers to host a series this year.

Neal: Fact. The East, while better than in years past, is still mixture of good but not great teams (outside of Cleveland). Indiana finished three games out of possibly having home-court in last year’s playoffs. I believe the Pacers have improved their roster while others (Atlanta, Miami) have lost key members of their core. Indiana will need to be better finishers, though, as they lost an inordinate amount of close games last season by being clueless on offense.

Hughes: Fact. The Cavaliers, Celtics, and Raptors seem to be locks to take three of the top four seeds, and that fourth spot gets interesting. A lot of people think Detroit could make a jump, and Atlanta stays in the mix. But I think the Pacers take the fourth seed at the very lowest. I think the defense will end up being a lot better than people think. It probably won’t be top 10, but somewhere in the middle of the road — along with the offensive leap they should make — means they could get close to 50 wins.

Wade: Fact. They probably can’t be better than Toronto — and obviously not the Cavs — but their upside is as high as any other team in the East. People forget just how many NBA teams are running out hodge-podge rotations full of players under 22 and guys on short-term, no-future contracts just to keep the salary cap clean for the future. The Pacers go 10 deep with solid pros and only Myles Turner lacks experience. They have capable veterans who have proven themselves for a half-decade or more up and down the roster. That will let them roll over many lesser squads on talent and competence alone.