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8p9s Roundtable: Resetting Expectations for the Indiana Pacers at the Halfway Point

By William Furr

Jan 23, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers mascot Boomer sits with actor Jesse Eisenberg during a game against the New York Knicks at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. New York defeats Indiana 109-103. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 23, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers mascot Boomer sits with actor Jesse Eisenberg during a game against the New York Knicks at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. New York defeats Indiana 109-103. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /
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Indiana Pacers mascot Boomer sits with actor Jesse Eisenberg
Jan 23, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers mascot Boomer sits with actor Jesse Eisenberg during a game against the New York Knicks at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. New York defeats Indiana 109-103. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /

The Indiana Pacers haven’t been the top 4 team some expected them to be this season. Is it time to reset expectations?

When the season began, the 8 Points, 9 Seconds staff (and some experts) had high hopes for the Indiana Pacers.

So far, they haven’t lived up to those expectations.

Blame it on anything you want. The defense, booing, Paul George, the Pacers not playing well on the road, but it has forced some of us to recalibrate expectations for this season.

So what do we expect at this point, and who are the MVP, LVP, biggest surprises and biggest disappointments? Let’s take a look.

That’s a four or five game drop as the staff average was 48 wins when we picked in the preseason, projecting the team as a top 4 seed in the playoffs and top two in the division.

Name Central Ranking Eastern Conference Ranking Make the playoffs?
Ryan Barth 3rd 7th Yes
Jon LaFollette 3rd 6th Yes
Mason Hankins 2nd 5th Yes
Josh Padmore 2nd 4th Yes
Jon Washburn 2nd 5th Yes
Will Furr 2nd 5th Yes
Ryan Eggers 2nd 6th Yes
Jay Neal 2nd 6th Yes

Will Furr adjusted his expectations thanks to the Pacers underperforming to the point they’d have to finish the season winning 64.5% of their games to reach his original number of 48.”

More from 8 Points, 9 Seconds

“I originally said 48. The Pacers would have to go 27-15 the rest of the season, and that feels very unlikely,” Furr said. Maybe the starting unit continues to gel and someone — anyone — on the bench finds their way, but it seems doubtful. I’m going to bump down to 44, and that still feels depressingly optimistic.”

In the division and in the conference, tough competition makes it harder for the Pacers to finish second, but there is still faith. Not that there still isn’t skepticism.

“Same situation as their record. They’re not good enough to challenge the elite and not bad enough to fall below average,” Ryan Barth said. “The Greek Freak is starting to scare me too. Cavs, Bucks, Pacers, Bulls, Pistons for me.”

The staff still expects to see them in the playoffs.

“Yes. They better. Otherwise, there’s going to a lot of uneasiness going into ‘Paul George’s expiring contract’ year,” Jacky Neal said.

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