It’s looking like the Indiana Pacers will not have home court advantage in the playoffs. How do they match up with the higher-seeded teams come playoff time?
As of today, the Indiana Pacers would play the Boston Celtics in the 2017 NBA playoffs. A lot can change, though. The Pacers could move up, they could move down, they could miss the playoffs entirely. Here’s a look at how the Pacers match up against teams they very well could play come April.
Here’s a look at how the Pacers match up against teams they very well could play come April.
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics would be an interesting match-up for the Pacers. Over the last two years, the Celtics haven’t made it out of the first round, losing to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2015 and the Atlanta Hawks in 2016. They do have a guy named Isaiah Thomas, though, who is nearly averaging 30 points per game.
In two games vs Indiana this season, Thomas is only shooting 38.2% from the field. He still has found away to get his points, though. He’s averaged 25.5 per game and has gotten to the foul line 12 times per game. The Celtics won both games in Indiana.
Rebounding has been a weakness all season long for the Pacers, but the Celtics have had rebounding struggles for years now. In fact, Boston is averaging 41.5 rebounds per game this season, which is just barely lower than Indiana’s 41.6. This would give the Pacers some flexibility in the front-court.
Toronto Raptors
Revenge? The Toronto Raptors are currently the 4th seed in the East, which means Indiana would have to climb to the 5th seed to play them.
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This is the team that I think the Pacers should want the most. They lost against them last year, but they’ve got a better, more experienced roster.
Despite making it to the Eastern Conference Finals last year, the Raptors aren’t exactly a team known for their playoff success. Last year was the first time they ever made it out of the first round. Paul George played like an MVP during that series, averaging 27.3 points, 7.6 rebounds and 4.3 assists.
The Raptors have a top 10 defense this season, just like they did last year. Indiana had a top 10 defense as well, but, as expected, it’s dropped this season. The Pacers’ offense, though, is improved. They’re averaging 3.7 more points per game than last year. If you remember Game 7 last year between these two teams, the final score was just 89-84. When the Pacers are clicking, I highly doubt they’d score 84 points in a game 7.
Washington Wizards
Personally, this is the team I’d want to avoid. I believe the Washington Wizards are the team most likely to challenge the Cleveland Cavaliers. Indiana was able to win one game in the season series against Washington, off of a Thaddeus Young game-winner.
The Pacers lost the next three outings, though. The Wizards are a well-built team. John Wall is a dynamic, superstar caliber player. Bradley Beal is doing big things, along with Otto Porter and Markieff Morris. Lastly, Myles Turner would have a hard time containing Marcin Gortat in a seven game series.
This season against the Pacers, Gortat has averaged 12 points and 12 rebounds. He’s averaging a double-double on the season. He’s a grown man and Myles Turner will need to put on a lot more muscle if he wants to contain guys like Gortat.
Next: Myles Turner Picked a Bad Time to Slump
It’ll be interesting to see who Indiana faces in the playoffs. They have to get there first, though. If they go on another losing streak, they could be on the outside looking in. They have a big game against the 10th seeded Miami Heat on Sunday night.