Each Thursday we’ll take a look back at the week that was for the Indiana Pacers and give you what was good..."/> Each Thursday we’ll take a look back at the week that was for the Indiana Pacers and give you what was good..."/> Each Thursday we’ll take a look back at the week that was for the Indiana Pacers and give you what was good..."/>
8 points, 9 seconds
Fansided

The Good, The Bad, and What’s Next: The Pacers are so feathery

By Jacob Lane

PHOENIX, AZ - JANUARY 14: Darren Collison #2 of the Indiana Pacers moves the ball upcourt against Tyler Ulis #8 of the Phoenix Suns during the second half of the NBA game at Talking Stick Resort Arena on January 14, 2017 in Phoenix, Arizona. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
PHOENIX, AZ - JANUARY 14: Darren Collison #2 of the Indiana Pacers moves the ball upcourt against Tyler Ulis #8 of the Phoenix Suns during the second half of the NBA game at Talking Stick Resort Arena on January 14, 2017 in Phoenix, Arizona. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /
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Lance Stephenson
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – JANUARY 10: Lance Stephenson /

The Good – The Pacers come back from 22 down to defeat the Cavaliers

I said it last week, and I’ll say it again.. What a week it was to be an Indiana Pacer!

In my opinion they’ve been one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference over the last two weeks, after picking up five victories in seven games. From the second half of the Cavaliers game on, the Pacers were absolutely dominant.

They came back from 22 points against Cleveland, a team that is expected to be in the NBA Finals come summer of 2018. Then went out west and blew out the Suns and Jazz on back-to-back nights which is never easy to do.

The Miami loss was tough, as the Heat were on the second night of a back-to-back after traveling from out of the country into Indy, and not to mention they were playing with a short bench. The Pacers got down early, made a big comeback, but unfortunately was not able to pull off the victory.

The good thing about that loss against the Heat is it prepared them to deal with the adversity of getting down big again, but instead of losing control late in the game, this time they were able to close it out against the best player on the planet and the Cavaliers.

More from 8 Points, 9 Seconds

How fun was it to watch Lance irritate LeBron? It’s been three years since that glorious moment when Lance Stephenson blew in the ear of LeBron James, which is crazy to think, but thankfully for us we got to see Lance get under the skin of The King.

While Darren Collison was the best player on the floor for the Pacers on Friday night, shooting an incredible 81% and going for 22 points, it was Born Ready who spurred the Pacers on late in the game. Whether he was waving off teammates and knocking down stepback 3-pointers (that’s so Lance), making great passes, crashing the boards, or forcing LeBron James into technicals, it was Stephenson who’s energy and crazy-good defense that helped push the Pacers to 97-95 victory.

This game would go on to spark a three-game winning streak, but to me, it showed that the Pacers may actually have a chance to make noise in the playoffs. Against the current top five seeds in the Eastern Conference, the Pacers have a combined record of 4-4.

That’s certainly not great by any means, that includes a 2-0 record against the Cleveland Cavaliers, and a 1-1 record against the Toronto Raptors & Miami Heat.

I fully expect the Pacers to finish the season in the top six seeds in the Eastern Conference, which likely means that they get a first round match-up against Toronto, Cleveland, Washington, or Miami. Not one of those teams scares me, not one bit.

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