Pacers Preseason Roundtable: Expectations, hopes, and fears

Will the Pacers make the playoffs? If so, with what seed & how far do you see them going?

Eamer: I’ve got Pacers-Bucks in the first round 3-6 matchup, which would be a very interesting series with two up-and-coming stars against one another. After watching the Indiana Pacers undeservedly losing out to the Cavaliers last year, barring a Roy Hibbert-type suddenly forgetting how to play basketball disaster, the Pacers should be able to make a run and cause a problem. Eastern Conference Finals? Maybe… maybe… Probably one round earlier. Let’s enjoy the ride either way.

Krieger: The Pacers will make the playoffs, and I’ll guess they end up being the fourth seed behind some combination of Boston, Toronto, and Philadelphia. With the depth of the team (and the absence of LeBron), I think they can end up making the Eastern Conference Finals this season.

Pfeifer: I see the Indiana Pacers finishing in the fourth seed in the East, barring any injuries or regression from the three teams above them. I truly believe that this Pacer team can go blow-for-blow with any team in the East, but their season will end at the hand of Boston, whether that be in the semis or conference finals.

Furr: Yes. The Indiana Pacers should find their way back to the conference semifinals after a few years absent, but they’ll likely need to finish in the top 4 for that to happen; avoiding Boston, Toronto, (if Kawhi stays all season) and Philly in the first round is paramount. If they can manage that, I think they’ll take the first-round series against someone in the rest of the East.

Here we go. Indiana Pacers basketball. It’s a big season with lofty expectations Let’s hope it’s enjoyable.