3 takeaways from the Indiana Pacers first half
The Eastern Conference is quite Top-Heavy
The 2018-19 Eastern Conference is immensely competitive…for its top five teams and only its top five teams. Milwaukee, Toronto, Indiana, Philadelphia, and Boston are separated by 6 games and serves as proof that the East’s elite up top. All five have a win percentage of .600 or above (or close enough to round up).
Each tier below is clearly delineated. The second tier belongs to six mediocre teams: Miami (who’s above .500), Brooklyn, Charlotte, Detroit, Orlando, and Washington. Four games separate these teams.
Then there is the third tier: Atlanta, Chicago, New York and the breathtakingly terrible Cleveland Cavaliers (who, equally breathtakingly, upset the Pacers on December 18). This group is playing for lottery balls. Although Atlanta has had decent success, relatively speaking.
At the top, the only thing slowing Toronto is injuries. Only one Raptor has played in every game, Pascal Siakam. Kawhi Leonard and Kyle Lowry have missed a combined 19 games. Fortunately for the Raptors, their depth is fantastic. Before the season there was a fair debate between Toronto and Indiana for the best bench in the East, a race so far won by Toronto. They excel at a switching style perimeter defense, which can be beaten inside, but if you get stuck playing their game you’re in trouble.
Milwaukee is an interesting case. No team in the NBA has won a higher percentage of their games via blowout as the Bucks have. Milwaukee is 20-3 in games decided by 10 points or more, meaning when their offense clicks it’s nearly unbeatable behind Giannis Antetokounmpo. The kicker is that Milwaukee is 9-9 in every other type of game. If either the Bucks struggle from deep or a team can make them play four quarters, the Bucks become an average basketball team. Typically, there are fewer blowouts in the playoffs, just food for thought.
Boston and Philadelphia both are experiencing various levels of discord. Jimmy Butler has again had issues with his own team‘s personnel, while Boston tends to play either up or down to their competition. A fun note on the Celtics, they effectively gave up on their much-hyped three wing lineup of Kyrie Irving, Gordon Hayward, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Al Horford. That lineup was 7-6 together and haven’t started a game since November 17. Their most successful lineups have been more traditional: a Center (typically Horford or Aron Baynes), two scorers (Irving and Tatum), a versatile power forward (Marcus Morris), and Marcus Smart – who doesn’t need the ball. Boston just hasn’t figured out how to fit all their various pieces together yet.
dark. Next. First half grades for each Pacer
The Indiana Pacers fit into this quintet quite well. Indiana is stable and potentially dynamic. It’s rare for the Pacers to not be competitive in any given game. But the further test lies ahead. Can Milwaukee sustain their torrid pace? Can Toronto get healthy? Can Indiana capitalize on a resurgent Myles Turner and defend the three? Will Boston and Philadelphia grow through discord or will it tear them apart? The answers lie in the second half ahead.