The Indiana Pacers need to use Wednesday’s Altercation as Fuel

Wednesday night, the Indiana Pacers lost big and were disrespected by Jimmy Butler. They need to use both to propel themselves up the Eastern Conference standings.

The Indiana Pacers were ran off their home court Wednesday. The 122-108 final score is deceiving. It was no where near that close.

The Pacers final lead came at the 9:37 mark of the first quarter and from there the Miami Heat just ran away with it. The Heat’s lead climbed as high as 31 early in the fourth and if it wasn’t for Coach Nate McMillan keeping the starters in until the final five minutes, it would have stayed that far apart.

This is not the kind of game the Pacers can choose to phone-in. Miami is going to either be a team the Pacers compete with for seeding in the second half with or a potential first round playoff match-up. These games have to be at least competitive.

The Pacers played the Heat close in their first contest, with Miami needing a Goran Dragic lay-up in the final seconds to eek out a 113-112 win. One of the few similarity between the two games was the absence of Malcolm Brogdon. His health continues to be instrumental to Indiana’s success as they have now fallen to 5-6 on the season when he doesn’t play.

The biggest sequences of the night was between T.J. Warren and Jimmy Butler. With Miami up 23, the two got tangled up on a Butler drive and nearly came to blows. As the two were separated, they continued to yell choice words and give unfriendly gestures to each other until the referees gave out a set of double-technicals.

One play later Warren drew an offensive foul and was subsequently ejected when he decided to clap in Butler’s ear. Warren ended the night with three points and four rebounds. A far cry from the 36 point outburst on Monday.

The jawing didn’t end there. Butler gave a very straightforward statement for Warren postgame: “He’s not even in my ******* league. Nowhere near me.”

Warren needs to take this to heart. He must step up to even greater heights to show he can guard Butler. He must prove can be a difference maker against elite teams. He must show he is in Butler’s league.

Butler is known for talking trash. The Pacers need to show they can handle it. This isn’t Minnesota. Warren and Co. need to use this next stretch of games to prove Butler was wrong.

Indiana is 2-5 in their last seven and have dropped to the 6-seed in the East. The next few weeks before Victor Oladipo returns are critical. The Pacers should want to give their star the best situation possible so he doesn’t feel like he needs to push himself early. This should start with Warren.

The former Sun is averaging nearly 18 points per game, but has been prone to off nights. Three times this season he has scored three or fewer points and had many more stretches where he is a non-factor. Even in Monday’s huge game, he needed a 30-point second half to get to his 36-point total. Finding more consistent production could transform the Pacers moving forward.

Warren is currently the Pacers most explosive scorer and has the ability to have those big performances almost every night. Indiana needs those big nights against the Miami Heats and the Bostons Celtics of the world. This clash with Butler could be exactly what T.J. Warren needed.

Jimmy Butler certainly won’t be the only one circling March 20 on his calendar.