Indiana Pacers’ Best and Worst-Case 2020 NBA Playoffs Scenarios

Indiana Pacers playoff scenarios: First-round bye format

• Top four teams in each conference receive a bye.
• Next eight seeds are placed in a best-of-three playoff bracket.
• Lower seed needs three wins to advance, the higher seed needs two
• Bracket is re-seeded after play-in games
• Normal seven-game series to follow

Where the Eastern Conference standings currently sit, Indiana would be slated to play the New York Knicks as the top-seed of the play-in round of the East. Milwaukee, Toronto, Boston, and Miami would earn first-round byes as the top four seeds while Detroit, Atlanta, and Cleveland would miss out on the postseason.

Best Case: Charlotte Hornets (23-42), Chicago Bulls (22-43)

Indiana is already 3-1 against Charlotte this season and has outscored them 461-389 in those contests. All three victories have been by double figures including a 39-point blowout in Bankers Life in late-February.

The Hornets have the worst scoring output in the league at 102.9 points per game, more than 6 points fewer than the Pacers (109.3).

They also have one of the least efficient offenses in the league which bodes well for Indiana who is third in the league in field goal percentage. Domantas Sabonis and Malcolm Brogdon would have their way in the pick-and-roll while Myles Turner and Victor Oladipo would give an already weak Charlotte offense all they could handle with their defensive presence.

With four wins against the Bulls this season, Indiana is more than familiar with the Central Division foe. The last Chicago victory between the two teams came on December 29, 2017 with the Pacers winning the last nine matchups. That streak should continue for Indiana in this scenario.

A very young team with former Pacer Thaddeus Young being the veteran on the team, the Bulls have 11 players with less than three years of NBA experience.

Zach LaVine and Kris Dunn can hold their own at the guard positions. They lead the league with 10 steals per contest but also average almost 22 fouls per game. While the Pacers only take a league-low 19.1 free throws per game, they shoot nearly 79-percent from the line. Between Sabonis and Turner, expect the Bulls big men to be in foul trouble allowing Indiana to dominate inside.

Worst Case: New York Knicks (21-45), Detroit Pistons (20-46)

Sure, the Pacers are 2-1 against New York this season, but they have only outscored the Knicks by one point in those three games. The Knicks are a young and inexperienced team resulting in one of the top-five least efficient offenses in the NBA.

Why do the Pacers want to avoid New York in this playoff scenario? A front office overhaul that saw Leon Rose take over as General Manager and the duo of Walt Perrin and Frank Zanin serving as Assistant GM’s, there could be some sort of resurgence in the organization. One of the league’s most prominent agents, Rose formerly represented LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Allen Iverson, and Chris Paul. The Knicks seem destined for the draft lottery for the foreseeable future, but the Knicks could have some extra energy if these two teams faced.

Detroit has been a thorn in the Pacers’ side all season. They beat Indiana twice in the first three games of the current season and have three wins and added another in early December. Andre Drummond was shipped out at the trade deadline and Derrick Rose has had a resurgent season.

Luke Kennard has been the “Pacer-Killer” averaging 22 points in four games.

Indiana is the better team and could throttle Detroit in two games in this playoff scenario. No one would be surprised. The season’s previous matchups say, don’t bet on that. Knowing the success they have had against the Pacers, this is the dream matchup for Detroit.