This season beginning to feel similar for the Indiana Pacers

This season has been an unwelcome surprise for the Indiana Pacers.

The Indiana Pacers – for much of the last 30 years – are usually either good or an enjoyable team to watch play. Some are good and rise to the ranks of a championship contender. Think of the late-1990s or early-2010s squads.

Some teams are really fun and either make surprise runs in the playoffs or defy expectations. Think of the 2017-18 team that saw Victor Oladipo break out or the 2012-13 team that upset the Knicks in round two and nearly defeated LeBron James and the Heat.

Most seasons of Pacers basketball have, thankfully, encompassed at least one of these two aspects.

However, there have been two notable teams in the last decade that seem to ignore this pattern of success, and their similarities are numerous. One of them was the 2016-17 season when a re-tooled roster faltered and left Paul George wanting out of Indianapolis. The other is this season, and unsurprisingly, the similarities are plentiful.

From similar situations entering the season to similar performances in the season, both teams display common themes that continue to become more and more apparent.