4 Major Takeaways from the Indiana Pacers 2023-24 Schedule

Kings vs Pacers not on the Big Stage?

Now, maybe I’m the one getting a bit too ahead of myself for wanting the small-market Pacers to play on Christmas Day, but surely there was an opportunity that was presented here, especially with a prime matchup against the Sacramento Kings being right on the table, with the Kings also not having a Christmas Day matchup on the schedule.

In my opinion, a Pacers/Kings Christmas Day matchup would be the perfect mix of drama and fun, entertaining basketball, with both teams playing a very exciting style of basketball. The Kings, known as the “Beam Team”, are known for their fast-paced style of play and lights-out 3-point shooting which led them to their first playoff berth in 16 seasons, which was partially due to the acquisition of Domantas Sabonis from the Pacers themselves.

The Pacers, on the other hand, did not make the playoffs due to an injury to Tyrese Haliburton, however, stayed competitive through most of the year and were one of the more exciting teams to watch, and have only gotten better through the offseason with the aforementioned pickups.

Putting a matchup such as Kings/Pacers on Christmas Day would not only give casual NBA fans a taste of new blood in the NBA but would also let the fans of either team enjoy another matchup, hopefully, more exciting this time, as the first Kings/Pacers matchup since the trade resulted in a lopsided victory for Sacramento whilst the second was tainted from the start with De’Aaron Fox sitting out and the Pacers squeaking by with a three point victory.

There is no doubt in my mind that with a healthy Pacers and Kings roster and a national TV slot, both teams would bring their A-game and it would not be a matchup worth missing. At the very least, if not on Christmas, this matchup could’ve been put on the so-called “Rivals Week” where most of the matchups aren’t even between rival teams.

This is also not just a problem with the Pacers, as the NBA’s Christmas schedule seems to be stuck in the past and overly reliant on big market bias, which is preventing fans from seeing the NBA’s elite play on perhaps the biggest regular season stage.