For over a decade, the Eastern Conference has been considered the lesser of the two battlefields. Some have used that as a way to attack LeBron James' legacy, while others have just seen the exodus of all-stars and all-NBAers going West and come to that conclusion themselves.
However, that difference has not been as one-sided as it seems recently. The Boston Celtics won the title in 2024, while the Milwaukee Bucks did it in 2021. Obviously, there's also the New York Knicks winning their first championship in 50 years just last year.
While the focus has been largely on the Philadelphia 76ers and returning Knicks, the rest of the East has silently gotten better, while the Indiana Pacers have struggled to find difference-makers in free agency.
Obviously, the Pacers also traded for Ivica Zubac mid-season, but they are not the only team that made moves to move back into the pack.
The East is a bloodbath with new talented teams
The Atlanta Hawks, the only team to take more than one game off the champs in the playoffs last year, added two proven forwards from the OKC Thunder in Lu Dort and Aaron Wiggins to a team that already had arguably the most versatile defensive lineup in the league.
The Miami Heat added two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo while keeping the second-highest single-game scorer in NBA history and a quality forward in Andrew Wiggins. While their guard rotation is rough, they now have two of the league's best defenders.
Even the lowly Chicago Bulls have added an all-star to their lineup. Norman Powell was their big addition alongside fourth overall pick Caleb Wilson.
The East has gotten so ridiculous that between the Knicks, Sixers, Pacers, Heat, Hawks, Orlando Magic, Toronto Raptors, Boston Celtics, and Cleveland Cavaliers, two are guaranteed to miss the playoffs.
While so many have penciled in a return to contention, the hard truth is that the Pacers are returning to a conference in which they are not only not the favorite to regain the throne of the East, they may be in a fight for their lives to even make the playoffs.
Even ignoring those 10 teams, the Brooklyn Nets have a core that will surely improve, and the Charlotte Hornets, despite trading their best player, were one of the best teams in net rating down the stretch last year.
There is truly only one bad team in the Pacers' conference and it's the Milwaukee Bucks, who aren't even that bad.
There are reasons for hope, however. Indiana has built a roster that can contend with the league's best teams when healthy. While gap years often come due to fallen-off talent, the Pacers lost their year in 2025-26 to a brutal injury bug.
This is well-oiled machine. Or, more accurately, it needs to be. The Pacers have all the tools to rise above the pack, but the pack also has more than enough talent to overtake them.
It's a do-or-die season. What once looked like a fun opportunity to regain lost joy is now a massive test of just what this era of Pacers' basketball will be.
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