The Indiana Pacers will be back in action against the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday, November 10th, when they will look to reverse a season that is rapidly falling out of hand. It's easy to find things to blame for why this Pacers season is going so poorly. From injuries to poor play to general game-to-game variance, it's really not hard to find the issues.
However, as bad as the season has been, it's about to get so much worse, with the Pacers' schedule over the next two weeks being absolutely brutal, to the point that the start to this season could dig a hole that the Pacers' roster can no longer manage to get out of.
Indiana is currently 3-7. Ahead of that two-week stretch, they will face the aforementioned Mavs and the Washington Wizards. To say those are must-win games is an understatement. Four games under 500 could rapidly become 10 by the end of November if they can't sweep these two "easy" games.
As easy as they may be on paper, the Pacers are set to match up against a Mavs team that has been playing very well behind its two stars on opposite ends of the age spectrum in Kyrie Irving and Cooper Flagg.
Slowing down the Mavs is no easy task
When Cooper Flagg entered the NBA, he was seen as a surefire, can't-miss prospect, who was set to be an all-star within the first few years of his career. His development, as such, meant that he was sure to become an on-ball playmaker and star scorer.
Much of the joy of Flagg's play this year, however, has been the things he does that are typically reserved for role players and not for stars. His constant hustle to create and distribute loose balls has led to the Mavericks being a shockingly good transition team.
Maybe it's because of their youth, or maybe it's because of their ability to create live-ball turnovers and to rebound the ball constantly, but either way, Flagg has been the catalyst in this revolution.
But if you do want a star scorer and on-ball playmaker, look no further than what Kyrie Irving is doing at age 34. Irving is averaging 21.4 points per game in under 30 minutes a night. After coming back from a torn ACL to a team that had rapidly gone from contention to rebuild, Irving has managed to play at the same level despite being in such a vastly different circumstance.
There are other players on this roster that deserve some consideration outside of the two stars, such as Naji Marshall, Daniel Gafford, and rookie Morez Johnson, but their shine will come in another piece.
The Mavs are not simply a rebuilding team. They are good enough to challenge any team, and with the Pacers in the situation that they're in, they cannot afford to overlook anyone.
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