A lot has already been said about the Indiana Pacers' standing as a title contender this year. After making the conference finals last year, the Pacers are even better this season and are on the brink of securing homecourt advantage. Despite not getting their well-deserved recognition from the national media, the Pacers are still one of the top teams in the league and have been on fire since the turn of the calendar.
The Pacers are going to be a tough out for any team in the playoffs. As long as they remain healthy, the Pacers will have an opportunity to prove how dangerous they can be. When it comes to the Pacers, most will talk about their offense and resilience (and rightfully so). However, the Pacers are a far more complete team than they were even earlier this season. Though they have some flaws, the Pacers have turned some of their weaknesses into strengths, and it could not have happened at a better time.
The Pacers have drastically turned things around in this area
Entering the season, there were two major concerns for Indiana--their defense and rebounding. Their rebounding has not changed much as they remain one of the worst rebounding teams in the league. However, theire defense is a bit of a different story.
The Pacers had multiple solid defenders on the team, but they struggled to put it together as a unit. This includes earlier this season, when they were a bottom-half defensive team in the league before the All-Star break, according to NBA.com. Since then, the Pacers have turned it around (largely in part to getting healthier) and are now an above-average defensive team.
Since the beginning of March, the Pacers have a 111.7 DRTG. Across that span, this is the 11th-best in the NBA and is slightly better than the reigning champion Boston Celtics. While they are far from a lockdown defensive team, it is clear that they have made strides and are a positive in this area.
Going up against the best teams in the league during the playoffs, it is crucial that Indiana continues this level of play on the defensive side of the ball. They have the tools to go on a deep playoff run, but that may not matter if they cannot contain their opposition. Regardless, the Pacers have worked hard to improve as a defensive unit, and as it stands, there is no reason to doubt that they will be ready for the challenge when it comes.