The Indiana Pacers will face the Miami Heat in the first game of their NBA Cup campaign on Friday night. The Heat just won their first game of the season against the New Orleans Pelicans after a hugely disappointing 0-4 start.
There is a new but not too novel challenger for the Heat in the recently acquired Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Pacers knew Giannis well from his time with the Bucks when the two teams truly, undeniably hated each other and would go to war every game.
While the NBA Cup has been seen as a sideshow since it was introduced, it is still a game that matters, and after a long and miserable 2025-26 season, it would be fun to see the Pacers return to the Cup's title game as they did in its inaugural season.
Additionally, with a stretch of bad performances in the very recent history for the Pacers, it feels important for this injury-ridden Indiana team to get a win without Tyrese Haliburton, Ivica Zubac, and TJ McConnell.
The team itself has the core and roots of a great team, but they haven't been able to survive against Haliburton. Facing a Heat team with a very good top two that lacks any real depth should be a test of whether the Pacers can punish a team that doesn't match up well against them.
If they can't do so, alarm bells should be going off all over Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Endurance and enjoyment
Endurance doesn't just translate to on-court conditioning and fitness. It means so much more than just running around and not getting tired. When it comes to basketball, endurance is far more of a mental question than it is a physical one.
Basketball players know how to run. They train to do so for hours on end with no real thought to what their limit will be, only to what objectives they must complete.
The Pacers do not struggle when it comes to running. They can do that with the best of them. However, without Tyrese Haliburton, they've been struggling when it comes to mental endurance.
When the Pacers lost their superstar point guard, everyone's load got significantly heavier. Andrew Nembhard and Pascal Siakam need to create more for themselves and others. Aaron Nesmith needs to shoot better to maintain the spacing that Haliburton helped set.
Even beyond Haliburton, Jay Huff has needed to play in place of Zubac, who far outclasses him as a player. Quenton Jackson has performed admirably for McConnell.
These players now must think to fill a role beyond what their instincts have prepared them for. This game against the Heat will be a true test of that.
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