When the Indiana Pacers made the playoffs last year as the No. 6 seed, many expected them to be a first or second round exit. However, the Pacers had other plans and made their first Eastern Conference Finals appearance in a decade. And despite getting swept by the eventual champion Boston Celtics, they still put up a fight and proved their appearance was no fluke.
Fast forward to the present day, and the Pacers are 31-23, the owner of the No. 4 seed in the East, and even better than they were last season. What made them stand out last year was their incredible fast-paced offense and ability to wear down their opponents. They are doing much of the same this year, but they are even better on the defensive side of the ball and look like one of the most complete teams in the NBA.
However, despite this, many still overlook the Pacers as legitimate title contenders. In the East alone, teams like the Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics, and New York Knicks are considered more likely to win the title than Indiana. Regardless, the Pacers have been down this road before and thrived, and it may bode well for them once again this season.
The Indiana Pacers are still overlooked
The Pacers remain the most slept-on team in the league despite their on-court success. Though very few are talking about them, there is no reason to believe they cannot make another deep playoff run. They have the tools, the system, and the chemistry in place to make it happen.
Recently, Tim Legler of the All NBA Podcast (YouTube link) praised the Pacers and their play and gave them their much-deserved recognition. Legler cited Indiana's victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday and their overall play style as major reasons teams and fans should keep an eye on them.
"I'm always kind of injecting the Pacers into these conversations, man. Watch out! Watch out! I'm just telling you, they had 50 points in the second quarter last night. 50! And they had, like, 45 in the last 10 minutes," Legler said.
"Memphis gets labeled as one of those teams, 'Oh, they compete. They're tough,' Indiana did whatever they wanted to with this team last night offensively...I'm just telling you, their style of play that we became enamored with last year at their best is exactly what they look like right now. They are just flat-out rolling on teams."
The Pacers still have 28 games to go, so a lot can happen the rest of the way. However, as it stands, they are in a great position to not only make the playoffs but also earn home-court advantage. Indiana is 5.5 games behind the New York Knicks for the No. 3 seed, so it seems unlikely they will be able to jump up in the standings. Regardless, there is a lot to like about this team come playoff time. Despite not getting their flowers yet, the Pacers are experienced in overcoming the odds, and they may have the opportunity to do it again.