Last year, the Indiana Pacers eliminated the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the playoffs in six games. This year, it only took them five.
Despite many experts predicting that the Bucks would advance to the second round of the playoffs, and not the Pacers, the complete opposite result happened. While many said the Bucks were the more top-heavy team (which was proven right due to Giannis Antetokounmpo's incredible series), it was the Pacers' depth and overall team basketball that persevered. This does, however, provide a crucial reminder to critics and other NBA experts--the team with the best player does not always win.
This year, the Bucks had two All-Stars in Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard. The Pacers only had one--Pascal Siakam. At the time of the voting, the Pacers were not playing their best basketball. This particularly pertains to Tyrese Haliburton, who made the All-Star team in each of his first two full seasons in Indiana. However, he and the Pacers drastically turned things around and defeated the Bucks, proving to the basketball world that All-Star selections are not everything.
Tyrese Haliburton is crucial to the Pacers' success
Despite a slow start to the year, Haliburton ended the campaign on a high note. In 39 regular season games since the turn of the calendar, the Wisconsin native averaged 19.5 points, 9.7 assists, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.7 steals while shooting 51% from the field and 43.1% from the three-point line.
Though he did not make the All-Star team, Haliburton has a case for an All-NBA selection. Regardless, it is clear that Haliburton and the Pacers are not hung up on individual accolades and only care about one thing--bringing an NBA title to Indiana. There is still a lot of basketball left, but they are well on their way to making this dream a legitimate possibility.
The Pacers will take on the No. 1 seed Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round of the playoffs. While the odds are stacked against them, the Pacers thrive as underdogs and have a chance to win the series. Furthermore, if they do send the Cavaliers home, they will be in the conference finals for the second consecutive season and would take on the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, or Detroit Pistons.
There are plenty of reasons to be excited about the Pacers' future, but there are also a lot of reasons to be happy about their current state. The Pacers have developed into a well-rounded team with resilience, and they are only getting better. It remains to be seen just how far the Pacers can go this year, but with Haliburton, Pascal Siakam, and Myles Turner leading the way, they should be considered legitimate title contenders each step of the way.