After making their first Eastern Conference Finals appearance in a decade last year, the Indiana Pacers have made it clear that they have their eyes set on competing for a championship this season. Despite constantly getting overlooked in the media, the Pacers are one of the best teams in the East and have a real shot at making another deep playoff run. With only a handful of games left in the regular season, they own the No. 4 seed in the East and are in a good spot to secure homecourt advantage.
Many have talked about the Pacers' slow start to the season and their resilience to turn things around. However, there is one overlooked aspect of their turnaround that makes them dangerous, and it is as simple as their mindset and mentality, which could be what fuels another deep playoff run in Indiana.
Pacers have the perfect mindset heading into the playoffs
The Pacers are a great team on paper and are going to be a tough out in the playoffs. However, it is the team's mindset that makes them stand out, and that is the fact that the Pacers do not overlook their competition, no matter what.
Early in the season, the Pacers suffered losses to teams like the Philadelphia 76ers, New Orleans Pelicans, and Charlotte Hornets (twice). Despite being the better (and usually healthier) team on paper, the Pacers still struggled against many lesser teams. However, they have since turned that around in a major way.
Every loss the Pacers have suffered since the All-Star break has been to a team that is at least in the Play-In picture. Furthermore, on the season, the Pacers are 29-16 against teams who are below .500, according to ESPN. The Pacers do not play down to their competition anymore, and it shows.
In a recent victory over the Hornets, Pacers All-Star Pascal Siakam spoke about not relaxing in the game and not letting up.
"This game mattered to us," Pacers All-Star forward Pascal Siakam said. "To them, they're just going out there and having fun and just playing free. They don't think about anything. It's hard. You go into this game thinking, 'Oh man, we're gonna beat them by 20 real fast and we might get to sit down and relax.' It don't always go like that."
Theoretically, this mindset will not have much of an impact in the playoffs as each team is among the best in the NBA. However, it is still important for the Pacers to always be on their A-game and keep the mindset that they have going.
The Pacers are in a great spot as they inch closer to the start of the playoffs. There is still a handful of games left in the regular season, but at this rate, the Pacers will look to gain as much momentum as possible in hopes of going on another deep playoff run.