This year was the inaugural In-Season Tournament for the NBA. By all accounts, it was a big success. It certainly was a big success for the Indiana Pacers. Indiana was undefeated in group play and ran through some really good teams to do it. They took down Philly, Boston, and others to make it to Vegas.
They ended up balling out in Vegas too. They took down the Bucks in a game that was one of the catalysts for Milwaukee firing Adrian Griffin. The whole In-Season Tournament run were the first meaningful games this group had played in their careers.
The Pacers made the Finals against the Lakers and fell, but that didn't matter. It was enough for this team to make it that far. These games had playoff-like atmospheres and that gave them the experience they needed before they actually got to the playoffs.
Why the In-Season Tournament helped propel the Pacers in the playoffs
Despite this being a different team than the one that made the Eastern Conference Finals, it was still necessary for them to go through this together. Yes, Buddy Hield was on the team instead of Pascal Siakam. But Siakam has won a championship. Almost no one else on the Pacers had even played in the playoffs.
Tyrese Haliburton said that the In-Season Tournament Final was the most important basketball game he'd played in his career. He was right. It was the first game he'd played in NBA-wise that had real stakes to it. That game helped him get a taste of how hard it was going to be to win in the actual playoffs.
That run cannot be understated about how important it was for this young team. They got some playoff experience before the playoffs actually happened. It gave them confidence that they could beat the best teams in the league. That confidence is part of what helped them make the Eastern Conference Finals.
They know what the next step is now.