There is no denying how inconsistent the Indiana Pacers have been this season. They have endured a four-game losing streak but also had a five-game winning streak this season. Additionally, they have constantly flirted with the .500 line but have failed to surpass this mark since starting the season 1-0. The Pacers have lost to teams they easily should have beaten but have defeated teams that rank ahead of them in the standings.
Much of the Pacers' inconsistencies boil down to the injuries they have dealt with. James Wiseman and Isaiah Jackson suffered season-ending Achilles tears early in the campaign, and starting small forward Aaron Nesmith has only appeared in six games this season due to an ankle injury with no timetable for his return.
Regardless of the Pacers' performance to begin the season, they have turned it around and own the No. 8 seed in the East. For a team that made a conference finals appearance last season, this is not ideal. However, Given how bad the Pacers have looked some nights, this is a welcoming sign.
Furthermore, there is one particular star that, regardless of how you feel about the Pacers so far this season, will open your eyes and be reminded of how good this team can be.
The Pacers are the first team to defeat the Boston Celtics twice this season
In a rematch from last season's conference finals, the Pacers have already gone head-to-head with the reigning champion Boston Celtics three times this season. The Pacers went 2-1 in those games and officially took the season series. As it stands, they are the only team to defeat the Celtics multiple times this season.
To take things a step further, there was only one team that won their season series against Boston last season--the then-reigning champion Denver Nuggets, who went 2-0 against the Celtics.
The Pacers are a flawed team who are just now finding their rhythm. Nobody is arguing that. However, they are one of the few teams in the league who have proven they are not intimidated by the Celtics and can match up very well with them. This was evident in the Eastern Conference Finals, and it is proving to be true once again.
This season is still pretty young, as the Pacers have only played 33 games so far. There is a lot of time left for the Pacers to move up in the standings. And if their games against Boston are any indication, the Pacers are more than capable of rising up to the challenge.