The Indiana Pacers now got what they wanted. They are in the position they wanted to be this season, following last year’s devastating elimination in the Eastern Conference Finals. They badly wanted that top seed in the East and with a victory against the sluggish Orlando Magic on Wednesday, the top spot is all theirs. However, the toughest part of their course is yet to come.
The road to the top or even to the Eastern Conference Finals will be anything but easy for Indiana. Of course, the Pacers do have a much better, deeper and more quality team than the year before. Nevertheless, they have shown some signs of true struggles as of lately, especially on the offensive end. If it wasn’t for Miami’s surprising loss to the Atlanta Hawks a couple of days ago, the Pacers would have still been at the second spot in the East, with very few chances to make it to the top.
Thankfully, Frank Vogel’s group managed to get a big victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder, with Lance Stephenson proving to be the X-Factor in that game. This was the first time Indiana reminded of the dominant team which stayed at the top of the East for almost the entire season.
Indiana is set to face the Atlanta Hawks in the first round of the playoffs, a match-up that the Pacers should be able to win easily. But then and assuming that they’ll advance to the second leg, they will face the winner of the fourth and fifth-seeded match-up. We already know which team will finish fifth in the East, it’s the Brooklyn Nets. The Chicago Bulls or the Toronto Raptors will be the fourth-seeded team. The Eastern Conference semis will be a very difficult series for Indiana. The Nets are of the scariest underdogs this season while the Bulls are one of the best defensive teams in the league. For the Pacers, who rank 24th in the league in points per game, the Bulls won’t be an easy opponent and neither with the Nets be.
Hopefully, Roy Hibbert and Paul George will show the much needed sense of urgency during the postseason. After all, this time last season the Pacers started to uplift their performance and took their game to the next level, the one that allowed them to stand up firm against the Miami Heat.
However, the Pacers will need stability and consistency. Paul George will have to reach that dominant level of performance once again and Roy Hibbert will have to start producing some offense. Frank Vogel has found several reliable solutions on the offensive end this year, in comparison to the previous season. C.J. Watson has proven to be a factor coming off the bench for Indiana and Lance Stephenson is one of the lead candidates for the Most Improved Player of the Year award. Hopefully, Evan Turner will showcase his value during the postseason, providing some offensive solutions, too.
The journey now is set to start for Indiana. Will this be their year? Will the Pacers manage to take revenge from the Heat and eliminate them in the Eastern Conference Finals?
Thank you for reading. Ron Leyba is the lead editor of FantasyBasketballMoneyLeagues.com, and a LastWordOnSports NBA Analyst. For more of his articles, follow his updates at Google+ or follow him on Twitter – @ronniedare. Support LWOS by following us on Twitter – @LastWordOnSport and “liking” our Facebook page.
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