I'm hoping that they get the Bobcats in the first round, and Al Jefferson just dominates Roy Hibbert.
I don't know about that. they have been on this slump for a while now. I don't even know if its a slump anymore. It's just who they are. The first two months of the season was a fluke fueled from their playoff run. They are lucky they are in the East.
As bad as they've been, there's no way I can say with any confidence that they won't be back in the Eastern conference Finals. I just don't see any of the lower seeded teams in the east beating them in a 7 game series. And let's face it. They match up well against Miami and Hibbert seems to always do well against them. I don't think they'll beat Miami, but I believe it'll go 6 at the very least possibly 7
They're overrated now, after a while they'll be underrated, then they'll be overrated. That's just how it goes in the NBA.
The playoffs would be worse. A year ago, they imploded the last 2 weeks of the season but righted the ship in the playoffs. That said, I don't think they will fix things this time around. Stick a fork in 'em.
Pacers slumping; Spurs peaking. One of these teams is slumping/peaking too early. It's going to be a fun playoffs.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/WindhorstESPN">@WindhorstESPN</a> reports GHill and Lance traded words and had to be separated by teammates during huddle in 2nd half.</p>— Conrad Brunner (@1070Bruno) <a href="https://twitter.com/1070Bruno/statuses/450849035419533313">April 1, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
They aren't really slumping, they are who they are. The Rockets beating Pacers in pre-season is the Pacers we are seeing now. It helps a lot that Pacers play in the East, where their defense alone is sufficient to win most of their games, but that has unfortunately overrated their record. Defense may be important in the playoffs, but having below average offense is a problem in the playoffs. They do not have a go-to-scorer, nor do they have offensive post presence. Grizzlies could get away with having subpar offense in the playoffs because they have one of the best front courts in the league, but Pacers do not have any of that. Though since Pacers do play in the East, they should have an easy time cruising to at least the 2nd round. If they were in the West however, they won't even sniff the 2nd round.
To be fair, as fatally flawed as they are, the whole league only has 3 super strong teams in stride right now: Spurs, Thunder, and Clippers. Aside from their own offensive struggles, the Pacers are probably too talented to lose in the 1st round to the Bobcats or perhaps the Wizards (if they slip). Things will get dicey for them in the 2nd when they meet the Raptors, Bulls, or Nets. And it's not like the Heat are instilling any great confidence with their play either. The Heat have going for them the aura of being defending champs, and LeBron, but outside of that, they've been flawed as hell too. Anyhow, I don't hate them and their suffering fans, but it does bring me slight joy to see their overconfidence erode the last few months. Pacer fan kept coming up in here saying the East was quality and the Pacers were the best. The West is like 250 to 150 vs the East this year...it's just sick. As bad as the Pacers are playing, they have ample time to right the ship, unlike the playoff death matches starting in round 1 in the Western Conference.
It's not a big deal if the Pacers are slumping because they are very talented and are assured a great playoff seed. On the other hand, I would be very concerned with Roy Hibbert pooping his big boy pants night in and night out. Where's your leadership now, Larry Legend?
Well by this time everyone thinks they're so overrated they might actually be undderrated. The reason for their slump is obvious, PG and RH have been playing like crap since the all star break. Did they use up all their gas in the first half of the season? Nevertheless, I think they're gonna start playing better once the playoffs begin, esp. PG.
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With Larry Bird running the show there is no guarantee Vogel survives... Which is amazing considering where the Pacers were for most the year.
Pacers don't suck this bad. They'll pick it up enough for the playoffs to face the Heat. Pacers with 4 games at home are enough to beat any team not named the Heat in the East.
They are losing the HCA in the ECF. That is going to be huge against Miami. Pacers are great at home and just so-so on the road.
