The 17-2 Indiana Pacers have had a dream start to their season, and with the winning record comes the expectation that they can go all the way come playoffs.
Currently Indiana stands as the No. 1 team in the conference, nine wins ahead in the Central division, three ahead of the Miami Heat in the East.
The Pacers’ almost ideal start comes after a strong playoff push that saw them take the Heat to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference final, and all indications suggests that the strong defensive unit that almost upset LeBron and Co. last June remains as dangerous as ever.
Swingman Paul George, who broke out during the Pacers’ improbable run in the finals and has since received a five-year contract extension, has lived up to the hype, and he has become one of the league’s top scorers at this point in the season.
Even centre Roy Hibbert is a candidate for defensive player of the year with a terrific 3.44 blocks per game average, second only to the Pelicans’ Anthony Davis.
Make no mistake, it’s the defence that remains the rock of this team, and the Pacers are once again at No.1 in the category, only allowing 90.9 points scored per game.
But how much can we read into the Pacers’ most recent success? Looking back on their schedule begs some questions.
Of the 17 teams they have beaten this season, only the 12-7 LA Clippers have a positive record.
In fact, the only “contender” the Pacers have faced in the East was the Chicago Bulls, who are off to a terrible start, sliding to a 7-9 record.
Oh, lest we forget, the Bulls most recently beat the Pacers 94-110.
The NBA at the moment is very top heavy, and this is especially so in their conference with the third seed in the East currently held by the Washington Wizards with a 9-9 record.
To the Pacers’ credit, they played well against the Championship-calibre Clippers, and they did it their way, finishing with 17 offensive rebounds on the night. But they also gave up 100 points to Chris Paul and Co., well above their season average.
No disrespect but come on. We slip past them? Click the link n my boys get no highlights. Dunks r nice wins r better pic.twitter.com/rDX5knwlj5
— Roy Hibbert (@Hoya2aPacer) December 2, 2013
Most recently, the Pacers fell to the Trail Blazers 102-106, despite an incredible 43 points from George. In that game, their defence seemed to slow down, and it’s clear that some cracks were showing.
It’s easy to point to their schedule and denounce the Pacers as frauds, but when there’s only two winning teams in the conference — and 11 in the whole league — we can cut them some slack in that department.
They don’t get to pick who they play and when.
Whatever you believe, whether it’s that they are legitimate contenders or just a good team coasting on a soft schedule, we’ll know the real Indiana Pacers by the end of this week.
Starting December 7, the Pacers take on the San Antonio Spurs on the road, followed by a trip to Oklahoma to face the Thunder the very next day before taking on the Miami Heat at home two days later.
That’s a hell of a slate.
Those three games boast teams with a combined 32-11 record and features two top-10 offences and two top-five defences.
They’re three big-time teams, and a true test for the rising Pacers.
But that’s what they need if they’re going to earn the respect that Hibbert has craved since last season’s surprise playoff push.
Hibbert, George and the rest of the team are going to have to prove they can consistently stand up to the likes of LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Tim Duncan.
Those superstar players are the standard by which a championship team must be measured, and one thing is for sure: Everybody will finally have the respect they deserve by the end of this week.
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