Name a better combo than the Indiana Pacers and losing to lesser teams.
The Pacers reminded their supporters that not everything is sunshine and rainbows, as Wednesday’s game against the Chicago Bulls was a train wreck from start to finish. After their overtime drama two weeks earlier, in which Chicago won thanks to an inspired performance from DeMar DeRozan, the Pacers played as if they had lost all confidence and momentum, as if Chicago was an invisible wall standing in their way.
Despite scoring 145 and 133 points in their previous two games, the Pacers were held to fewer than 100 points on Wednesday for the first time this season, as a combination of Chicago’s impressive defense and Indiana’s lack of shot-making drove them to shoot only 40% from the field, 31% from deep, and 78% from the free throw line. Chicago, on the other hand, played like they were vying for the NBA championship, shooting 50% from the field and 44% from deep while scoring 125 points and leading the entire game.
For a Pacers team that appeared to have overcome their back-to-back demons in the previous game against the Clippers, it appeared that their fifth game and city in eight days had finally caught up with them, and they played completely uninspired basketball with the exception of a failed comeback attempt in the third. This was the Pacers’ third loss to the Chicago Bulls, bringing the season series to 3-1 in Chicago’s favor and establishing another chapter in their history of losing to inferior opponents.
The Indiana Pacers may have to face the Bulls again in a play-in game.
This comes to mind a terrible prospect that I had not considered previously. Currently, the Pacers are the sixth seed in the East, one game ahead of Miami; however, the Heat have played two fewer games than Indiana and may easily tie or overtake the Pacers in a short period of time.
If this happens and Indiana falls to the bottom two playoff seeds, they will have to compete in the Play-In Tournament to advance to the playoffs. This puts Indiana up against either the Philadelphia 76ers, who have a returning Joel Embiid, or the Miami Heat, whom they have struggled against and will meet again before the season ends.
If Indiana beats the Heat or Sixers in this scenario, they will advance to the playoffs and face the Milwaukee Bucks, a potentially advantageous matchup. However, if they do not win the first Play-In game, they will face the winner of the Hawks versus Bulls 9 vs 10 game.
With the Hawks losing Trae Young and the Bulls playing well lately, Chicago is expected to win that battle. This would put Indiana in a win-or-go-home situation against the Bulls, a team they have struggled with this season, for a chance to secure the eighth seed and face the Boston Celtics in the first round.
This is why securing a top-six seed is critical for Indiana. This squad has repeatedly demonstrated its inconsistency, and a one-game elimination series for playoff seeding could be their worst nightmare. If the worst happens, the Pacers may end up battling for scraps in the Play-In rather than pushing a club like the Cavaliers or Magic to their limits.
To avoid this, Indiana must step up in the final eight games of the season and defeat inferior opponents. From now on, they cannot afford to play down to their opponents, as an entire season of doing so has got them to this position, fighting for playoff seeding and hoping to avoid seeing Boston or sitting at home throughout the playoffs entirely.
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