8 points, 9 seconds
Fansided

No Shelter: Indiana Pacers Remaining 12 Games Far From Easy

By Ben Gibson

Feb 20, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Rodney Stuckey (2) and forward David West (21) react after a foul call against their team during the second quarter of a game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 20, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Rodney Stuckey (2) and forward David West (21) react after a foul call against their team during the second quarter of a game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Musical accompaniment, if you’d like. 

To quote the 21st century philosophers and rappers André “3000” Benjamin and Antwan “Big Boi” Patton, “From this point on, it only gets rougher.”

The Indiana Pacers need to get past both the Boston Celtics and Charlotte Hornets, which currently sit in the 8th and 9th seeds of the Eastern Conference playoff race. When you look at the remaining opponents winning percentages, the Pacers have the fourth hardest schedule remaining in the Eastern Conference, with the slight upside being the Celtics and Hornets have harder schedules remaining. Only one game separates that trio of teams, with the Miami Heat sitting a game ahead of Charlotte in 7th place, two games ahead of the Pacers.

It isn’t a murder’s row of teams left for the Pacers to face as much as it is almost all teams that are still fighting for a playoff spot.

Starting tonight the Pacers play the Washington Wizards, a team that has beaten Indiana twice, albeit in close games. Recently the Wizards have been about as streaky as the Pacers as they won 5 in a row before dropping their last 3. Washington has all but guaranteed themselves a playoff spot, but if they wish to avoid the conference’s best teams in the first round, they can’t give up too many more games. Rodney Stuckey has been ruled out for tonight as well.

After that, on the tail end of a back-to-back (or a SEGABABA) will be the Milwaukee Bucks, currently the 6th seed, the last team the Pacers beat before the current losing skid. Indiana has beaten the Bucks twice this season, their loss coming early in the campaign. The Bucks beat the Heat with a last-second shot last night, so don’t expect anything but a fight from them.

The Dallas Mavericks are in their own playoff fight right now, sitting in the 7th seed and looking to hold on to that spot or at least avoid slipping to the eighth seed and a date with the Golden State Warriors. Indiana, surprisingly, took down Dallas with a 29 point outburst from Donald Sloan. I wouldn’t count on that happening again, but I would count on the Mavericks, now with Rajon Rondo, to give Indiana plenty of trouble.

Next up for Indiana comes the lovely combination of two road games against teams that are scraping for the 8th seed and responsible for two of Indiana’s recent losses: The Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets. Indiana can neither afford to start slow and must snap out of their current trend of terrible defense if they expect to make up for that pair of losses.

After that there is a two game home stand against two more teams fighting for playoff spots. First it will be the Charlotte Hornets, which the Pacers hold a 2-1 record against this season thanks to a pair of game winning shots from the Hill Bros. Indiana might be the favorite at home, but with the playoffs most likely still at stake for both teams, there is no reason to expect Charlotte to roll over.

The other half of the home stand is the Miami Heat on April 5, which Indiana has beaten twice this year, but in one of those games Hassan Whiteside wasn’t a starter, and didn’t even appear in the first meeting of the season. Indiana lost the most recent matchup. Outside of the Wizards, this will be Indiana’s toughest game remaining against an Eastern Conference opponent.

The Pacers then catch a break in their schedule with the New York Knicks, but they do have to go on the road to play them. Things pick up once again on April 10 with a visit to Detroit to play the Pistons, a team that has beaten Indiana twice this season. The Pacers did have one of their better offensive outbursts this season in the lone win, but they’ll need another one if they expect to win.

On the 12th, they get to host the Oklahoma City Thunder and MVP candidate Russell Westbrook. The Pacers won’t have the luxury of catching a Western Conference team resting their players as the Thunder are in a fight of their own to hold on to the eighth seed. Oklahoma kicked Indiana’s ass in this season’s only meeting so far.

It is another date with the Wizards to complete the season series with Washington on the 14th before the Pacers head to Memphis for a SEGABABA and their last game of the regular season.

As you can see, 10 of the 12 games left are against teams in the playoffs or with playoff hopes making it. Seven of those games are against teams their fighting for directly for playoff seeding so there is little reason to think Indiana won’t be playing in near-playoff intensity in many of those games.

It won’t be easy for Indiana to get back in the playoffs as they’ll need to win the majority of their remaining games to make the playoffs, but they do have a 13-12 record against their remaining opponents, so there is some room for optimism.

Next: Indiana Pacers Random Injury Generator

More from 8 Points, 9 Seconds

Home/Pacers News