Here come the Pacers, and more from the East
The Indiana Pacers looked dead in the water a few months ago. Indiana, which fell apart down the stretch last season after such a promising start, began the campaign without Paul George. George broke his leg grotesquely in a USA Basketball scrimmage, actually causing the game to be cancelled.
Without their best player, the Pacers were given little hope to make the postseason. However, Indiana has rose to the occasion in the pathetic Eastern Conference and are slated to get George back over the next couple of weeks. The Pacers are only 25-34, but that is good enough for the eighth and final seed in the East. The Brooklyn Nets and Charlotte Hornets are both at 24-33, giving Indiana the tiebreaker via win percentage.
The Pacers have come on recently, going 8-2 in their last 10 games. The stretch includes a pair of win over the Cleveland Cavaliers and victories against the Golden State Warriors and New Orleans Pelicans. Indiana also has what amounts to a scrimmage against a mediocre high school team on Wednesday, drawing the New York Knicks at home.
With Frank Vogel on the bench, Indiana has been able to remain relevant despite a main core of players including George Hill, Rodney Stuckey, C.J. Miles and a shell-of-himself Roy Hibbert. The only player performing to standards on the interior is David West, the consummate pro out of Xavier. If George returns and plays even 80 percent like the man we have grow accustomed to seeing, the Pacers will go from fringe playoff team to sleeper for a postseason run.
Checking the basement
The Knicks have won two straight games (Stop the presses!) and are now challenging the Philadelphia 76ers for fourth place in the Atlantic Division. New York and Philadelphia are only separated by a half-game (New York is still worse), making the race for Jahlil Okafor’s services more interesting by the hour.
Raptors going extinct?
The Toronto Raptors are coasting to a division title but might be ousted in the first round of the playoffs. Toronto is likely to be overtaken by the streaking Cavaliers any day now, putting them in the third seed. The drop-off is huge, because Toronto goes from playing a team with a losing record to the Milwaukee Bucks. Milwaukee is a tough matchup for anybody and playing very solid basketball. The Raptors could also slip to the fourth seed and draw the Washington Wizards, boasting a backcourt of Bradley Beal and John Wall. Either way, it’s a tough spot for Toronto.
Toronto Raptors (-8.5) at Philadelphia 76ers, 7 p.m. ET
Golden State Warriors (-5.5) at Brooklyn Nets, 7:30 p.m. ET
Phoenix Suns at Miami Heat (-2), 7:30 p.m. ET
Los Angeles Clippers (-4.5) at Minnesota Timberwolves, 8 p.m. ET
New Orleans Pelicans at Dallas Mavericks (-8.5), 8:30 p.m. ET
