I love the narrative that the talking heads are buying into that the Pacers, while they've had a nice year, just don't have the experience to get to the ECF. Oh sure, the West pick up was nice, bringing in Hill from the Spurs was good, Granger has improved his overall game, Hibbert has gotten better, Paul George is a talented young player, their 2nd unit is dangerous... but they lack that oh-so-elusive "experience" quotient.
Full disclosure: I would have been fine with the Pacers missing the playoffs last year in order to have a chance at a higher draft pick, but I was wrong about that. The experience they got in that Bulls series is going to serve them well this year. That experience, coupled with Vogel's constant preaching that anything is possible with this team, has this team in position to make a run this year.
Now, another argument I've heard, and the one that concerns me the most, is that not having a go-to-guy, a superstar, could be their downfall. The NBA is a superstar driven league, and the Pacers don't have a bonafide star. (All due respect to Reggie Miller, but that was the missing piece in those 90's Pacer teams, too.)
Because of that, I've seen them struggle getting a last second shot off at the end of games. Someone ends up dribbling the ball around until they're forced to chuck something up. That's when you need a superstar, a Rose, a Durant, who can blow past people and drive the lane or find a way to get an open look. I'd like to see Paul George get that mentality and not settle for a fall away 3 in that situation.
But, if this team gets into a rhythm offensively (i.e., Granger doesn't go 3-15), those last second shots won't even come into play. They've shown they can grind out games and figure out ways to win during their 12-3 April. It's time to continue that into the playoffs.
I predict they beat the Heat in the 2nd round and make it to the Eastern Conference Finals.
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