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The Indiana Pacers have been a great team in the past with Paul George and have made the playoffs for the last 3 seasons in a row. But last season, even after swapping out their only star in Paul George for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis, nobody expected them to be good, but they exceeded all expectations to make the playoffs and lose in a really close series with the LeBron-led Cleveland Cavaliers, 4-3. With LeBron James out of the Eastern Conference and the Pacers at a really great 3rd spot in the East this season, let us find out what their playoff chances look like:
Positive Signs:
1. Teamwork and Chemistry
The Indiana Pacers were the surprise package of the NBA 2018-19 season. Everyone expected them to be good this season, but with Oladipo missing games due to injury in the beginning of the season, expectations were not as high. But the Pacers were amazing, even when Oladipo joined and made the previous "Big 4" of the Eastern Conference into a "Big 5".
They were 3rd in the league and cruising really well and the biggest aspect of their success was the amazing teamwork they had. Lack of selfish plays and no real superstars to command all their attention, the Pacers had great team chemistry which had led to such unprecedented success for them.
But once Oladipo went down with a knee injury and was declared out for the season, nobody expected the Pacers to keep this going. But the Pacers proved everyone wrong again and are still 3rd in the Eastern Conference, ahead of the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics. Their teamwork and team chemistry is taking them to new heights even without Victor Oladipo and that is huge positive for them.
2. Domantas Sabonis
Sabonis has been one of the most improved players this season in the NBA. His rookie season with the Oklahoma City Thunder proved to be a disaster as he could not get anything going there and his role was pretty undefined too.
He was traded to the Indiana Pacers along with Victor Oladipo for Paul George and since then has been a revelation. He quickly became a force to reckon with in the paint and could play both as a stretch 4 and 5. This season, he had become even more prolific with some super field goal percentages and is averaging a career high in points, rebounds, assists, steals, field goals taken and field goals made. His rise has been a real high point for the Pacers as they seemed to have found a diamond in the rough with Domantas Sabonis.
Negative Signs:
Injury to Victor Oladipo
The Indiana Pacers, even though they are cruising at this point, sorely miss their talisman, Guard Victor Oladipo. Since joining the Pacers last season from the Oklahoma City Thunder, Oladipo has been amazing. He exploded onto the scene in a big way last season, getting his first All-Star call-up and also winning the Most Improved Player award too.
He went from averaging 16 points a game to 23 points in just one single season, along with 4.3 assists from 2.6 and 5.2 rebounds a game from 4.3 rebounds a game. His rise was definitely one to talk about for a long time. But in the game against the Raptors this season, Oladipo went down with a serious knee injury that will keep him out for the remainder of the season.
This is a big blow to the Pacers as most of the offense flowed through him and granted they are doing well without him, this cannot continue for a long time and will not work in the playoffs against teams with more stars. Hopefully Oladipo comes back the same next season and the Pacers can start anew.
The Future:
The 2018-19 NBA playoffs
The biggest challenge right now, though it does not seem very difficult, is for the Indiana Pacers to stay in the playoff contention. As of today, they are 12 games ahead of the 9th placed Miami Heat, which makes it safe to say that they will eventually make the playoffs.
But their main concern should be making it to the top 4 as they will then get home court advantage, which is a huge positive for any NBA team. If the season ended right now and the Pacers finished 3rd, they would not only get the home court advantage, but also avoid both the Philadelphia 76ers and the Boston Celtics in the 1st round, getting the Detroit Pistons, thus boosting their chances of advancing.
Bojan Bogdanovic has been stepping up lately, ever since Victor Oladipo went down and with Darren Collison playing well and the twin towers of Indiana in Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis playing really great basketball, the Pacers should be able to keep the 76ers and Celtics at bay and make it at least with home court advantage for the playoffs.
Playoff chances: 10/10
The Indiana Pacers should safely make the playoffs this season, as they have shown some really good form even without Victor Oladipo on the court for most part of their season. Key role players have stepped up and assumed different roles which has helped keep this team going. Keeping hold of their 3rd place spot seems like the biggest task ahead of them right now.
