The Indiana Pacers were the talk of the NBA following their performance in the In-Season Tournament. Indiana went undefeated in pool play and then defeated the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks to advance to the championship game against the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Pacers would lose the inaugural finals against the Lakers, but they had announced their presence as an up-and-coming team. Indiana then beat the Detroit Pistons in their first game after the tournament, but they have experienced some tough times since.
The Pacers are on a four-game losing, as they have tumbled down the Eastern Conference standings with a record of 13-12. That has led to them also dropping in the NBA Power Rankings put together by analysts over at ESPN.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Rick Carlisle & Indiana Pacers Updates
Indiana was in ninth place in the previous rankings but dropped to 17th this week. It is the furthest any team dropped this week and the biggest change. Defensive woes are the biggest reason for the team’s slippage on the court.
“The Pacers have dropped four consecutive games and are in danger of falling below .500 despite having the best offense in the NBA at 121.9 points per 100 possessions. It seems the Pacers’ defensive woes are starting to catch up with them. The Pacers are tied at the bottom of the NBA in defense, giving up 121.4 points per 100 possessions. They lost Monday for the fifth time in a game in which they scored more than 125 points — tied with the Wizards for most in the league,” wrote Jamal Collier of ESPN.
The Pacers play at a breakneck pace, as they are No. 1 in the league in that category. It has helped them be the best offense in the NBA, but they are struggling to stop anyone. In their most recent contest, they scored 127 points and still lost by 24 as they gave up 151 to the Los Angeles Clippers.
That isn’t a recipe for success, as head coach Rick Carlisle said that some changes could be coming. Whether it was to the lineup or their game plan, something has to be done to help get the team back on track.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Rick Carlisle & Indiana Pacers Updates
The schedule eases up a little bit in the coming days for the Pacers, which could help get them going. They host the Charlotte Hornets and Orlando Magic with road games against the Memphis Grizzlies and Houston Rockets.
The Hornets, Magic and Rockets are all riding losing streaks currently. The Grizzlies are 7-19 on the season, but the return of their star point guard Ja Morant will render anything they did in the first 25 games without him useless. They are a totally different team with him on the court, as he led them to victory in his season debut, including a game-winning basket, on Tuesday against the New Orleans Pelicans.
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