2013-14 Indiana Pacers

[George Anderson]

Currently 17-2.

Paul George at only 23 is probably the MVP of the league so far.

One of the teams studs Danny Granger is yet to see the court but once he does, watch out.

I think if the second team were starting they would be at least .500 they are that good.

The team chemistry from my perspective is strong. Almost like a college team where they play as a team and not like individuals which isn't to common in the NBA.

Larry Joe Bird may pass Jerry West as the greatest player, coach, GM in the games history. He made mistakes early on as GM but he has made some great moves and Draft picks to put the team where they are.

With Rose out the Bulls don't concern me but the Heat are still out there.

Boomer did my son's birthday party. It was $250 but it was a birthday to remember.

[Boston Red]

Their team leader is David Freaking West. Enough said.

[George Anderson]

Their team leader is David Freaking West. Enough said.

I would say the team leader of the 17-2 Pacers is Paul George.

[Boston Red]

I would say the team leader of the 17-2 Pacers is Paul George.

He's the best player. West is the leader.

[Hoosier Red]

Currently 17-2.

Paul George at only 23 is probably the MVP of the league so far.

One of the teams studs Danny Granger is yet to see the court but once he does, watch out.

I think if the second team were starting they would be at least .500 they are that good.

The team chemistry from my perspective is strong. Almost like a college team where they play as a team and not like individuals which isn't to common in the NBA.

Larry Joe Bird may pass Jerry West as the greatest player, coach, GM in the games history. He made mistakes early on as GM but he has made some great moves and Draft picks to put the team where they are.

With Rose out the Bulls don't concern me but the Heat are still out there.

Boomer did my son's birthday party. It was $250 but it was a birthday to remember.

I'm really impressed with what I've seen from them so far though I'm not particularly optimistic about Granger's potential contributions. Just never sure if he's going to believe himself healthy enough to go full speed.

The chemistry is strong. I'd dismiss it as just a by product of the winning, but you heard essentially the exact same thing late last season when they were going for their struggles at the end of the regular season.

You may be right on Bird. I don't think anyone saw Paul George for what he has become other than Bird.

[fearofpopvol1]

I'm really impressed with what I've seen from them so far though I'm not particularly optimistic about Granger's potential contributions. Just never sure if he's going to believe himself healthy enough to go full speed.

The chemistry is strong. I'd dismiss it as just a by product of the winning, but you heard essentially the exact same thing late last season when they were going for their struggles at the end of the regular season.

You may be right on Bird. I don't think anyone saw Paul George for what he has become other than Bird.

I kind of agree about Granger. A better question is, would Granger "mess up" the current chemistry? I think he has value and I think the Pacers would be wise to move him for bench help or a future pick.

Also, and even though I hate the unspoken rule, the Pacers need to nab a ring if Bird is going to be in the conversation for best player/coach/GM. I still don't like some of his picks, but it can't be denied that he knocked out of the park with George.

I was really bummed when Bird stepped away from coaching. He took the Pacers to the finals in 2000, it's just that the Lakers were in their prime.

[dabvu2498]

I jumped on the Pacers bandwagon during last year's playoff run. Paul George quickly became my favorite NBA player.

Their next few games will tell a tale... San Antonio, OKC and Miami twice in about a 10 day stretch.

[redsfanmia]

I was really bummed when Bird stepped away from coaching. He took the Pacers to the finals in 2000, it's just that the Lakers were in their prime.

I was impressed when Bird left coaching, he said after 3 years the players tune the coach out and coaches should only stay 3 years then he stayed true to his word.

[George Anderson]

I kind of agree about Granger. A better question is, would Granger "mess up" the current chemistry? I think he has value and I think the Pacers would be wise to move him for bench help or a future pick.

.

Granger is an unrestricted free agent after this year. I'm not sure what he would bring knowing this. I think he would be more valuable to hang on to should someone goes down.

[Revering4Blue]

Granger is an unrestricted free agent after this year. I'm not sure what he would bring knowing this. I think he would be more valuable to hang on to should someone goes down.

Not to mention the expiring contract should free more cap space to re-sign Lance Stephenson. When/if Granger is healthy, he'll come off the bench, most likely playing just enough minutes to help and not enough to hurt chemistry, bridging the gap until Solomon Hill develops.

[Kingspoint]

Must be nice playing in the NBA Least.

The Heat would be a .500 team if they had to play in the West. 11-4 vs the East so far for the Heat and 3-0 vs the West.

Pacers squeak by the Clippers, lose to the Blazers and squeak by the 4-14 Jazz.



Best teams in the NBA right now:

1. Trailblazers (3-0 against the others in the next tier) alone at the top

Tier Two

2. Pacers
3. Spurs
4. Thunder

Tier Three

5. Clippers
6. Rockets
7. Warriors
8. Heat

Tier Four

9. Suns
10. Nuggets
11. Mavericks
12. Timberwolves
13. Grizzlies

Tier Five

All the rest are lottery fodder.

[Revering4Blue]

So the Pacers and Heat are byproducts of a weak conference?

The Blazers are a better team than everyone else because they barely survived against the Pacers at home, despite the fact that the Pacers got nothing at all from Lance Stephenson?

A nine point win on the road against a team that prior to last night was 3-3 since Trey Burke began playing constitutes squeaking by?

M'kay...whatever.

All of your analysis is all well and good, but the real question is whether or not any team in West can beat the Heat or Pacers in a Playoff series. I wouldn't discount a healthy Nets or Knicks team, either. I would have stated the same thing about a healthy Bulls team, but the point is moot now.

No doubt the Blazers are a great story and should become even better once their injured first round pick begins playing, but seriously, I'd be more concerned with winning your own division -- the Thunder, T-Wolves and Nuggets have also been missing key players for long periods of time and should also improve.

[Kingspoint]

Revering4Blue, it was myself who was the first to praise the Indiana Pacers three seasons ago predicting their rise. I praised what Bird was putting together and that the pieces were in place with only a little maturity left for them to reach the Finals. I thought they were the best team in the NBA last season regardless of who won (Miami was lucky with a desperate 3-point shot after a lucky rebound, otherwise the Spurs were the actual Champions). I felt going into this season that the Pacers were the best team in the NBA again. I still feel that they are going to win it all.

The gift of playing in the East is that not only does the regular season offer no resistance to the Finals, but the playoffs offer no resistance to whoever comes out of the East. In the West, every team is going to be banged up all season long just trying to reach the playoffs first, securing home court in the playoffs second, and then surviving the brutal Western Conference playoffs lastly. By the time a Western Conference Winner is crowned, there's not much left physically and mentally for matching up against Indiana or Miami. It's a daunting task.

Right now, Portland is the best team in the NBA, not the team most likely to win the NBA title. That team is the Pacers of Indiana, with, I believe, Houston, as the second most likely. OKC has major Coaching issues. A typical issue of OKC is what was seen last night. Down by four with 29.2 seconds left after a timeout and KG launches a desperation three with two defenders on him. They don't move the ball around and their entire offense consists of isolations and fastbreaks. That will never win a Championship.

The Spurs are the next likely team to win it all simply because they are still talented enough, and know how to pace themselves throughout the season and the playoffs.

While Portland is the best team in the NBA right now, and may be all season long, their issue is going to be the playoffs. They haven't won a playoff series in 14 seasons. In the NBA, you can't (almost never) get past one round until you've successfully lost in that round. Since they have never lost in the 2nd Round, it's not very likely that they can get past the 2nd Round. They dominate the Spurs, so if they are lucky enough to face them, then they can get past the 2nd Round, but if it's Houston or OKC, it's going to be very difficult. Portland is not going to get calls from the refs. They don't have the marquee players or David Stern's love.

I've attended about 600+ NBA games over the last 15 seasons, so I do love going to the games. Missed the Blazers/Pacers game because I was down in San Diego for the Bengals/Chargers game. That was well worth it....at least 3000 Bengals' fans at the game wearing Bengals' clothing.

I love Kevin Pritchard and root for him and the Pacers in the East. Hate Miami and love every loss they get. The Indiana Pacer model is the correct model for building a Championship. It's what Bird and Pritchard both believe in to a core.

I remember the poor analysis "experts" were saying about the Pacers' players four years ago and thinking how wrong they were. Same thing this year about the Blazers (9th or 10th in the West was the consensus, while I was only predicting 48 wins, about 7 more wins than most people). It's unfortunate that they have to go through playoff experience this year first. But, next year in the 2014-15 season, I'm expecting a trip to the Finals as the Western Conference Champions. Mo Williams has been extremely special for this team. He's their heart and soul, though that will never be seen in print anywhere. Watch them on the court and you can see it.

[Kingspoint]

It's so cold in Portland right now. Record lows the last three days and record lows for the next three days coming.

But, the coldest I've ever lived was six months in Indianapolis. At one point, there were ten straight days where the temperature never got above zero (Winter of 1980-81). There were days where the windchill was minus-56 degrees. Still had to go outside and get to places, but everything was covered up except the lips, nose, cheeks and eyes. It felt like needles going through the skin.

Went to a Pacers game that season and saw them play Philadelphia and Julius Erving. "Doc" was wearing a full-length white fur coat and a white fur hat. It was classic. My friend walked onto the team bus and shook his hand. We were 21, so what the heck. I didn't go on the bus.

[fearofpopvol1]

Granger is an unrestricted free agent after this year. I'm not sure what he would bring knowing this. I think he would be more valuable to hang on to should someone goes down.

there's no guarantee that granger would be happy with that role. he used to be the guy. i think if you can get a pick for him, you trade him. and a borderline contender may go for that, but i guess his health will play into it heavily.