Since the Pacers are on the brink of finally making the playoffs again after a few years away from it, I wanted to share my thoughts on this team. They are definitely a hard bunch to figure out, and one that I have seen glimpses of a team ready to take on the top teams as they've beat the Lakers, Celtics, Bulls, and such. But then again they are a team that gets beat by the Wizards, Bucks, Kings, teams that shouldn't beat them at all. Last weekend when they lost to the Kings and the Pistons on a back to back, but then come back to win against the Celtics on a Monday REALLY threw me for a loop.
I think overall, there is the right players here, but we still need that one guy who can take us to the next step. It's one thing to just compete with teams, and another thing to beat those teams, and show the excitement of those Pacer teams of the 90's. Those were such a great time. People all over were rooting for the team, and you could feel the energy in the building. I've not felt that except a few times at Conseco over the past few years. I went to the Knicks game a few weeks ago, and there was that playoff energy. I really felt like the team wanted to go out there and win that game. Such a great feeling to have back.
Unfortunately, this Pacers team just might not be the team that I want it to be. I love Granger as a player. But there are times when he seems disinterested in playing, and to be a team player, you can't be that way. He needs to be the leader of this team, or else ship him on out like we did with Jermaine O'Neal. I enjoyed watching him play, but then he got so wordy and never backed it up, so I knew it was time to give up on him. I don't want to do that with Granger because I know there's something there that could be special. He was an All Star before, and has put the team on his back.
The best move the Pacers made was getting rid of Jim O'Brien, and putting Frank Vogel in charge. While he might not be the long term solution, I've seen enough to think he should be given a chance. I mean they gave O'Brien a chance, and I felt like he never fit as a coach here. He tried to model his way on to the team we had, and there wasn't the players that needed to be here. I think he wasn't willing to let the younger guys have a chance as well, and you can see how much Hansbrough has come through when Vogel took over. So just give him a chance, and let's see where it goes.
Final thoughts would be that this team will be in the playoffs, and might win a game or two, but probably won't make any noise. I do think the playoff experience is better than being a lottery team, especially since it seems like the players coming out of college won't be those superstars right away. You need to be in the top 5 or so to really get a game changer, and at this rate, the Pacers aren't up there. So why not get to the playoffs, get that experience, and keep improving as a team. Bring back those good days of Pacers basketball, and get the fans back in the seats.
Here's a fun memory for all of us:
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