Written by Ryan Weinkauf a The Lottery Mafia
The Indiana Pacers are back in the upper echelon of the Eastern Conference. They weren’t gone for very long, but this Pacers team is very different than the team that almost made it to the Finals two years ago.
It was only two seasons ago when the Pacers topped the Eastern Conference standings, and then lost a hard-fought, six-game series to LeBron James and the Miami Heat, the eventual champions. That Pacers team had a physical and large starting lineup of George Hill, Lance Stephenson, Paul George, David West, and Roy Hibbert. Indiana’s gameplan was to outmuscle opponents on both ends of the court. They were in the bottom third in pace and offense, but they had the best defense in the league. They also shot 35 percent from three. That Pacers team was changed forever when Paul George fractured his leg in a Team USA exhibition, causing him to miss almost the entire next season.
Fast forward to this season, and the Indiana Pacers look very different. Lance Stephenson, David West, and Roy Hibbert are on different teams. Paul George is back, and better than ever, but is now mainly playing as a small-ball power forward. They are still one of the best defenses in the country, but now are in the top 10 for pace and top 12 for offense. Instead of outmuscling opponents, the Pacers new starting five of Hill, Monta Ellis, C.J. Miles, George, and Ian Mahinmi is flying around the court, and the team is converting threes at a very high rate of 40 percent.
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