It’s getting too tight for comfort in the race for the final spot in the NBA’s Eastern Conference playoffs. The revolving door of leaders in the 8 seed is wild with the Boston Celtics, Indiana Pacers, Charlotte Hornets and now, the Brooklyn Nets having all held leads in that spot.
This issue might not be solved until the final day of the season but as of right now, the Pacers find themselves in a bad spot. With 16 days remaining in the season and under 10 games to go, the Pacers are 1.5 games out of that final spot in the East.
Last night’s Pacers loss to the Nets puts Indiana behind the Celtics and in 10th and not exactly where they want to be. This week the Pacers play all 4 teams fighting for that final spot and the loss last night wasn’t exactly the start they needed.
Pacers guard George Hill doesn’t feel like they’re putting up a strong fight at the proper time.
Following from Nick Forrester of the Indy Star.
“I feel like we’re giving the season away, one game at a time,” George Hill, who led Indiana with 28 points, said. “We’ve got to forget about it now, focus on tomorrow, bring it tomorrow and try to get a win tomorrow. You’ve just got to bring it more, and take away the loss and how bad it feels.”
The Pacers have the easiest schedule remaining out of the 4 teams. Out of all the 4 teams fighting for that spot, the Pacers are undoubtedly the most proven based off their recent playoff pushes with the core of Hill, David West and Roy Hibbert.
Granted, they wouldn’t be in this spot if their star Paul George was healthy this season. The conversation might be about their race to the top of the East but these are the cards they are dealt. If one of the teams leaders believes that they’re just giving up on the season, it might be time to shape up and turn it around before it’s too late. The time to turn it around has to be right now because tonight, the Pacers play the Celtics, another key game for their playoff hopes.
