Indiana Pacers' Schedule Breakdown and Record Predictions for December
A schedule breakdown and record prediction for the Indiana Pacers should be an interesting task, to say the least.
That's because these Pacers have a 6-9 win-loss record through Nov. 27. Many thought they'd be left for dead in the Eastern Conference without a handful of key players and last season's entire starting lineup entering a two-game Texas road trip. They could easily be 3-12 by now.
Not so fast.
Nobody could have predicted a no-name backcourt tandem of Donald Sloan and Solomon Hill would carry the Pacers this far. Indy is currently ninth in the East and just two-and-a-half games out of the fourth seed, thanks to the exploits of these two ballers—more notably Sloan, who went off for a team-high 29 points in a surprising road win over the Dallas Mavericks on Nov. 24.
Let's hope the Pacers continue to build on this modest success so the city of Indianapolis can have a very Merry Christmas.
Week of Dec. 1-8
1 of 5
Heading into December, we should witness a healthier Indiana Pacers team.
Conrad Brunner of 1070 The Fan looked into Indy's injury situation in his Nov. 25 blog:
"By the way, he was able to leap off the bench in support of his teammates last night, it appears Hibbert won't be out long. David West could be back by the end of the week, with C.J. Watson not far behind. C.J. Miles was back in the fray last night, although his shot is still missing.
George Hill likely will be the last of this lot to arrive, sometime in mid-December. And, of course, we will all hold in the back of our minds the possibility of a late-season return by the NBA's highest-paid media relations intern (Paul George).
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The good news could not have come at a better time. The Pacers need all the bodies they can get when they go on three-game West Coast road trip from Dec. 2 to Dec. 5. The teams they will face—the Phoenix Suns, Portland Trail Blazers and Sacramento Kings—have a combined 29-14 (.674) win-loss record as of Nov. 26.
It will be interesting to see how Indy responds to the 106-83 whipping the Suns gave them on Nov. 22. During the Fox Sports Indiana broadcast, Pacers television analyst Chris Denari mentioned Phoenix has beaten Indiana 14 times in their last 18 meetings.
The Suns' run-and-gun style has always given the Pacers fits. Indiana should not allow Phoenix to dictate the tempo and let it play its style of basketball. What's more is the Suns' bench (behind former Pacer Gerald Green's 23 points) outscored the Pacers' 63-51, so shutting down Green, Isaiah Thomas and Anthony Tolliver is key.
The Blazers should be a tough matchup. The rejuvenated Kings, behind Rudy Gay and DeMarcus Cousins, should also be a load to handle. Once the Pacers return home on Dec. 8, they must contain Indy native and Pacers killer Jeff Teague, who led his Atlanta Hawks to a 102-92 win over Indiana on Nov. 1.
All thing considered, there's no reason to believe a team which beat the Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls and Dallas Mavericks on the road can't hold its own during this West Coast road swing.
Predicted record: 2-2
Week of Dec. 9-16
2 of 5
The second week of December doesn't get any easier for the Indiana Pacers.
With the exception of the struggling Los Angeles Lakers, the Pacers will face teams who are poised to make deep playoff runs in 2014-15: the Los Angeles Clippers, Toronto Raptors and Portland Trail Blazers.
These three squads are also among the league's top 10 teams in scoring. The Pacers did an admirable job of outgunning the Dallas Mavericks on Monday. It will be interesting to see how their smashmouth style of play will put the clamps on these high-octane offenses.
Perhaps the most intriguing game is the one against the Blazers. Indy survived a 118-113 barnburner at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Feb. 7 last year, thanks to George Hill's career-high 37 points. If Brunner's assessment proves to be accurate, Hill should be able to suit up in time for this game.
After a long layoff, it's a sure bet he won't go off for 37 on the Blazers again. He (or Donald Sloan if Hill still can't suit up) will have his hands full against All-Star Damian Lillard.
David West, who hit timely jumpers in their Feb. 7 matchup, should also be a focal point for Indiana. He and LaMarcus Aldridge are expected to go toe-to-toe in their matchup.
The good thing about this stretch is that it's actually a respite for Indiana: Three of the four games are at home. Next thing you know, the team will embark on another three-game road trip out west.
Expect this resilient bunch to pounce on the opportunity.
Predicted record: 3-1
Week of Dec. 17-24
3 of 5
The Indiana Pacers will embark on their second West Coast road trip in two weeks during this stretch.
As opposed to the first road trip in December, this one is more winnable. Here, the Pacers face the Los Angeles Clippers, Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves and New Orleans Pelicans. These teams have a combined win-loss record of 26-29 (.473) through Nov. 27.
At this point, Indy has played seven of its 12 December games on the road. This road trip my be lighter in terms of quality of opposition, but the Pacers have to be wary of the fatigue factor. So far, the team has held up fairly well in spite of a slew of injuries. With David West, George Hill and C.J. Watson expected to be back in uniform by this time, there's no reason to believe Indiana cannot get the job done.
The Pacers will face the Clippers for the second time in a week to kick off the West Coast swing. Indiana swept the Clippers last season, winning by an average of almost 10 points each time out, thanks mainly to Paul George, who scored a combined 63 points in the two games.
Now, the Pacers won't have PG-13.
Just who will respond in his absence is the biggest question of all. With the way the season has transpired, it could be just about anyone.
Indiana will also seek to avenge its embarrassing 108-87 home loss to the Nuggets on Nov. 14. Defensive stalwarts Roy Hibbert and Anthony Davis are expected to make a case for who is the better rim protector when the Pacers tangle with the Pelicans at home on Dec. 23.
Predicted record: 2-2
Week of Dec. 25-31
4 of 5
Four games in six days. That's how the Indiana Pacers will finish the year 2014.
The last time Indiana had a schedule this cramped was from Nov. 7 to Nov. 15—a nine-day stretch where the team played six games. The Pacers wound up 3-3, including two surprise road wins against the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls.
Indy will go up against the Detroit Pistons and Brooklyn Nets in a back-to-back road slate on Dec. 26 and Dec. 27. It will then square off against the Bulls on Dec. 29 before it takes on the Heat on New Year's Eve.
There's no question both Chicago and Miami will seek revenge after Indiana beat them at home in November. More specifically, the Bulls and Pacers find their situations reversed. Last season, the former was without its star Derrick Rose, while the latter is now without its franchise player Paul George.
Bulls forward Taj Gibson chimed in on this issue in a Nov. 16 interview with Bleacher Report's Sean Highkin. He said, "They're playing how we used to play. Next man stepping up. Guys are gaining confidence, the coach is calling plays for them, and they just do what they do. That team reminds me of us last year."
A.J. Price lit up the Bulls for 21 points in their Nov. 15 matchup, a 99-90 Pacers win. Rose sat that one out with a hamstring injury. He is expected to take the court against Indiana in December.
Going into the two-game home set against the Bulls and Heat, the Pacers should be wary of their tendency to get blown out at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, as evidenced by the two losses to the Denver Nuggets and Phoenix Suns by a combined 44 points in late November.
Nonetheless, expect a classic, grind-it-out Eastern Conference style of play in the Pacers' last two games of the year.
Predicted record: 3-1
The Parting Shot
5 of 5
The Indiana Pacers have limped off to a 6-9 start.
However, this has been a team which has played its guts out almost every night. It has a big heart. Bear in mind that Paul George, George Hill, David West and C.J. Watson have yet to see action this season. What's more is Roy Hibbert, C.J. Miles and Rodney Stuckey were out with their own injury issues during certain stretches of the young season.
And yet the Pacers keep on scrapping, clawing and grinding.
Indy should be 14 players deep as we welcome the merry month of December. That bodes well for Pacers fans who have grown weary of seeing so many players sidelined. As Indiana continues to shore up its roster, it will have developed its bench drastically, as key players such as Donald Sloan, Chris Copeland and Lavoy Allen have held serve.
Two West Coast road trips in December won't stop Indiana from becoming a better team as the season wears on. This is a tough team which will only get tougher. The Pacers will use December as a platform to catapult themselves back to respectability.
Predicted record in December: 10-6
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