Best- and Worst-Case Scenarios for the Indiana Pacers in the Month of December
Just what are the best- and worst-case scenarios for the Indiana Pacers in the month of December?
An ideal scenario at the moment is for Indiana to snap its six-game losing streak which dropped its overall win-loss record to 7-15 on Dec. 10.
Fans expected the Pacers to slip several notches in the standings without Paul George, but there's got to be more than just snapping a six-game skid.
There should be.
Case in point: This team should be better with the return of David West and Roy Hibbert from injury. Indy is 0-5 in those games the two have played together this season.
Three of those games (against the Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Clippers) were winnable. It's just that the Pacers couldn't get the job done, even with West and Hibbert in tow.
Shooting guard/small forward Solomon Hill summed it up perfectly after Indiana's 108-92 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Dec. 8. It was the team's sixth defeat in 10 home games:
"We can't keep saying we're getting better when we're losing. Not only losing, but losing by 20-plus points at home.
For the Indiana Pacers, it has to be more than just competing. We're in a situation now where guys are banged up, but there's opportunity for the rest of the team. We're in the business of winning, not just competing hard.
"
In a nutshell, the Pacers and their fans can only hope the good outweighs the bad from here on out.
Best-Case Scenario: The Return of George Hill
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CBSSports.com's Brandon Wise said on Dec. 8 that Indiana Pacers point guard George Hill is "still a few weeks away" from returning from a torn quadricep injury. "A few weeks" here may mean anything between two or more, so the best-case scenario is having Hill back by the third week of December.
Indy's chemistry with Rodney Stuckey as the starter at the 1 has been a mess. David West said so himself in an interview with Pacers.com's Mark Montieth on Dec. 10:
"Our chemistry is not very good with that group (recent starters Stuckey, Solomon Hill, Chris Copeland, West and Hibbert). We have to work on it. Thank God for those second unit guys keeping these games close, because we haven't been able to start the games well.
We get down and put the team in a bad way. And it's not just shot-making. It's everything.
"
The chemistry promises to remain dicey as Hill works his way back into game shape. However, it still is Indy's best chance at shaking things up what with the losses beginning to pile up.
Think the Pacers don't miss A.J. Price yet?
Worst-Case Scenario: Indy Suffers Another Injury
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The 2014-15 NBA season may go down as the most injury-riddled in recent Indiana Pacers history.
Just when you think the worst was over, backup center Ian Mahinmi tore his left plantar fascia on Dec. 7 and is expected to sit out the next six to eight weeks, per the Pacers' official Twitter page.
To give fans a clearer picture of just how bad it's been, here are the number of games several Pacers have missed due to injury (as of Dec. 11):
- Paul George: 22 games
- George Hill: 22 games
- David West: 15 games
- C.J. Watson: 15 games
- C.J. Miles: seven games
- Rodney Stuckey: seven games
- Roy Hibbert: four games
- Ian Mahinmi: two games
That's a total of 84 games missed combined among eight different players. With Hill and George still out, that number will keep growing. Only seven Pacers have not been hit by the injury bug. There's no way you can produce good chemistry with just seven healthy players for the most part.
Here's to hoping there will be no more injuries coming Indy's way.
Best-Case Scenario: The Pacers Win Five Games in December
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Indiana should snap its six-game losing streak sooner than later.
Check out the Pacers' remaining December schedule: Seven of their next 11 opponents have losing records. However, six of those games will be on the road. The Pacers are just 3-8 away from Bankers Life Fieldhouse this season.
They continue to struggle clamping down on their opponents on the road. In those eight road losses, Indy gave up an average of 102.5 points. It will embark on another particularly brutal stretch from Dec. 17 to Dec. 27.
The Pacers will go on their second West Coast swing in two weeks and then visit the Detroit Pistons and Brooklyn Nets.
Head coach Frank Vogel should end the Rodney Stuckey experiment at the point guard spot. The Pacers have done better with the struggling Donald Sloan at the helm. Stuckey is 0-4 as the starter, while Sloan has a 7-11 mark.
Realistically, the Pacers can win five games in December. Should that be the case, they will end 2014 with a 12-21 record.
If the Pacers have one last chance to salvage their season and still compete for a playoff spot, it's now. Should they continue to lose more games, they can kiss their season goodbye. Hello, draft lottery.
Worst-Case Scenario: The Pacers Will Struggle Against Winning Teams
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It seems eons ago when the Indiana Pacers beat contenders such as the Chicago Bulls and Dallas Mavericks.
A maddening trend this season has been the Pacers keeping winning teams on the ropes, only to fold at the last minute:
- Indy led the Memphis Grizzlies by 13 in the third quarter before succumbing to a 26-2 run on Oct. 31. Final score: Grizzlies 97, Pacers 89.
- On Nov. 5, the Pacers gave the Southeast Division-leading Washington Wizards all they could handle before falling in overtime, 96-94.
- Indiana led 53-50 at halftime before allowing San Antonio Spurs guard Manu Ginobili to score 21 of his 28 points in the second half. Pacers lose, 106-100.
Indy has had six of those games so far—against the Grizzlies, Spurs, Portland Trail Blazers and the Los Angeles Clippers, plus two games against Washington. Had the team won at least half of those contests, it would be 10-12 right now.
If the Pacers were 10-12, they would be the seventh seed in the East through Dec. 12.
Indy will face four teams—the Raptors, Trail Blazers, Clippers and Bulls—with a combined 62-24 (.721) record for its remaining December schedule. This will be a tall order.
The key here will be not to let the opposition get off to a fast start. In its past three games, Indiana has been outscored 95-63 in the first quarter.
Best-Case Scenario: Roy Hibbert and David West End Their Recent Struggles
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The month of December hasn't been merry for David West and Roy Hibbert.
Let's start with Hibbert. His performance has noticeably tailed off since he returned from a sprained ankle on Dec. 2. From averaging 12.7 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game in November, he has averaged just 9.0 points and 6.4 rebounds.
And get this: His blocks-per-game average is down to 0.8 through Dec. 12. His field-goal percentage is also down to .417 per contest.
West has it worse. He averaged 16.0 points on 45.5 percent shooting to go along with 6.0 rebounds per game in November. Now, he's producing just 9.8 points and 5.8 rebounds on a putrid 38.6 percent shooting clip.
Lavoy Allen and Luis Scola have been outplaying Hibbert and West by a mile. In the Pacers' 103-96 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Dec. 10, Allen and Scola combined for 26 points and 27 rebounds. Hibbert and West could only muster six points and six rebounds.
West and Hibbert are the starters, but they haven't been playing like it. As previously mentioned, the Pacers have been atrocious in the first quarter recently. If an opponent outscores Indiana considerably during that stretch, it's usually a loss for the Pacers.
It's now all on West and Hibbert to put their recent struggles behind them. Look for them to do that and give Indiana an unexpected lease on life as 2014 draws to a close.
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