| Fast Start For The Pacers Authored by Andrew Perna - November 5, 2007 - 1:09 pm
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The excitement might be a little premature, but if you ask me, it’s still warranted.
The Indiana Pacers, picked by a majority of the nation to finish near the bottom of the Eastern Conference, are undefeated (3-0) after one week of action.
They haven’t battled the likes of San Antonio, Houston and Boston yet, but they haven’t opened the 2007-08 season against a trio of pushovers either. Their first game of the season, against the Wizards, ended with an overtime victory despite the absence of two starters (Jermaine O’Neal and Troy Murphy).
Jamaal Tinsley and Danny Granger carried the Pacers in overtime on Wednesday, after Gilbert “Mr. Clutch” Arenas drained a three-pointer to force the extra period. It’s the play of both Tinsley and Granger that has brought both promise and excitement to the stands of Conseco Fieldhouse.
O’Neal returned to the court for Indiana on Friday night against Miami, and the result was the same. Jim O’Brien didn’t ask for much from his franchise player, playing him just 24 minutes on his bum knee, as he eased him into the game. O’Neal didn’t force things on the offensive end, finishing with just ten points on 2-for-9 shooting. However, it was his nine rebounds, seven assists and three blocks that allowed Indiana to win a close game against a team that was hoisting the Larry O’Brien trophy just seventeen months ago.
On Saturday night, the Pacers flew to Memphis to take on the young, but talented Grizzles. O’Neal was featured more on offensive, taking 14 shots, but once again other players carried the load.
Indiana got fifty points from Granger and Mike Dunleavy, who combined to lead the Pacers in a 121-111 road win. They also enjoyed spirited play from Ike Diogu and David Harrison off the bench for the third-straight contest.
To say the Pacers are playing better than expected would be an understatement, but to say they are all of a sudden a force in the East would be an even greater injustice. These Pacers might turn out to be a fun team to watch in 2007-08, but to place unfair expectations upon them because of a hot start would impede their maturation.
While the Pacers will be better equipped with Troy Murphy and Shawne Williams (suspension) back in uniform, they will face their toughest test of the young season starting this Saturday against the Nuggets.
They’ll compete in winnable games against the Clippers and Bobcats on Wednesday and Friday respectively, but things get much tougher from then on. The Pacers must travel back to Indianapolis following Friday night’s game in Charlotte to face the immensely-talented Nuggets on Saturday evening. However, that’s just the start of a tough week-long stretch that includes games against the Celtics, Wizards, Raptors and Jazz – all considered to be playoff-caliber teams.
Eyes peering through pessimistic glasses this summer viewed the Pacers’ roster as a group of overpaid and underachieving misfits – and rightfully so. Tinsley, Dunleavy and Murphy are all considered to have lengthy, undesirable contracts. O’Neal, when healthy, might be one of the League’s best players, but he seemed to be a phone call away from Los Angeles all summer.
Granger and Williams seemed to be the lone bright spots in Indianapolis at the end of a disappointing 2006-07 season, but an arrest dropped Williams from those ranks in late summer.
O’Brien was unsure, and still doesn’t know, about what he’ll get from Marquis Daniels, Diogu and Harrison each night. All three seem hungry, but have enjoyed short stretches of brilliance in the past only to struggle around the bend. It remains to be seen whether or not they’ll maintain their feverish pace past the first three games of the still-new campaign.
ESPN’s John Hollinger might be regretting his predicted win total for the Pacers this season, a paltry 28, but they are still far from a playoff contender in the improved Eastern Conference.
Are these Pacers fun to watch and maybe a little more promising than we expected? Yes. But should we expect bigger and better things than we initially thought they were capable of? No.
O’Neal, who has seen it all during his eight seasons in Indiana, put it best following the team’s victory in Memphis this Saturday night, “We are playing some really good basketball right now, but we can till have a lot of growth.”
Luckily, growth is something that can be achieved regardless of wins or losses.
Does the Pacers’ hot start mean they’ll be better than most people expected in 2007-08? Andrew.Perna@RealGM.com |
