Like every year at the start of the NBA season, the American bookmakers broadcast their victory forecasts for each franchise in the league at the end of the regular season. Among these predictions, that of the Pacers which was set at 23.5 victories in April. Concern ? The Indiana guys have already won 21 games. In your face, Vegas!
What better feeling than showing everyone that you are not as flush as expected in your discipline? It is in any case with this feeling that Tyrese Haliburton and his band must most certainly get up every morning, since as you could read in the title, the Pacers are only three successes away from typing their prediction of victories on the ENTIRE regular. Wait, but it’s only the beginning of January in fact…
This is the great achievement of these Pacers, of which obviously nobody expected much this season except for the appearance of the logo in Adam Silver’s envelope during the lottery next spring. However, Indiana is now sixth in the Eastern Conference with 21 wins for 17 losses. In front of in particular the Heat, the Hawks, the Bulls and the Raptors, four teams having participated in the Playoffs last year. They are certainly the 28th defense of the league, but especially the 16th overall attack. So this one, the prognosticators didn’t see it coming.
Led by a trio made up of Tyrese Haliburton – the current best passer in the NBA – Buddy Hield and Bennedict Mathurin, the Pacers have offered themselves the scalp of several big teams in the League, such as the Warriors twice, but also the Nets and the Celtics . Add to that a Myles Turner in his standards, a rather likable collective chemistry and you have a beautiful darling in the East which was initially marked as an “easy victory” in everyone’s calendars to finally be designated as “oh go- relocate them there”.
A group brilliantly led by Rick Carlisle, who knows how to take advantage of transition times like creating play on the half-court, basically being really very unpleasant for any opponent to manage. Advancing “under the radar” is also a huge advantage for the Pacers, who didn’t have much to play for on paper at the start of the season and therefore have less pressure than much of the League. In the registerwe like to make the bookmakers lie“, we can also mention the Nets, who have only five wins to scratch to reverse their initial prognosis.
These Pacers amaze as much as they annoy anyone who shows up in Indianapolis to kick a basketball. A close-knit group, which certainly does not play perfectly, but which manages it well enough to overthrow large teams. It’s beautiful, so we must continue!
