All season, the Indiana Pacers have maintained that homecourt advantage for the Eastern Conference playoffs, and their chemistry will give them a great chance to dethrone the two-time NBA champion Miami Heat.
Are both slipping away?
In the last two weeks, Indiana’s grip on the East’s best record has loosened considerably. And the Pacers’ big move at Thursday’s trading deadline, acquiring Evan Turner, illustrated that their belief in chemistry may have been overstated.
On the morning of Feb. 9, the Pacers were 39-10 and coming off an overtime win vs. Portland. The Heat were four games back at 35-14 after an awful loss at Utah, and looked a lot like a second seed.
But over the last two weeks, Miami has won four in a row on the road vs. quality opponents – Phoenix, Golden State, Dallas and Oklahoma City – before handling Chicago at home on Sunday. Meanwhile, Indiana has gone just 3-3 – its worst six-game stretch of the season – with losses at Orlando and at home to Dallas, where it managed just 73 points against one of the NBA’s worst defenses.
LeBron James took his already ethereal game up another notch, averaging 37.0 points and 9.5 rebounds while shooting 61 percent in the four road games. The Heat are 57-7 in the Big Three Era when they get 20-plus points from Dwyane Wade, who is showing some bounce in his step again. And in consecutive national TV showcases, Miami played its best defense of the season.
Indiana’s lead is now down to one game in the loss column, and the Pacers have to be feeling the Heat, figuratively and literally.
“We’re starting to put it together defensively,” Miami’s Chris Bosh said.
“You can see the resolve,” Wade said. “You can see the chemistry. You can see a team that’s gearing up for the second half of the season.”
Everyone remembers how the Heat geared up for the second half of last season, rattling off 27 straight wins and securing the top overall seed. That kind of came in handy against Indiana in the conference finals, and San Antonio in the NBA Finals. Both Game 7s were played in Miami.
The Pacers remember, too.
What other reason would there be to move Danny Granger – who never rocked the boat as a knee injury transformed him from face of the franchise to expensive reserve – for Evan Turner?
Known as “The Villain,” the Pacers need Turner to be more of a hero. That is a lot to ask of an unknown postseason quantity who immediately will be asked to sacrifice minutes, touches and shots while performing a full 180 in his approach to defense, all while knowing he likely will be elsewhere this season.
This wasn’t a panic move, but it was a necessary one by the braintrust of Donnie Walsh, Larry Bird and Kevin Pritchard. Indiana got to Game 7 at Miami a year ago and raced to the league’s best record this season largely without Granger, who aside from a brief stretch in January wasn’t having the anticipated impact as a sixth man that the Pacers hoped he would. They knew the Heat would find another gear and needed to counter that in some way.
And maybe Turner will do that for them. He’s not the 3-point shooter that Granger is, but he’s not going to just stand in the corner and wait for a swing of the ball, either. The ball sticks a little with him, but he is an ideal fit for Indiana’s second unit, a talented bunch missing someone who can elevate and create his own shot against the clock. His 6-7 size on the wing allows the Pacers to use him whether they go big or small.
And don’t overlook Lavoy Allen, who arrived in the same trade. He reinforces Indiana’s primary advantages over Miami – size and bulk – and provides wingnut insurance for Andrew Bynum.
The Pacers may have just experienced some post-All-Star doldrums – “I’m a little more tired than usual. I’m sure those guys are,” coach Frank Vogel admitted – and they have an easy upcoming schedule, which should help them get back on task while acclimating Turner.
No one is writing their obituary.
Still …
“That’s, in my opinion, a top-two team in the NBA,” Bucks guard Brandon Knight said after catching a beating from Indiana on Saturday.
Based on the past two weeks, it’s pretty clear the Pacers want to be better than that.
TRIVIA: Who are the only two players to make three consecutive All-Star Games with three different teams? Answer below.