Indiana Pacers: Top 5 Plays From the First Half of the Season
By Mathew Muncy
Jan 18, 2014; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers fans hold up signs for Paul George during a game against the Los Angeles Clippers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Indiana defeats Los Angeles 106-92. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
What an incredible run the Indiana Pacers have been on during the first half of the NBA season. If someone would have said the Pacers would be 40-12, second best record in the league and two and a half games up on the Miami Heat, I would have laughed.
Don’t get me wrong, the Pacers made strides last season that you knew were going to carry over to this year, but there was still a lot of questions with this squad. How would Danny Granger fit in, especially if he’s starting over Lance Stephenson? Would the retooled bench be any better than last year? Was Paul George ready to become a superstar?
Granger has become a nice, albeit it somewhat struggling sixth man. The bench is 100 times better than last year, even when they have a bad night. And George took the superstar label and ran away with it.
But since crossing into the new year, the Pacers haven’t looked nearly as dominant. They were 25-5 at the end of 2013, and have gone 15-7 to start 2014. It’s too early to start questioning whether this team has what it takes to win a championship this year — for the record I think they do — but if they don’t get it together soon, that question will begin dominating the airwaves.
Throughout their first 52 games of the season, the Pacers have made some spectacular plays, a lot of them Sportscenter Top 10 worthy. Trying to pick the best five is not an easy task, but I think we put together a solid list. You don’t agree? Well let us know about it in the comments, along with the video or GIF of the play you think should have made the list.
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