Indiana Pacers begin season against the Toronto Raptors

Welcome back, NBA, and welcome back to the Indiana Pacers. The Blue & Gold open the season against the Raptors in the first game of their playoff quest.

WHO: Toronto Raptors (0-0, T-1 in the Atlantic Division
WHEN: 7:30 pm ET / 6:30 pm CT
WHERE: Air Canada Centre, Toronto, ON

TV: FS Indiana
RADIO: 1070 the Fan
STREAM: Fox Sports Go (requires cable subscription) and on the FS

The Pacers
Indiana only lost two games in the preseason (5-2) and looked strong against their relative opposition. The two games they lost (New Orleans, Chicago) were relatively close throughout and Indiana looks to be one of the most interesting teams to come out of the Eastern Conference already.

Many a writer have weighed in on the Pacers, including CBS Sports, ESPN, and SB Nation to name a few, and the majority have the team missing out on the postseason completely. With a full slate of games ahead, though, Indiana has the advantage in controlling their own destiny.

Paul George led the Pacers in both scoring (18.7 ppg) and rebounding (6.3 rpg) and will undoubtedly be the centerpiece of their success is all goes as planned. Expect George Hill and Monta Ellis to play big roles, as well as the rookies Joe Young and Myles Turner, if healthy.

The Raptors
Toronto is also 5-2 heading out of the preseason, but only averaged just under 95 points per game on 41.8% shooting. However, they did boast the 7th best defensive rating in the preseason and have been a near unanimous choice for making the playoffs near the top of the East.

Kyle Lowry led the team in scoring at 22 points per game, and DeMarre Carroll (11.3 ppg) and Jonas Valanciunas (10.1 ppg) were the only other Raptors to average above 10 per game though Cory Joseph (9.9 ppg), DeMar DeRozan (9.5 ppg), and Luis Scola (9.5 ppg) were all close.

Speaking of Scola, this will be his first game against his former team after exiting in free agency.

The Pacers would like to get off to a winning start but definitely have a tough test in Toronto. It will take a full 48-minute performance for Indiana to come out on top.

Next: Pacers Roundtable: Eight Thoughts on the Season Ahead

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