In a season of change in Indiana, the Pacers did well to clinch a vital spot inside the playoffs despite an on-and-off campaign.

Starters George Hill and Ian Mahinmi left the franchise but it was new head coach Nate McMillan who managed to bring in experienced free agents Al Jefferson and Aaron Brooks.

PG13's role

Paul George has led the Pacers this season. Photo: USA-TODAY Sports

Leading the charge has once again been the influential Paul George, who averaged over 23 points in his 74 games for Indiana this regular season.

Keeping him fit has been key to the Pacers, as their form rose and dipped several times throughout the season but the Central Division side still managed to sneak into the playoffs for the second consecutive season.

A five-game win streak at the start of January was then met with another win streak of seven in February but a six-game run without a loss on the back of said winning run highlighted the inconsistency of this team.

It is rare to find a game in which George did not top a key stat for the Pacers; he even matched his career best of 43 points in an overtime loss to the Cavaliers recently.

George slightly overtook his career best points per game as well as an impeccable 90 percent from the free-throw line.

His excellence was highlighted during the run into the close season, as he top scored for Pacers in all but one game during March and April.

Jeff Teague has been a welcome addition to the Indiana setup. Photo: USA-TODAY Sports

The Back-ups to Paul George

However, despite captain George being the main cog in the Pacers machine, key contributions from guard Jeff Teague and center Myles Turner will not go unnoticed.

Teague, who only joined Pacers this offseason from Atlanta, assisted a career high of 7.8 baskets per game as he featured in every game during the regular season.

Turner has also been a name on the lips of many Pacers fans. Despite only being 21-years-old, Turner has featured in all but one game this season and has been excellent on the defensive boards as well as averaging 14.5 points a game.

There is still room for Turner to improve too, especially on the front-court but it was a promising first season as a starter filling the void left by Mahinmi.

The Playoff Push

It seemed as though the playoffs were slowly slipping away from the Pacers during February as they consumed a miserable five-game losing streak, but fortunately the All-Star Weekend halted sliding momentum and began trading losses with wins for the next month.

A three-game away spell starting in March and falling to April proved to be critical for Pacers, as they lost to Memphis, Toronto, and Cleveland, albeit the former of those losses being a resilient loss in double overtime.

That game started the last big push for the playoffs with a reinvigorated Miami Heat team also vying for the lower playoff spots, alongside the Chicago Bulls and the Milwaukee Bucks ,led by Jimmy Butler and Giannis Antetokounmpo respectively.

Big wins in Orlando against the Magic and in Philadelphia against the 76ers, as well victories against Toronto and Milwaukee at home in the Bankers Life Fieldhouse. These key wins enabled the Pacers to clinch a place in the playoffs and set up a first-round matchup against the Cavaliers.

Lance Stephenson’s input cannot be ignored, with the shooting guard adding extra depth to the squad as injuries hit but Stephenson’s return in March proved pivotal as he added points from the bench.

Playoff Outcome

We shall see how this season will end as the Toronto Raptors finished off the Pacers in seven games in the first-round of the playoffs last season. A series with the Cavaliers is no walk-in-the-park so the Pacers will have to give it their all instead of George carrying them.

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About the author
Dominic Punt
Student at Southampton Solent University, watching all things sport this side of the pond and the other.