Like every year at the start of the NBA season, American bookmakers have broadcast their predictions of victory for each franchise in the championship at the end of the regular season. Among these predictions, that of the Pacers which in April was set at 23.5 wins. Worry ? The Indiana boys have already won 21 games. In your face, Vegas!
What better feeling than showing everyone that you fall short as expected in your discipline? It is in any case with this one sensation that Tyrese Haliburton and his band definitely need to get up every morning, since, as can be read in the title, the Pacers are just three hits away from typing their win prediction on the regular ENTIRE. Wait, but it’s actually only the beginning of January…
This is the great achievement of these Pacers, from which obviously nobody expected much this season other than the appearance of the logo in Adam Silver’s envelope during the raffle next spring. However, Indiana is now sixth in the Eastern Conference with 21 wins from 17 losses. Ahead in particular of the Heat, the Hawks, the Bulls and the Raptors, four teams that participated in the playoffs last year. They are certainly the 28th defense in the championship, but above all the 16th overall attack. So this, the prognosticators didn’t see it coming.
Led by a trio formed by Tyrese Haliburton – the current best passer in the NBA – Buddy Hield and Bennedict Mathurin, the Pacers have offered the scalp of several big league players, such as the Warriors twice, but also the Nets and the Celts. Add to that a by his standards Myles Turner, pretty nice collective chemistry and you have a beautiful treasure in the Orient that was initially marked as an ‘easy win’ on everyone’s calendars to finally be designated an ‘oh go- move them there’.
A group brilliantly led by Rick Carlisle, who knows how to take advantage of transition moments like creating play in mid-field, basically being very unpleasant to manage for any opponent. Advancing “under the radar” is also a huge advantage for the Pacers, who on paper didn’t have much to play at the start of the season and therefore are under less pressure than much of the league. In the registrywe like to make bookmakers lie“, we can also mention the Nets, who have only five wins to scratch to overturn the initial prognosis.
These Pacers amaze as much as they annoy anyone who shows up in Indianapolis to kick a basketball. A tight-knit group, who certainly don’t play perfectly, but who do well enough to overthrow big teams. It’s beautiful, so we have to continue!
