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They look like the 2nd best team in the NBA, tbh, but they are still weak at the guard position, which can be exploited easily by top defensive teams..
They should start Watson and have Hill come off the bench, though..
The Pacers are the biggest threat to Miami. They have the NBA's top scorer in Paul George (28.0 ppg), top swatter in Mount Hibbert (6bpg), they are 3rd in points allowed (only 88.5ppg), 5th in point differential (+7.5), and 4th in opponents FG% (only 39.3%). Of course, they're also 3-0. They are playing with an air of invincibility and a swagger I haven't seen from them in a minute.
Paul George seems like he's taking the next step. Their X-Factor: Lance Stephenson. He is by far the biggest surprise for me. This dude is giving them 17.5ppg, 7.5rpg, 4.5apg, 22.15 PER, and shooting a blistering 62.5%. We know what D West brings to the table, but they also added Scola to back him up. I like how George Hill has been playing.
Verdict: they're contenders. Miami, beware of Pacers. Can't wait to see them lock horns in the playoffs again tbh.
They look like the 2nd best team in the NBA, tbh, but they are still weak at the guard position, which can be exploited easily by top defensive teams..
They should start Watson and have Hill come off the bench, though..
Pacers are legit..... They are Miamis biggest problem.
stephenson, are they still leaving him open to shoot do whatever he wants like the last 2 seasons where most of his points come from....
They look pretty legit to me.
But honestly any team who gives Stephenson the green light is suspect IMO.
- indeed. But they need a 2nd scorer and he's fitting the bill quite nicely. Truth be told, if Wade don't get 100% healthy by playoff time, I'd take my chances with Lance in their matchup if I'm a Pacer fan. Dude is in beast mode right now.
They don't need another scorer, they have George/Hibbert/West, tbh..
They need a ballhandler at the guard position to aid them in getting into their offensive sets, rather than stalling and killing time on the shot clock, tbh..George Hill can barely dribble a ball, and Stephenson isn't a PG, obviously..
is granger still out injured or his playing atm?
Pretenders. And they are severely overrated.
If they convert Granger into something that can actually help this team (like a decent playmaker or something similar) then they'll be a serious contender. They took Miami to 7 games in the ECF last season and they've further strengthened their squad the past summer, while the Heat remained pretty much the same except getting one year older.
hows scola so far this season? has he helped?
granger should focus on defense, but i think his contract is nearly up...i doubt he accept a lower role when his looking for his next big and last contract
Pacers are legit contenders. To say otherwise is senseless speculation. They took the champs to the brink, so if that's not contending then the word doesn't really exist.
Pacers with the LkrFan kiss of death tbh. RIP z.
I'm going to lean more towards pretenders for now just because I still don't think Hibbert is that much of a threat offensively against the bigger teams, and a Hill-Stephenson back court is extremely suspect and inconsistent. They definitely have the potential to win a championship as constructed though, but I think it would be due more to favorable matchups than any thing else. However, I think they become a serious contender, maybe even the front runner behind Miami (who should be considered the favorite just for beign b2b champs) if they can turn Granger into a guard who can flat out score and shoot the ball.
they heat just always have a hard time dealing with certain type of teams like the Magic of DH's epoch, and the Pacers, and almost any team with a quality big standing in the middle. even the 37yr old TOSB caused them tons of troubles in the finals imho. the pacers were just a horrible matchup for the heat yet they still came through it regardless
Yes, but they beat every team on their way to the ECF and gave the champs a run for their money. That's contending.
Is this the team Kobefans will bandwagon this year?
Brooklyn, Chicago and Indiana are all plausible possibilities to beat Miami in a seven-game series. Not saying they will, but they have a chance.
Danny Granger will beat Indiana in the playoffs.
Agree. Though Hill can be a pg in a triangle type system ...
How about the Spurs?
Contenders:
Regular Season on cruise control and the Spurs make it back to the NBA Finals.
Pretenders:
Mediocre regular season and are knocked out in the second round.
So which will it be?
Don't think the Bulls have enough low-post strength to cause the Heat any troubles. Boozer is a scrub now, Noah is good but he has little to contribute at the offensive end.
And Greg Oden may probably turn out to be a secret weapon for heat to cope with such teams like Pacers that they used to have trouble dealing with, if he can live up to even half of his potential, defensively at least. Birdman is a solid defender and rebounder but he's thin like a leather. Every team needs one or two fatass bigs imho
LINKLed by Paul George and their trademark stingy defense, the Indiana Pacers held off a late Detroit Pistons rally to remain the NBA's lone unbeaten team.
George scored a game-high 31 points with 10 rebounds, becoming the first Pacers player with a 30-point, 10-rebound game since David West did it at the beginning of last season.
It was George's second 30-point effort of the season, after scoring 32 in the Pacers second game against the New Orleans Pelicans. He's already one 30-point game away from matching his number of such games last season just four games into the 2013-14 campaign.
One reason for his scoring boost has been greater efficiency from 3-point range.
So far, he's connected on 14 of his 31 attempts -- a 45 percent clip. He's attempting almost eight 3-pointers per game so far, almost two full attempts more than he averaged a season ago.
While George has the led the way for Indiana offensively, the team's defense has picked up right where it left off a season ago.
Still going strong. They just need to gel with their new players and stay healthy tbh.
Pacers will be a force for years. Paul George is really developing into a superstar.
Contender, but getting a true PG would make them favorites imo.
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