Central Division

Indiana Pacers Power Rankings - 2012-13

Power Ranking
WEEKRECORDRANKCOMMENT
Week 2449-318The idea that slipping to No. 3 in the East is actually a good thing for Indy would be much easier to embrace if we knew the first-round pairings for sure. If it means a matchup with Atlanta, then sure. But a series in the octagon with Chicago is never fun, no matter how banged up the Bulls are.
Week 2348-297Not unlike the Clippers, Indy might find it a little tough to celebrate its big weekend achievement. The Pacers backed into their first division title since 2003-04 after losing both ends of a back-to-back ... along with some of the precious momentum they built up on that huge trip out West.
Week 2247-275You could argue that the Pacers' magic number is 25, because they're 11-1 when Paul George scores 25 or more points. Yet you have to wonder, no matter how much progress we've seen from George, how much they'll miss Danny Granger, who could have bolstered a bench that really needs it.
Week 2143-277The Pacers are still the closest thing to a consensus No. 2 in the East, but a 4-3 dip since that March 10 rout in Miami has raised questions. Indy's defense never rests, though: Milwaukee just became Indy's single-season club-record 27th opponent to shoot less than 40 percent from the field.
Week 2040-268The Knicks' favorite team right now? The same team that last beat Miami. The same Pacers who, tabbed by so many know-it-alls like me to be Miami's most legit threat in the East, just suffered their two worst L's of the season to keep New York from losing serious ground.
Week 1939-247Won't write the Pacers off because they couldn't beat Miami in Miami in the midst of the hottest streak, both personally and teamwise, of LeBron's career. Indy got bullied by the Heat, true, but sit at a pretty passable 13-11 on the road since a dreadful 1-6 start on its travels.
Week 1838-225Couple of red flags for Indy, possibly? New face of the franchise Paul George is averaging only 15 ppg on the road compared to nearly 21 ppg at home. And his Pacers, in news that sounds somewhat related, happen to be the NBA's only division leader out of six with a losing record on the road.
Week 1735-214The Pacers just became the first team in NBA history to win its first two games after the All-Star break by 30 points or more. Which certainly didn't do anything to hurt Indy's claim that, with or without Danny Granger, it deserves to be known as the East's most legit threat to the Heat.
Week 1632-217The NBA's best defensive team was supposed to start scoring once Danny Granger returned, but Indiana's O got healthy before he did. Averaging 100.7 ppg over the last 10 games raises hope that the Pacers might be able to win games at both ends. (Jared Wade, 8 Seconds, 9 Points)
Week 1531-206The joy of sweeping the NBA's only back-to-back-to-back set of the season -- after we saw 42 of 'em in 2011-12 following the lockout -- was slightly diluted by the OT loss at home to Toronto that gave the Raps some payback for the way Indy stole one on their floor back on opening night.
Week 1428-197Thirteen straight wins at the Pacers' famed fieldhouse is the streak on the line when Chicago shows up Monday night. Better yet: Indy ranks No. 2 in the East in terms of plus/minus -- adding the total of road wins to home losses -- at a robust plus-7. Miami is tops at plus-9.
Week 1326-186Paul George is one of only five players this season averaging 17 points, 7 boards and 3 assists. And the other four, like George, are all All-Stars: Durant, LeBron, D-Lee and Blake G. But with Chicago finally winning a few home games, Indy has lost its grip on the Central Division lead.
Week 1225-167Monday's All-Defense Bowl in Memphis launched a tough four-game swing through the West for the Pacers, with stops in Portland, Utah and Denver to follow. Indy hits the road on course to become the first team in the bottom two in scoring to post a winning record since the 2004-05 Nets.
Week 1123-157With the way Indy has weathered Danny Granger's season-long absence, developed Paul George in Granger's place and fashioned the league's No. 1 defense, who can argue with the two-year extension Frank Vogel just landed? Especially when it'll cost the Pacers just $2 million annually.
Week 1020-1410The Pacers deservedly get dinged for their 4-11 record against .500-or-better teams. And Roy Hibbert's struggles have been mentioned here Monday after Monday all season. So give it up to Indy right now for last Monday's win in Memphis and Hibbert's 20-and-15 game against Milwaukee.
Week 917-1312Roy Hibbert had finally hiked his shooting for the season above the 40 percent mark. He's been at the heart of the league's No. 2 defense. You wanted to believe Hibbert was well and truly rebounding ... and then he could muster only one board -- with zero points -- in Saturday's loss at Atlanta.
Week 816-1213Fair or not, I fear Roy Hibbert's offensive struggles will somehow affect his DPOY campaign. But Hibbert has finally hiked his season shooting above 40 percent ... while Paul George has strung together double-doubles in three of his past four games after none in the previous 21 games.
Week 713-1113We've been pretty hard on Indy, even after the big St. Elmo's news covered here last Monday, but defense continues to save 'em. The Pacers have dug out a league-high four wins when scoring under 90 points and rank No. 2 in the East in +/- with three more road W's than home L's.
Week 610-1116Indy (sub-).500 is fortunate. Ever since we caught wind of the recent Twitter stir revealing that St. Elmo's Steakhouse now sells its famous, sinus-slamming shrimp cocktail sauce online, that's what we think of when we hear anything about Indy. Not the Pacers' turnover-laced rough start.
Week 58-918Have we been too hard on these guys when they had to start the season with 12 of the first 18 games on the road ... all without Danny Granger? Don't think so. Not when the Pacers have already played Washington, Toronto and Sacramento twice each as well as Charlotte and New Orleans.
Week 46-820The Pacers' recent offensive uptick (and we're really using uptick liberally here) delivered little more than two wins over bottom-feeding Washington and New Orleans. Only one of Indy's top five scorers, in fact, is shooting better than .411 from the floor: David West, naturally, at .467.
Week 34-720The Pacers lead the league in defensive efficiency and still rank as the most disappointing team through the season's opening month. Which should give you a clear indication of how ugly their offense looks right now without Danny Granger and with Roy Hibbert still fully in a funk.
Week 23-415The record can't quite be deemed alarming yet because the Pacers have played only twice at home. The alarming part: Roy Hibbert's struggles (8.7 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 38.4 percent shooting) are such that Danny Granger-less Indy must sometimes feel like it's down two frontcourt starters.
Week 12-19Bold prediction: If Paul George continues to average 14 and 13, Indy will weather Granger's knee issues just fine. In a weekend win over Sacramento, George and D-West became the first Pacers to each ring up at least 15 points and 15 rebounds in the same game since 1985.
Preseason0-08The Pacers survived last season's woeful bench production with the considerable durability of their starters. So it has to unsettle our friends in the land of St. Elmo's to hear Danny Granger come out over the weekend admitting that his left knee is "testing me."
Training Camp42-248Indy's splashiest acquisition was Donnie Walsh. Nothing wrong with that -- not when the Pacers also re-signed Hibbert and George Hill -- but that means Frank Vogel is clearly dependent on improvement from within to maintain their spot in the East's elite. Not so simple.

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