Pacers...

[Shrub]

Are the new Spurs.

If they don't win it this year, they'll win it next year.
If they don't win it next year, they'll win it the next year.
If they don't win it the next year...

Consistent, loyal team, built the right way.

This team, to me, is the most interesting team in the league, and I think Paul George vs LeBron James is a brooding face-off like the NBA hasn't seen in a looooong time.

Here's the most interesting thought the Pacers team brings up:
The growing super-friends trend in the league has worked only once, on a team featuring arguably the best player of all time, and arguably the best shooting guard of all time. Since James made the move, it has become, it seems, perceptibly, a necessity that players form super-teams.
BUT MAYBE IT DOESN'T WORK.
Maybe the heat are a glorious exception, where egos were put aside for the greater good, and it simply isn't the right way to build a team.

The Pacers certainly seem to make a point for the organic growth argument, and may mark a shift away from this super-team trend of recent years, back to loyalty and, well, "team".

I hope so.

I'm rooting for them, and I think they are strong, strong candidates to win it all.
(This is me trying very hard not to make an overly strong statement. Fuck it, Pacers win 2013-2014).

[Blacklash2k4]

Paul George is seriously challenging Lebron for the MVP award.

[wallz]

I like the Pacers, but Hibbert is a cocky douchebag

[BobLoblaw]

Hibbert talks big sometimes like Rasheed used to talk, but his teammates, coaches or people who get a chance to meet him seem to love him.

[consmap]

Hibbert talks big sometimes like Rasheed used to talk, but his teammates, coaches or people who get a chance to meet him seem to love him.

Tim Duncan works out with him a lot during the off season, so his attitude can't be that bad.

[Shrub]

Paul George is seriously challenging Lebron for the MVP award.

Yeah, I agree.
I can't really give a strong reason, but something about George just seems absolutely exceptional.
He kind of strikes me as LeBron's kyrptonite...and he's only entering his 4th season.

[Blacklash2k4]

Yeah, I agree.
I can't really give a strong reason, but something about George just seems absolutely exceptional.
He kind of strikes me as LeBron's kyrptonite...and he's only entering his 4th season.

That's a scary thought that he's only entering his 4th season. How good can George be when he's in his prime or near LeBron's age? There is still so much room for improvement for him.

[lilmamba_]

Five in a row WOOW well the raps are gonna hand them their first loss (fingerscrossed)
#amirical

[melmo]

That's a scary thought that he's only entering his 4th season. How good can George be when he's in his prime or near LeBron's age? There is still so much room for improvement for him.

we've seen loads of players that peak early, and then they stuck. I tend to believe that a player become a star only when he carries over two or three outstanding seasons. Geroge has been growing steadily, last season he played greatly, but i felt like he choked in the final hour.

[ezz_bee]

Lebron is a once in a lifetime player, when both their careers are over they won't be compared against the same players. That said, I'm picking whoever comes out of the East to win it all this year, AND I'm picking the PACERS to be that team. I'm not ready to speak about the Pacers model of team building because there seems to have been a lot of random luck. Not that I want to undervalue their decisions making but I'm not sure there's something in their process that you can point to and say, we just need to do this like the Pacers did. Either way the Pacers are really deep and really good.

[JawsGT]

Lebron is a once in a lifetime player, when both their careers are over they won't be compared against the same players. That said, I'm picking whoever comes out of the East to win it all this year, AND I'm picking the PACERS to be that team. I'm not ready to speak about the Pacers model of team building because there seems to have been a lot of random luck. Not that I want to undervalue their decisions making but I'm not sure there's something in their process that you can point to and say, we just need to do this like the Pacers did. Either way the Pacers are really deep and really good.

Agreed, it's the Pacers year IMO as well. I think the Heat got two championships out of the Big 3 and thats all they are gonna get. Indiana is just a more well rounded team, and everyone is on the same page and ego's are less of an issue. I'm predicting alot of Pacers/Rockets or Pacers/Warriors in the coming years.

[Ambidextrious]

Gameday!! We gotta get this Win and hand Indy their first loss of the season (albeit quite unlikely)

[S.R.]

George really elevated his game in the playoffs, esp. against Miami. That was impressive - guarding LeBron and still having his way on O.

The biggest ? for the Pacers is Hibbert - he's their backbone. He went from 12ppg/8rpg/28mpg in the regular season to 17ppg/11rpg/36.5mpg in the playoffs. Will he have that on tap every postseason? He's only done it once so far. (He even elevated FG%/FT% from 44%/60% to 51%/80% for the playoffs. Crazy.)

[Superjudge]

Paul George is seriously challenging Lebron for the MVP award.

funny you should mention that, because I was all over this guy in a thread,not sure if it was here or over at the "other" raptor board, but a few guys told me I was an idiot for saying Paul George was superstar material with his ability to play such a solid all round game. Nice to see I have a few more people around that share that sentiment. Dude is just solid.

[BobLoblaw]

George really elevated his game in the playoffs, esp. against Miami. That was impressive - guarding LeBron and still having his way on O.

The biggest ? for the Pacers is Hibbert - he's their backbone. He went from 12ppg/8rpg/28mpg in the regular season to 17ppg/11rpg/36.5mpg in the playoffs. Will he have that on tap every postseason? He's only done it once so far. (He even elevated FG%/FT% from 44%/60% to 51%/80% for the playoffs. Crazy.)

Hibbert's performance in the playoffs was quite consistent with his play in the 2nd half of the season. His per 36 numbers were near identical. He just started last season so poorly on offense that it dragged his overall regular season numbers down. But he was beasting long before the playoffs.

Curiously, he's starting this season in an offensive slump again. Last year the official excuse was a wrist injury. This year, I've no idea.