The Pacers aren't exactly coming out of their break rested and ready to go. With LeBron and the Cleveland Cavaliers in town tonight, Jamaal Tinsley and Jermaine O'Neal remain on the shelf. Also, it looks like David Harrison won't be available. The Pacers will have to hit a high percentage of shots tonight because stopping the Cavs won't be easy tonight. At least the Cavs won't have Sasha Pavlovic to torment the Pacers tonight. I swear his performances against the P's have kept him in the league. Here's Bruno's Scouting Report which has the Pacers focusing on what needs to be done to earn a playoff spot in the East. Mike Dunleavy nails the issues involved without any fluff.
"I wouldn't look at who we're playing, I wouldn't look at trying to make the playoffs, I wouldn't look at what record we're trying to get," said Mike Dunleavy. "I look at what we need to do as a team that we practice every day but can't carry over to games. That's the main thing. If we just look at that, everything will take care of itself and I think we'll have a rewarding 29 games. If we don't do that stuff, it's going to be frustrating."
Exactly. Oh, and don't mind that little thing called the trade deadline that arrives tomorrow. Rumors are rampant and speculation useless. Tell me when something happens.Here's what the efficiency numbers say:
| Team | Pace | Off.Eff. | Def.Eff. |
|---|---|---|---|
| IND | 96.3(3rd) | 106.0(19th) | 108.3(17th) |
| CLE | 89.6(16th) | 106.7(17th) | 108.5(18th) |
Projected Starters
| PACERS | pos. | PISTONS |
|---|---|---|
| Mike Dunleavy | F | LeBron James |
| Troy Murphy | F | Drew Gooden |
| Jeff Foster | C | Zydrunas Ilgauskas |
| Danny Granger | G | Ira Newble |
| Travis Diener | G | Larry Hughes |
Feel free to leave your thoughts on the game in the comments.