The Pacers desperate playoff push continues tonight as the Charlotte Bobcats visit the Fieldhouse. Winnable game? Sure. Technically they're all winnable. Just don't forget that the Bobcats have beaten the Pacers in their two previous meetings this year.
Here's Bruno's Scouting Report which focuses on Mike Dunleavy and his efforts with the Pacers to both avoid having the worst record of any team he's played on AND make the playoffs for the first time. You gotta love the Eastern Conference. But as a team, looking past tonight is unwise. The Bobcats have struggled lately but the Pacers aren't exactly rolling either. Don't count your Ws until the final buzzer sounds. O'B nails it.
"They need to be looking at this is a team coming off a stretch where they won five games (in a row) and they've beaten us twice. If you're 45-25 and you're playing against teams like the Pacers, maybe you think you should beat them. But when you're 26-41 and you're playing against a team that's about the same as you are, you'd better just think about trying to be up one at the end of the game."
According to the projected starters, expect a quick pace as it appears the Pacers are going small, with Troy Murphy at center and Kareem Rush at shooting guard. Sounds good to me, everybody run and let's have some fun!Check out Bobcat Bonfire for the Bobcats' perspective.
Here's what the efficiency numbers say:
| Team | Pace | Off.Eff. | Def.Eff. |
|---|---|---|---|
| IND | 96.1(3rd) | 107.0(18th) | 109.3(17th) |
| CHA | 89.9(14th) | 105.2(23rd) | 111.0(24th) |
Projected Starters
| PACERS | pos. | BOBCATS |
|---|---|---|
| Mike Dunleavy | F | Jason Richardson |
| Danny Granger | F | Gerald Wallace |
| Troy Murphy | C | Emeka Okafor |
| Kareem Rush | G | Matt Carroll |
| Flip Murray | G | Raymond Felton |
Feel free to leave your thoughts on the game in the comments.