EASTERN CONFERENCE CENTRAL DIVISION Indiana After falling short in the 2013 NBA playoffs, the Indiana Pacers began the 2013-14 season on a mission. Their goal was to secure the top seed in the Eastern Conference and secure home-court advantage against their nemesis, the LeBron James-led Miami Heat. Early in the season, Indiana was dominant, blowing opponents out on a routine basis and racing out to the lead in the league standings. Somewhere along the way, the wheels fell off Indiana’s season. Suddenly, the Pacers had tremendous difficulty scoring points and winning games. Locker room turmoil followed amid accusations of selfish play. In the end, the Pacers were somehow able to hold on to the top seed in the Eastern Conference, but were eliminated by the Miami Heat anyway. Now, with Paul George having suffered a gruesome injury over the summer and Lance Stephenson departed to Charlotte, Indiana looks more like a lottery team than a real title contender. Defense Last year’s Pacers team was built to play dominating defense, and for the most part, they delivered. Hibbert is a monster of a center, a fantastic rim protector who changes the way opponents try to score points. Hibbert is good at just about anything as a defensive center. He blocks shots at the rim, cuts off driving lanes, rotates to open men and swallows counterparts who try to score on him. Hibbert was joined by arguably the best wing defender in the NBA in George. George is tall, long, athletic, and smart and finished second in the NBA in Defensive Win Shares (6.4), third in individual defensive rating, and he had a defensive Real Plus-Minus of +2.58. With George locking down opposing wings and Hibbert controlling the paint, Indiana ended up being the league’s top defensive team last season. Fast forward to this season, and the outlook is quite different. George suffered a brutal broken leg during the USA Basketball training camp in August and figures to miss the entire season. The ever improving Stephenson went to the Charlotte Hornets in free agency. What was once an Indiana team with a fantastic starting five is left with just Hibbert, David West, and George Hill intact. While George’s absence will certainly have a negative impact on Indiana’s defense, the Pacers should remain somewhat stingy to score on. Hibbert still roams the middle while West is a physical presence STARTERS G George Hill G C.J. Miles C Roy Hibbert F David West F Solomon Hill BENCH F Lavoy Allen F Chris Copeland C Ian Mahinmi F Damjan Rudez F Luis Scola G Donald Sloan G Rodney Stuckey F Paul George G C.J. Watson C Shayne Whittington
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