Indiana Pacers Sliding Backwards in Power Rankings

Another batch of power rankings have arrived and the Indiana Pacers find themselves slipping into the middle of the pack.

The Indiana Pacers are sliding down in the power rankings thanks to losses to the Boston Celtics and the previously winless Philadelphia 76ers.

While a win on Monday over the Orlando Magic may give some a reason to be optimistic, the next 10 games include a visit from the Cleveland Cavaliers, two games against the Golden State Warriors, as well as plenty of playoff-caliber teams. It is going to get worse before it gets better for the Pacers.

What do the experts have to say about this the team this week? Let’s take a look.

Jeremy Woo

@Jeremy_Woo, Sports Illustrated

19Paul George has been emotional, frustrated and hurt through three weeks, but there’s zero concern about his production. For what it’s worth, Indiana still has more talent to work with than most teams in this tier. (Last Week: 17th) — Sports Illustrated

Marc Stein

@ESPNSteinLine, ESPN

19The Pacers, at 0-5 on the road, are off to their worst start outside city limits since the 1990-91 season, when they dropped their first 11 road games. Larry Bird & Co. can only hope that last week was the low point, after the troubling bookends of an eyebrow-raising Paul George rant about trust and team chemistry and an ankle tweak for PG-13 were sandwiched around the Pacers’ frustration of finding themselves in back-to-back overtime games with the struggling Sixers.
(Last week: 13) — ESPN

Matt Moore

@MattMooreCBS, CBS Sports

24Those of us who chose to believe in the Pacers in preseason are having that Gob Bluth “I’ve made a huge mistake” moment. (Last week: 21) — CBS Sports

John Schuhmann

@johnschuhmann, NBA

20Paul George’s absence against the Celtics on Saturday gave the Pacers their first home loss. They’re still winless on the road because they were the first team to lose to the Sixers (after needing overtime to beat them at home two days earlier). Myles Turner got just six shots and just 15 frontcourt touches in 21 minutes in the Philly loss on Friday. He’s scoring more efficiently (and shooting a league-best 60 percent from mid-range), but his usage rate hasn’t budged much from his rookie year. (Last week: 18) — NBA

Gerald Bourguet

@GeraldBourguet, HoopsHabit

If the Pacers want to climb back to respectability, they can start with finding a way to win when they play the Cleveland Cavaliers tonight.