Why the Indiana Pacers could win the NBA title

By foxsports
Published

Ahead of the NBA playoffs, FOX Sports will find the best-case scenario for all 16 qualified teams and make the case for why each could win the title, no matter how improbable it might be.

Paul George isn't the first name people think of when they're discussing the best players in the NBA, but he's right up there with the elite of the elite in the association. 

You think Kawhi Leonard is a good player? Of course you do, he's awesome. Well, George put up better numbers than Leonard across the board this season and his defense isn't as far behind the surefire first-team defender as many might believe. 

Leonard is probably going to finish runner-up in MVP voting, and for good reason. George won't be close in the MVP voting, and it's hard to find a reason why. 

There's a level of anonymity that comes with playing for the Pacers, but that's gone now that the playoffs are starting. (Though with this being the NBATV series, there's still some anonymity.) 

That's ok —€” having a player like George at the height of his powers is exactly what a team needs to get ahead in the playoffs. 

The Pacers had the third-ranked defense in the NBA this season, that that's not an accident. 

The Pacers are long, they play with energy, and they value the defensive side of the ball more than most teams. 

The Pacers' offense might not be elite, but in the tight contests of the playoffs, their defense will keep them in games, especially when you factor in that they forced the most turnovers in clutch situations in the NBA this season. No game is fully over with the Pacers' D. 

The Pacers should have been better than they were this year, and they were pretty good, winning 46 games. 

While that might stymie hope of a deep postseason run, an optimistic view of this team leaves the possibility that the best is yet to come. 

Monte Ellis, the foil to the team's defense-first mentality, hasn't produced the offensive counterweight the Pacers were expecting, but his numbers went up in the playoffs last year. The Pacers are hoping that he'll get the postseason bump again this year. 

The playoffs could also prove to by rookie Myles Turner's full-blown coming out party. The 20-year-old big man has posted a really strong rookie season, and his ability to go for 20-and-10 on any given night makes him a big x-factor in the playoffs. Just look at his game against the Warriors in January, where he dropped 31 points, grabbed eight rebounds and had two blocks in 28 minutes. 

Paired with the Pacers' strong defense and the Raptors' propensity to lose first-round series, it's hardly unbelievable for the Pacers to advance to play the winner of the Hawks-Celtics showdown, which is absolutely winnable for this team. 

And while the Pacers have lost all three competitive matchups with the Cavs this season, Indiana does have one the only guys in the NBA who can feasibly slow down LeBron James in George. 

As for a showdown with the Warriors in the finals? Here's hoping Turner has four more all-world games in him.