Why the Indiana Pacers Won Seven Straight, And Why They Can Win Tonight

Feb 1, 2017; Orlando, FL, USA; Indiana Pacers forward C.J. Miles (0) celebrates with center Myles Turner (33) after scoring against the Orlando Magic during the second half at Amway Center. The Pacers won 98-88. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The Indiana Pacers won seven straight games, and here are a few reasons why they did, including one reason why they can beat the Cleveland Cavaliers tonight.

The Indiana Pacers are on a seven-game winning streak, bouncing back from a three-game losing streak to play the best basketball they’ve played all season.

Hard to believe just seven games ago this team looked as if they were going to muddle through mediocrity, but now they are moving up the power rankings and standings of the NBA.

There are a number of reasons, but here are several of the biggest reasons why they are sitting five games over .500 and just a game out of moving up as high as fourth in the Eastern Conference.

Starting with…

Defense

The Indiana Pacers played the best defense in the NBA in the last seven games, posting a 98.1 defensive rating in that time. If you aren’t into advanced statistics, just know that means teams are more likely to come away scores less against Indiana’s defense over the last seven games.

As C. Cooper of hated-rival Indy Cornrows pointed out, the big difference between this win streak and the five-game one earlier in the season is 3-point defense.

Perhaps more telling, though, is that their improved close outs are more effectively limiting how many looks opponents are getting from behind the arc.

…

Rather than green-lighting opponents to transform into high-volume shooters from distance, the Pacers are surrendering five fewer attempts per 100 possessions, which jumps them from 29th to 14th league-wide.

Indiana isn’t relying on opponents to miss shots, they are forcing them out of 3-pointers and into less efficient ones.

With Cleveland taking the second most 3-point attempts in the NBA this season, the Pacers need to continue this trend if they want to extend their streak.

Jan 27, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins (15) battles for rebounding position against Indiana Pacers forward Paul George (13) and center Lavoy Allen (5) at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Indiana defeats Sacramento in overtime 115-111. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Lavoy Allen Makes The Pacers a Better Team

That’s right. Lavoy Allen, the man you left for dead when the Indiana Pacers were struggling to start the season.

In these seven games, Indiana has a 12.4 net rating when he is on the court. He started in two of the games for an injured Thaddeus Young and scored surprised us on his birthday with 18 points and 11 rebounds in the win over Detroit.

He is averaging 6.4 points and 4.3 rebounds a game while shooting 54.5% from the floor during this streak. As always, his contributions go beyond the box score. The team rebounds better with him on the floor even when he isn’t piling up stats

Allen is a hustle player who grinds and simply makes his team better. He has fit into the rotation, both as a starter and from the bench.

This all came after not seeing consistent playing time since November.

In a story by the Indianapolis Star’s Jordan J. Wilson, both coach Nate McMillan and Paul George spoke to the fact that Allen meshed with the lineup immediately despite the lack of minutes in recent months.

“I really trust him out there,” Pacers coach Nate McMillan said after the 105-84 victory, “and tonight, stepping in to start in a back-to-back situation, he was probably the MVP tonight.”

No one could disagree. Allen played 32 minutes — double what he played combined in the first 10 games of January, when he lost his rotation spot to Kevin Seraphin — and meshed immediately with the starting unit. When the Pacers lacked energy in the second game of a back-to-back, Allen brought it and didn’t try doing too much or too little.

Defensively, he worked well inside with Myles Turner against the Pistons’ bigs. He made a few mistakes, turning the ball over twice, but he also had two steals.

“As much as we missed Thad (Young) out there with that unit, it felt as if we’d played with Lavoy with that group all season,” George said. “He came and plugged right away, and it’s great with that unit, with us. That’s really what we needed, with Thaddeus being gone, is an energy guy. And Lavoy provided that for us.”

All of this is surprising if you remember how poorly he played to start the season, but less surprising when you see he lead the team in +/- last season.

Continue to enjoy the Lavoy Allen Experience.

Jan 5, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Jeff Teague (44) shoots the ball while Brooklyn Nets guard Isaiah Whitehead (15) defends in the first quarter of the game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

More Aggressive, More Points

A complaint we often hear about Paul George is how he doesn’t get to the foul line often enough. During this win streak, however, that’s been less of an issue for him and the entire team.

Indiana’s averaging two more free throws a game, and when you are one the NBA’s best free-throw shooting teams, that’s basically two more points a game.

During this time, Paul George and Jeff Teague are getting to the line more often. Teague went from 5.5 to 6.6 attempts a game while Paul George jumped from 4.9 to 5.7. Those jumps may be modest, but they are part of the bigger trend of not settling for mid-range shots.

They Pacers are being more aggressive, drawing more fouls, and getting points from the line more often. It is a small part of the bigger picture, but it is none the less a reason for the team’s success.

Feb 6, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Jeff Teague (44) shoots the ball past Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The Pacers won 93-90. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Jeff Teague is in All-Star Form

Jeff Teague is seventh in the NBA with 8.1 assists per a game. Not too shabby. But in this streak, that’s bumped up to 8.9, good for sixth place.

His trend with assists is something that’s been happening all season, but the uptick in numbers are just a sign that he is playing slightly better during this stretch.

Teague’s scoring has jumped from 15.8 to 17.3 points a game, and he is doing that on fewer shots a game than he has on the season. It doesn’t hurt that he is making 42.9% of his 3-pointers either. His main job is to distribute the ball, but he still finds plenty of time to rack up points.

Here is what our own Josh Padmore had to say about Teague on Monday.

In January, Teague averaged 16.3 points per game on 54.8% shooting from the field and 46.7% shooting from three-point land. He also averaged 5 rebounds per game and a massive 9.8 assists per game. Those numbers are really impressive. Especially the efficiency, considering how poorly Teague started the season.

More from Teague in January: He handed out at least 7 assists in every single game during that month, including five in which he posted 10+ assists. Teague came close to recording a triple-double several times during January.

Teague has helped himself, but more importantly, he’s helped his team. The Pacers averaged 110.8 points per game in January. When you score that many points, you have a good chance at winning. Everyone on the Pacers plays better when Teague is at his best.

He is a big reason why the Pacers have a 108.1 offensive rating, which if the Pacers played that way all season, would be their highest since 2009 according to Basketball-Reference.

Teague was brought in to improve the offense, and so far they are three points better than they were a year ago. Debate who won the Hill-Teague trade all you want, but Teague is making Indiana a better team on offense.

Jan 23, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers forward Paul George (13) brings the ball up court against the New York Knicks at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. New York defeats Indiana 109-103. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Is Paul George slipping?

No, he most certainly isn’t.

That idea had been floating around all season thanks to him not “taking a step” forward like some expected. They discounted his suddenly elite clutch play and increased efficiency, decrying that he wasn’t dominating games.

Fair points, but much like the team as a whole, it was taking time for him and the team to gel together and reach their potential.