Nets and Pacers Square Off in Pre-Playoff Showdown Friday
While it is unlikely, it is still possible that the third-seeded Indiana Pacers and fourth-seeded Brooklyn Nets square off in the playoffs if the Nets struggle down the stretch and drop to the six seed. Either way, Friday’s contest in Indianapolis will feature two of the top 10 teams in the NBA.
The Pacers are perhaps the less exciting of the two teams despite having a better record, due to their style of play. Still, Paul George is a lot of fun to watch and is averaging 17.5 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. David West adds 17 points and 7.7 rebounds as well. All told the Pacers are balanced offensively with four different players averaging double figures. Still, they are not as dynamically offensively as a lot of other teams in the playoff race.
The Nets have more star power with Brook Lopez leading the way with more than 19 points and nearly seven rebounds per game. Deron Williams averages nearly 19 points and almost eight assists, while Joe Johnson chips in with 16 points and almost four assists. With more household names and a more up tempo offense, the Nets have garnered some attention this season in their new digs at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
Away from home, though, the Nets are just four games above .500 at the time of this writing, while the Pacers are 29-9 at home. Thus it would seem Indiana has the big advantage, but this game could be most important as a playoff harbinger. It is often said that defensive teams peak later in the season while offensive minded teams enjoy more success early in the season.
This game could be a good indicator of whether or not the Nets will be able to continue scoring against better and more motivated defensive teams once the playoffs kick off.
In addition, it’s important for both teams. The Pacers will want to go into the playoffs hot or perhaps chase down the Knicks for the second seed in the conference, while the Nets want to avoid dropping to a lower seed as they could still get home court advantage in the first round.
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Categorized in: NBA