Just another also-ran year in Indy or can they beat the Miami Heat?
Updated: September 13, 2012, 12:42 PM ET
By Chris Palmer | ESPN the MagazineEditor's note: This is the latest installment of a 12-part series this summer that will profile six Eastern Conference teams and six Western Conference teams that could knock off the Miami Heat. Today we profile the Indiana Pacers.
Overview
The Pacers have always had a rep as sort of a bland team. They are without a headlining star who takes up residence in the nightly highlights. They're just as short on oohs as they are ahs to say nothing of the overall lack of drama. But what they've proven is bland can play, too. The Pacers stepped into the category of actual contender last year with a stronger than expected regular season and took the eventual champion Miami Heat to six games in the second round and even lead 2-1.
They finished with the sixth best record in the league thanks to a roster full of emerging coachable stars who get the most out of their ability and seem to be tailor made to work together. Along with fluid ball movement and solid shooting the Pacers have added a rugged aggressiveness as one of their calling cards, quietly becoming one of the more physical teams in the league. Nowhere was that more evident than the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Heat where Danny Granger and company matched Miami's toughness and disrupted their game plan by bodying, pushing and clawing for every possession.
The Pacers had somewhat of a quite summer (outside of retaining the services of All-Star center Roy Hibbert) and focused on beefing up their bench but depending on the timetable for Derrick Rose's return, the they could potentially finish as high as the No. 2 overall seed in the east meaning they wouldn't have to face Miami until the conference finals. If there's optimism coming out of Indy this year it's with very good reason.
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Chris Palmer
ESPN the Magazine- Chris Palmer has been a frequent contributor to ESPN The Magazine and ESPN.com's NBA coverage since 1999.
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