Indiana Pacers: No playoff series wins, no superstars, no attention - Indianapolis Star

What national media members have to say about the Pacers:

"The biggest thing missing for the Pacers this year is a compelling narrative. The team is playing extremely well and they have no doubt moved into a position where they can become a fixture in the top half of the Eastern Conference standings. But to become a 'national story,' you need either a player, coach or personality to capture the imagination. The Pacers, as well as they've played this season, just don't have that one guy."

Sekou Smith, NBA.com

"Has there ever been a quieter No. 3 seed in the history of the NBA?"

Charles Barkley, TNT

"I think it depends on how you define respect. Everyone 'respects' the Pacers. But this is a league where, fair or not, it is often assumed that you can't do it until you've done it. And this group of Pacers hasn't won a playoff series yet. So it's premature to start talking about title contention or top-five status. Even lowly Washington has multiple regular-season wins against title contenders this season, so that is never going to be the sole criteria."

Marc Stein, ESPN.com

"From the outside, there appears to be a complete lack of sexiness as an NBA franchise. While Roy Hibbert, Danny Granger, Darren Collison and Paul George are very good players, none of them have the swag of Kobe, LeBron, Durant, Dirk or Melo that captures the entire NBA and sells jerseys. When was the last time the Pacers have been on national television on Sunday during the regular season? Winning with Reggie (Miller) and a Hall of Famer in Larry Brown or Larry Bird coaching put the Pacers on the map. It will take a similar squad to bring that kind of recognition to Indiana."

Marc Spears, Yahoo! Sports

"It's simple: The Pacers don't have a superstar. History has proven that you need either a superstar or a few multi-time All-Stars to contend for a championship. The last team to win a championship without a superstar was the Detroit Pistons in 2004. While the Pacers are a good team and made a good run, they're not a contender because they don't have a superstar. In the playoffs, it is very necessary to have a superstar because teams know your plays, your tendencies and everything you want to do. You need that one player who is capable of breaking down the defense when all else fails."

Chris Broussard, ESPN.com