Indiana Pacers 2013-14 season preview
By Josh Sanchez
The following post was contributed to FanSided.com from Stephen Ajamie, editor of FanSided’s Indiana Pacers site, Always Miller Time
The Indiana Pacers are ready for another fantastic season this year. Just being in that game seven of the Eastern Conference Finals makes many fans eagerly anticipating another trip to there. Some are even putting the Pacers in that Conference Finals already. With another battle with the Miami Heat probably happening there. It’s one of those things where you just expect good things out of your team, and this season might be one of those most anticipated seasons.
I thought with all the action of this offseason and the Pacers, it’s hard to believe that the season is upon us. This team hasn’t show everything they’re made of this preseason as they’ve looked slow and sluggish out of the gate, but with the new pieces for this team and bringing back an old piece in Danny Granger, to me that was expected. You can’t throw new guys all together and expect it will mesh into that championship team right away. But guys like Luis Scola, C.J. Watson, and Chris Copeland are those bench guys that should make this second unit much better.
Ultimately, it’s about the stars of your team and what they can bring. What will Paul George do to improve upon the season he had last year? Will he cut down the turnovers and improve the ball handling? Will George become “the man” for the Pacers? That guy that you can count on in the clutch moment of a game. That guy that will earn more All Star votes, and get another trip there to the All Star game. A guy that can carry this team through the playoffs, and make it right back to the Conference Finals. If the contract is any indication, then Paul George is set to become that guy.
How about Roy Hibbert? A guy that should be one of the top centers in the game, and if he comes to play, will prove that. A guy that still plays the position in the post area, like an “old school” center. A guy that loves to be strong on the defensive end, the side of the ball where the Pacers want to excel, and show that defense can win a championship.
It will be about that team effort for the Pacers as I’ve not even began to discuss the importance of other guys like David West, George Hill, Danny Granger, and Lance Stephenson. That shows how deep this team can be. Even if Paul George becomes that superstar that fans have been longing for, there are the other pieces around him that can step up on nights when he might not have his A game. On those nights, where George might do something special, I bet he talks about the team first. That’s how this team goes, and that’s why fans in Indy love the boys in the Blue and Gold. Now time to add some hardware along with the love for this team.