NBA Power Rankings: Playoff Edition

100. <p>Much like the Mavericks, the Indiana Pacers have made me look silly throughout the season. Frank Vogel and his team entered the year with zero in the way of expectations, as Paul George was recovering from serious injury with some uncertainty about regaining his full abilities, and the Pacers were short-handed from a roster standpoint. Now, we look up at the standings and find Indiana with 45 wins and this was a group that was never in real danger of missing the playoffs.</p> <p>It really is wild to consider this level of production against what their roster looks like, but George and Vogel deserve a ton of credit. George remains a top-15 player in the NBA, and Vogel has done a perfect job of integrating role players up front (Ian Mahinmi, Jordan Hill, Lavoy Allen, etc.) while maximizing a weird backcourt with Monta Ellis and George Hill. Myles Turner has been a very nice find as a rookie as well, and Indiana is quite solid despite the circumstances.</p> <p>My concern with the Pacers is with ceiling. Indiana has shown consistency this season, but it isn’t a group that looks to be dangerous in making a real push. Fortunately, they get a Raptors team in round one that isn’t particularly scary as a top-two seed, but Toronto is just better from top to bottom and it could be a quick exit for Larry Bird’s current franchise.</p>. (45-37). Previous: . Indiana Pacers. 13. team