Despite there being a mere 5 games left in the season, the Indiana Pacers could still finish as high as 5th; they could also finish as low as 11th. They don’t control their own playoff destiny anymore.
At 37-40, they’re: 3 games behind 5th place Milwaukee (40-37), 2 behind the 6th place Hawks (39-38), 1 behind the 7th place Heat (38-39), and tied with the 8th place Bulls. Not only that, they don’t own the tiebreaker against either the Heat or the Bulls, meaning they have to finish with a better record, not just the same.