Indiana Pacers - Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
The inevitable finally happened. While it took longer than it should’ve been, the Indiana Pacers now head straight to the summer after being eliminated by the Wizards in a disappointing 142-115 loss.
After sneaking themselves into the playoff discussion by drubbing the Hornets earlier, in typical 2020-21 Pacers fashion, the Blue and Gold brought poetic justice through a similar rout, but found themselves on the wrong side of the coin.
For the first time in six seasons, the Pacers face an early offseason. There may be some silver linings, such as the lottery finish, pleasant player surprises, and avoiding the conventional first-round exit, but all of those couldn’t possibly defeat the elephant in the room: that this season was a flat-out, straight-up disappointment.