Even after following up a poor shooting outing against the Dallas Mavericks with a generally careless effort last night against the Atlanta Hawks (seriously, they failed to attempt a shot that made contact with the rim during the third quarter until more than two minutes had elapsed), the Pacers sit just a half a game back of home court advantage and five games out of missing the playoffs.
But, here’s the rub: It isn’t going to get any easier. Indiana only has five games remaining against teams with losing records, which is the fewest of any team currently seeded 3-9 in the Eastern Conference.