The Pacers started yesterday a half of a game back of Cleveland for third place. After grinding out a road victory over the undermanned Boston Celtics (hallmarked by Myles Turner backing down his defender and scoring on the block during the fourth quarter), they pulled ahead of the Cavs in the win column. A few hours later, they seized control of third when Cleveland found themselves on the wrong side of a 22-3 run and failed to do what they were supposed to do against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Given the fluid nature of the standings, every game makes a difference.