Coming out of the All-Star break, the Indiana Pacers beat the Oklahoma City Thunder in Oklahoma. Then they beat the San Antonio Spurs. They trounced the Washington Wizards in the capital and blasted the Dallas Mavericks in the state you’re not supposed to mess with.
Paul George was shaking off a two-and-a-half-month-long shooting slump and seemed to have fresh legs that would propel the team out of its mediocrity and into a plane where it would be a tough out in the playoffs while getting a middle-of-the-table seed. They even looked like they could threaten to earn home-court advantage.