Pacers vs Wizards NBA Picks
Indiana could not slam the door on the Wizards in game 5 at home. Now they travel back to Washington and their confidence has to be at least a little bruised after a humbling 102-7 loss.
Indiana could not slam the door on the Wizards in game 5 at home. Now they travel back to Washington and their confidence has to be at least a little bruised after a humbling 102-7 loss.
What is going on with the Wizards? After looking so strong to start the series they have now lost three games in a row and will be facing elimination on Tuesday night.
The Pacers have a lead in the series for the first time in these playoffs. They really put a whooping on the Wizards as the series moved to D.C., reminiscent of a regular season beatdown they laid on Washington well before things went south.
Once again the Pacers provided hope for their fans by bouncing back after their series opening loss at home. It was hardly a dominant victory but one that provided some hope for the rest of the series thanks to the fact that they actually got some production from Roy Hibbert.
I know some are saying the Wizards stole game one but since I thought that would happen I am of a different opinion. Washington has been a strong road team all season long and in these playoffs even stronger.
The Wizards have been cooling their heels waiting to see who they are going to play. The fact that it is Indiana is hardly a surprise and even though they lost the season series to the Pacers, 2-1, I am sure they are going into this game with a high level of confidence.
In a strange twist it was Washington that made quick work of their opponent in their round 1 series. Meanwhile even though Indiana ultimately put away Atlanta, they certainly did not look like a top team in the process.
The Hawks are on the edge of becoming a special story or just another footnote of teams that got close but no cigar. They blew the chance to close out the series at home and now have to enter one of the toughest arenas in the league to win in for game 7.
This year top seeds are getting challenged more than any time in recent memory. Indiana has been pushed to the edge needing to win the final two games of their series to move to the next round…and avoid embarrassment.
The Hawks had Indiana on the ropes but couldn’t seal the deal in G4 letting a halftime lead disappear in the second half.
After a promising performance in game 2 the Pacers were disappointing again on Thursday night losing game three and falling behind in the series, again.
The Pacers started the series in frightful fashion dropping the opener at home but they came back nicely to win game 2 and even the series.
In game 1 the score was tied at halftime but then the Hawks exploded in the third quarter, outscoring the Pacers by 14.
Indiana may be limping into the playoffs but they are doing it as the top seed in the Eastern Conference. Speaking of limping the Atlanta Hawks were doing that too making them look like the perfect first round opponent for the struggling Pacers.
This is the match-up that everyone in the basketball world has been stewing over for most the 2013-14 season.
The Heat (53-25) are the “Evil Empire” sort of team that everyone is looking to knock off: Well-established narrative there. But the Pacers (54-25) have been the subject of much analysis and head-scratching over the last few weeks.
The Indiana Pacers will make the trip north of the border to the Air Canada Centre for a visit with the Toronto Raptors. The Pacers enter trying to steer out of a skid, having dropped five of their last seven games, and 10 of their last 17, while the Raptors are trending in the opposite direction, winning four of their last five games.