There was no better story in sports this past summer than the Indiana Pacers’ magical run to Game 7 of the NBA Finals. Tyrese Haliburton came up clutch again and again, shocking the Bucks, Cavs, Knicks and Thunder over and over with a historical run of game-winning shots. Unfortunately, it all ended in the most heartbreaking way imaginable as the star point guard tore his Achilles after getting off to a scorching-hot start in Game 7.
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Pacers fans knew that this season would be an uphill battle as Haliburton recovered and Myles Turner left for the rival Bucks. But with a prideful bunch of young players and All-Star Pascal Siakam returning, plus Rick Carlisle at head coach, nobody expected such a brutal start to the season.
The Pacers are 1-10, and may have hit rock bottom in giving up 152 points to the Jazz on Monday night. They’ve lost their last three games by an average of 24 points, which has left franchise legend Reggie Miller to lament how quickly things have changed.
Miller appeared on The Dan Patrick Show yesterday, and when asked by the former SportsCenter anchor, “What’s wrong with your Pacers?” he had a simple answer.
“Tyrese Haliburton,” he said with wide eyes as though Patrick should know better. He then admitted that it’s more than just Haliburton’s absence that has brought the team so low. “They’ve had a lot of injuries,” he said. “It’s been a very, very difficult start to this season for Rick Carlisle and the Pacers.”
In last season’s playoffs, the Pacers became much more than the sum of their parts, but now, they’re simply missing too many pieces to function properly. Bennedict Mathurin averaged 31 points the first two games of the season, but has been out since with a sprained toe. Andrew Nembhard missed seven games with a strained shoulder. Obi Toppin and TJ McConnel have played four games combined.
Miller made an automotive analogy to illustrate his point. “Look, they are a team that when they’re whole, they’re great. When there’s a few parts missing in the Maserati, it’s like a Pinto.” It’s an old-school reference, but the point is clear. Last year’s healthy Pacers were a shiny sports car. This injury-riddled version is a lemon.
It’s going to be interesting to see what the Pacers do when they get all their guys back. Haliburton has already been ruled out for the year, so do they decide to punt on the season because of their slow start and try to increase their lottery chances? Or is that not realistic given the success they had last year?
The Pacers play at Phoenix tomorrow night in a game that will be the second half of a back-to-back for the Suns. After that, they face nine straight Eastern Conference teams. If they can’t right the ship by then, it may be time to look ahead to next year.
