Tony East here, the host of the daily Locked On Pacers podcast, with your daily Locked On Pacers newsletter. Each day we bring you the biggest stories about the Pacers and the NBA, including the hottest links to other stories you need to read. Plus, Josh Lloyd delivers daily fantasy notes to crush your league.
Important mini series for Indiana Pacers vs Miami Heat
Apr 7, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier (2) passes the ball while Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) defends in the second half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports|Trevor Ruszkowski/Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Heat vs. Pacers: An important mini series
The NBA Cup is back, and with it comes a renewed importance for battles between the Miami Heat and the Indiana Pacers. This weekend, fans are treated to a doubleheader featuring these two teams, sparking memories of past playoff battles. While the rivalry isn’t as intense as it once was, the matchup still holds significant intrigue.
The Heat’s Struggles
The Miami Heat have not lived up to their expectations this season. A combination of factors has contributed to their middling performance. Bam Adebayo’s scoring has dipped, and the revamped offense seems to have left him out, while Tyler Herro’s success has come at the expense of others. The defense and rebounding have also been subpar, and even Jimmy Butler hasn’t been his usual dominant self. The Heat’s struggles are not solely due to injuries; it’s a collective issue involving the front office, coaching, and players. The team appears to be running out of options to sustain this era of Heat basketball, and the Terry Rozier trade in January, which cost them a first-round pick, is looking increasingly questionable. The Heat’s window of opportunity may have closed, and they find themselves in a precarious position, much like other teams facing the end of an era. They need some wins.
Pacers Offensive Woes
On the other side, the Indiana Pacers are grappling with their own challenges. Their offense, once a strong point, has faltered, leaving them with a 5-6 record. Tyrese Haliburton’s struggles have been a significant factor, as his shooting percentages have dropped, impacting the team’s overall performance. The Pacers bench, which was a strength last season, has not been as effective, and injuries have further complicated matters. The team’s pace has slowed, and their identity from last year seems to be fading. Pascal Siakam and Bennedict Mathurin have been solid, but the team needs to rediscover its offensive rhythm to turn things around.
The Heat and Pacers both find themselves at a crossroads, searching for solutions to their respective issues early in the season. The upcoming games offer a chance for redemption and a potential shift in momentum. As these two teams face off, fans can expect a battle that could reignite the rivalry and set the stage for the rest of the season.
For more insights and a deeper dive into the Heat and Pacers current form, tune into the Locked On Pacers podcast for this and much more.
Other Topics in Today’s Locked On Pacers Podcast:
- The glorious NBA Cup!
- Discussion on the impact of the Terry Rozier trade
- Examination of the Pacers bench performance and depth issues
- Insights into Tyrese Haliburton’s shooting slump and its effects
- Exploration of the Pacers pace and offensive identity changes
I held off on writing about the apparent rash, or rise, of early-season athlete injuries because there’s always some recency bias involved when the subject comes up. Are there really more injuries this year than any other? Do we have the data to support it? Is there a new, underlying cause? Or are injuries due to the same compounding mix of bad luck and the NBA’s 82-game schedule running into a long postseason, running into the offseason, running back into a brand new long regular season and the erosion of bodies this eventually leads to?
A report early this week showed early-season injuries were up 35%, and indeed ESPN’s list of injuries, at a glance, looks like a ferocious Christmas tree, lit up in blazing reds and yellows. A handful of teams (the Grizzlies, Pelicans, Raptors) are cobbling together rosters game-to-game depending on who’s still healthy. TrueHoop’s Henry Abbott ran a draft of the injured list this week and each team reads like an All-Star squad on steroids, and when Abbott printed out the league’s official injury report it was 10 pages long.
Injuries are definitely up — but why?
The Paris Olympics proved extra playing time for a few top-tier stars, but most of them remain healthy. The early season schedule hasn’t served up any more back-to-backs to longer road game stretches, which tend to be more gruelling on athletes, than usual. However, when everything appears to be normal and the bodily price is anything but, perhaps it’s time to examine that “normal”.
The NBA’s current schedule of 82 games was adopted in 1967. Already, I’m sure your brain is picturing black and white basketball, that’s good. When you picture that grainy, glitchy footage, how fast is it going? The reality is that the game used to be a lot slower. Not just in its mechanics (think of an offensive passing sequence, the ball flipping from set of hands to hands at a speed that can be hard to follow), but the athleticism too. Bodies were moving slower. The game was still physical — the trope of players from the 80s and 90s complaining about the “softness” of current athletes is a trope for a reason — but full tilt sprinting, cutting, complex rotations, these weren’t the norm. Given that, the bodily mechanics were different. Guys weren’t stopping on a dime, pivoting hard, having to force their ligaments and muscles and bones into exacting motions with all sorts of volatile force behind them.
Katie Heindl is a credentialed NBA and WNBA writer, her bylines have appeared with The New York Times Magazine, SLAM, The Athletic, Yahoo Sports, Dime, Rolling Stone, among others. She writes the bestselling Substack, Basketball Feelings and is working on a book of the same name.
History Dive into the history of Pacers’ draft busts and learn about some picks that didn’t pan out. It’s a fascinating look at what could have been. (8 Points, 9 Seconds)
Analysis Coach Rick Carlisle breaks down the Pacers’ biggest issues after their tough loss to the Magic. (Sports Illustrated)
Preview The Pacers host the Miami Heat in the first round of the NBA Cup tonight at 7:00 PM ET. Read the preview.(NBA)
Fantasy Cheat Sheet
Fantasy Cheat Sheet
Replay: Navigating the injury bug
Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) holds his leg after a hard following a play against the Golden State Warriors during the first quarter at Paycom Center.|Photo by Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
This week in the fantasy basketball world has been a rollercoaster of highs and lows. A major talking point has been Chet Holmgren’s unfortunate injury, which has fantasy managers scrambling for replacements as the Oklahoma City Thunder adjust with potential lineup changes. Keep an eye on players like Aaron Wiggins and Cason Wallace — who might see increased minutes — and consider them as temporary pickups in deeper leagues.
Don’t let these episodes pass you by — stay locked in with the latest Locked On Pacers podcasts.
Miami Heat mini series important one for Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers kick off the NBA Cup with a game against the Miami Heat on Friday, and they battle their former rivals again on Sunday. The Locked On Heat hosts stop by to discuss the importance of the mini series for both teams.
Pacers offense falters in loss vs Magic The Pacers shot just 38% from the field as they lost to Orlando despite holding the Magic to 94 points. What is going on for the Pacers on offense? Why has their high scoring attack gone missing?
Can Pascal Siakam be an All-Star? Pascal Siakam’s stats suggest he could be an All-Star this year. Will he? And why the Pacers two-way contract players have been so important the last week or so.
