Opportunity awaits Pacers

The Pacers had an outstanding February. They went 7-2 and had the best winning percentage in the NBA (.778). As a result, Frank Vogel was named the Eastern Conference Coach of the Month, his third time earning that honor.

And it could all get even better soon.

You see, the schedule has turned in their favor. They are currently on a stretch of playing eight of nine games at home, including tonight against the New York Knicks. They have two of those games behind them, both wins.

All are very winnable games: vs the Derrick Rose-less Chicago Bulls, on the road against the dreadful Knicks, vs a young Orlando team, vs a Milwaukee team that is fading, followed by Boston and Toronto.

That said, the Pacers are sticking to their mindset of concentrating on one game at a time. They can’t think of the big picture too much because things can change in a hurry.

“We can’t think that way,” said NBA veteran Luis Scola. “We did think that way in the past and it didn’t work.”

The standings are fluid, and one big run — either way — can make a big difference here late. On Monday, the Pacers were eighth in the Eastern Conference standings. Since, they’ve dropped to 10th without even playing a game.

While the players admit they don’t watch the standings on a daily basis, Vogel chooses to.

“Just being real,” he said of his reasoning why after Tuesday’s practice. “I watch other games. We don’t hope for anything. We expect every team to win out so we have to take care of our business.

“It just puts a little urgency to this part of the season.”

[Slick Leonard on Frank Vogel: ‘I think he’s done a great job’]

The Pacers are playing their best basketball of the season, leading the league in shooting percentage (47.2 percent) and winners of eight of their past 10 games.

“We had the mindset that we had to weather the storm early through all the injuries that we had early on in the season, and tried to get better each month,” said Vogel. “We had a strong month of February and we have to build on that.”

The tide turned on the Pacers’ season once they got everyone healthy, sans Paul George.

“It may sound simple but I don’t think it’s simple,” Scola said. “We had four or five starters out. That’s a lot. Getting guys back may sound simple but it’s a lot, and it makes a big difference.

“Those guys getting in shape, in rhythm, and a feel for the game after being out a long time also makes an impact.”

The new rotation, which includes spark plug Rodney Stuckey coming off the bench (on his request), is understood and individuals are used to their roles. Since, a lot of things have fallen into place.

[C.J. Miles explains his sore feet, orthotics issue]

Starting point guard George Hill has been outstanding, averaging 13.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 6.2 assists per game in February. He was twice a nominee for the Eastern Conference Player of the Week award.

“It’s the first time that we’ve been able to play with a full roster, outside of PG, that we thought we were going to (have) all year long,” Hill said of their recent play. “It’s doing good, everyone is starting to find their own rhythm.”

Should Indiana remain healthy, they will be in the playoffs. It’s not as much a question of if but where.

It’s very reasonable that they could finish as high as sixth, which would be extraordinary considering the adversity they’ve dealt with this year. (They’ve had more players miss games due to injury than any other team.)

They are 6.5 games behind Milwaukee, who has hit a rough patch and only won half its last 10 games. Milwaukee, Chris Bosh-less Miami, Brooklyn, Charlotte, Boston, and Detroit are all in contention for the East’s final three playoff spots.

The Pacers like how they’re playing, but are not happy about where they stand, understandably so. They can make a big push over the final 23 games, 13 at home, as they aim to partake in postseason play for the fifth consecutive year.

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