As impressive as Paul George and the Indiana Pacers have been his season, Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors have just been on a different planet to the rest of the league. And it’s not even close.
Tomorrow, the 12-7 Pacers will take on the 22-0 Warriors. On paper, the Pacers don’t really look like they stand much of a shot, but honestly, I think they might just be the team to do it.
The Pacers lost their last two games, the last two of their 4-game West coast road trip, but are still only half a game out of the top spot in the East. They’ve had a few days of rest back home to regroup and analyze what went wrong against Portland and Utah, and they’ll be desperate to snap the losing streak and get back on track. They’ll also be itching at the challenge of being the first team to beat the Warriors this season.
To me, the Jazz loss was more inexcusable than the one against the Blazers, which was more of a “schedule loss” considering they finished late in LA the night before and had to take the long flight without much rest. Even Paul George admitted he was sluggish, one of the reasons why he had his worst game of the season that night. But when he got his legs back under him he went for a career high 48 against the Jazz, so expect another big one against the Warriors.
The Warriors, on the other hand, have looked a little vulnerable the last couple of games (by their standards) and should be feeling some fatigue after being on the road since Dec. 1, including the last 3 games in the East. They’re due for a letdown.
That said, the Pacers still need a lot of things to go their way to get the W. Paul George needs to be at his scintillating best; George Hill needs to do as well as he possibly can to slow down Curry; CJ Miles needs to have the hot hand and match Klay Thompson’s output, if not more; Rodney Stuckey needs a good game off the bench; and Ian Mahinmi needs to stay out of foul trouble and hit his free throws.
The x-factor is still Monta Ellis. If he can have a big game (and he’s due for one, especially against his former team) then the Pacers have a real good shot.
Like the two losses they just suffered, I wouldn’t be too disappointed if the Pacers dropped another one to the Warriors, but if they can get the win it could do wonders for their confidence for the rest of the season.
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