Pacers One of the Most Improved in Final Quarter Season Grades

The Indiana Pacers have become one of the best teams in the last few months. The Pacers started the season sluggishly, being one of the more inconsistent teams in the league; however, that is no longer the case.

They struggled with injuries at the start of the season, but they have adjusted and are way past that. Indiana is here to stay, and they could be a threat in their conference. Not only that, but they could host a first-round series if things go well for Indiana.

Indiana has climbed their way up, and Dan Favale of Bleacher Report has noticed that. After handing Indiana a 'D-' grade after the quarter of their season, he has them with a 'B' grade as the team enters the season's final quarter.

"There is perhaps no better signal of the Indiana Pacers' progress than the intervening period between midseason grades and now.

"They churned out some uncomfortably uneven performances during this stretch—and to go along with a top-seven offense and nowhere-near-rock-bottom defense anyway.

"Tyrese Haliburton is back to playing MVP basketball. Pascal Siakam's All-NBA case is flying under the radar. Myles Turner is draining threes on, by his standards, monster volume.

"Andrew Nembhard is leaving his mark even when he's not hitting threes, at times propping up a defense that is to provide resistance at the rim. Be sure to purchase some Ben Sheppard stock before it sells out.

"Indiana's playoff viability remains a question mark and often seems too tethered to what it gets from—or how much it uses—Bennedict Mathurin, Obi Toppin and Jarace Walker.

"The makeup of this roster, though, leaves head coach Rick Carlisle with plenty of different levers to pull. The Pacers look comparably menacing to, if not more threatening than, Milwaukee and New York because of it."

Indiana is one of four teams that have won over 70 percent of their games in the last three months. They are 25-10 in that span, just behind the Lakers, Cavaliers, and Thunder.

The Pacers' offense may not be as explosive as last year's, but they still rank in the top 10, ranking ninth in points per game, seventh in points in the paint, third in assists per game, and fifth in fastbreak points per game.

Depending on the matchup, we could see another deep playoff run.

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