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It's Not Time to Panic About the Indiana Pacers Despite Rough Start
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- It's Not Time to Panic About the Indiana Pacers Despite Rough Start
(Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images)
It seems like ages ago since the Indiana Pacers played their season-opening game against the New Orleans Pelicans on October 21. Tyrese Haliburton's return was a success and the team struggled but still managed to come back for a win.
Unfortunately, since that game, things have gone downhill .
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Following their loss to the Miami Heat on Friday night, the Pacers now hold a 2-4 record. Things have not looked pretty and injuries are already starting to pile up.
Haliburton is back on the sideline due to a hamstring strain. Ivica Zubac has been out due to an ankle injury. T.J. McConnell, Aaron Nesmith, and Andrew Nembhard are all dealing with injuries. Ben Sheppard is out months due to a knee injury.
Last season, fans saw way more than their fair share of injuries. Indiana couldn't catch a break. This season has started the same way.
Due to the rough start and all of the injuries adding up, fans have begun to panic. While it's a reasonable reaction to how things have begun this year, it's not time to hit the panic button about the Pacers just yet.
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Granted, it's not the way they would have liked to begin the year. Quite a few things have gone wrong. But, nothing has hit a worst-case scenario.
Even though Haliburton will miss the next couple of weeks , he will be back. Zubac will be back as well. McConnell, Nembhard, and Nesmith are all going to get healthy.
Just two years ago when Indiana made its magical run to the NBA Finals, the season did not start well. At one point, the Pacers were just 10-15. They ended up being just fine.
The start of a season never dictates how it ends. It can cause a hole for a team to dig out of, but Indiana is a team capable of doing just that.
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Once the players get healthy, the wins will start coming. The Pacers are too talented to give up and suffer through another brutal season. That 19-63 result from last season will not return to this Indiana team.
No one should be happy about the way this season has started. Obviously, the Pacers must get healthy and they can't afford to suffer this kind of bad luck all year long. But, it's way too early at this point to start talking about another lost season.
Next up for Indiana will be a matchup on Sunday evening against the Brooklyn Nets. A win would go a long way towards helping the Pacers' fan base relax just a bit.
