It's difficult to pinpoint just when a team "finds itself" and takes off in the right direction, but we might have discovered such a turning point for the Pacers.
Circle December 29th on your calendar, and check back in April to see how the regular season ended.
It was that day, after practice, that Paul George told the media he had issued the call to his teammates to have more fun. The Pacers had lost at Washington the previous night for their fourth consecutive defeat, falling to 15-18, and George decided everyone had to loosen up a bit, stop worrying, and just go play basketball.
Eight days later, in the wake of Thursday's 121-109 win over Brooklyn at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, the Pacers appear to have settled on who to play and how to play. They've won four straight games to get back above .500, and face five consecutive games against losing teams to fatten their 19-18 record.
"I think we're getting better," coach Nate McMillan said, careful not to assume too much.
This sort of thing has happened before in the Pacers' franchise history. On Jan. 5, 1975, the Pacers had lost five consecutive games to fall seven games below .500. They trailed Memphis at halftime that night, but came back to win that game and six of their next seven on their way to the ABA Finals. And on Jan. 29, 1994, they had lost five straight games to fall seven games below .500. They defeated Houston that night at the end of a three-game road trip, which turned out to be the start of a seven-game winning streak and the catalyst for a season that ended with a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Where this season goes remains to be seen, but clearly something has changed since the loss in Washington. Most obviously, it is the offense, now under the masterful direction of Jeff Teague. The Pacers scored 121 points for the second straight game Thursday, and have averaged 117.5 during the win streak. Teague has averaged 12.25 assists in those games, along with 14.25 points.
George scored a fun-filled 26 points on 10-of-18 shooting and Myles Turner was outstanding with 25 points, 15 rebounds, and five blocked shots, but they were quick to assign credit to Teague, from whom all good things seem to flow.
"We're just really moving the ball," Turner said. "It starts with Jeff."
"We've got our trust in Jeff," George said. "We're giving the ball up to Jeff. We trust he's going to make the right decisions to get our offense going, and he's doing it."
Teague's improved play has resulted in part from the lineup change forced by Monta Ellis' injury. With Glenn Robinson III starting in the backcourt, he has near total control of the offense. Robinson runs the court in transition, helps spread the defense by posing a 3-point threat and defends and rebounds capably, but doesn't command many shots. He took five against the Nets. Ellis, who returned five games ago, has accepted a role with the second unit, which allows him to better utilize his strengths as a playmaker.
McMillan said after the game he will continue with this lineup and rotation. How could he not, given current trends?
"I talked with Monta about that," McMillan said. "I want to look at this rotation. Glenn is doing some good things for us. I want to look at Monta with the second group and establish something with that second group. We're going to stay this way...I can't say how long, but this rotation is what we're going to go with."
Ellis' teammates have great respect for him as a leader and "soldier," to use George's term. But nobody is calling for him to return to the starting lineup.
"The way we've been playing the past few games, this is a lineup we can really roll with," Turner said. "Monta brings scoring off the bench...and Glenn is a guy who doesn't demand a lot of shot attempts or attention. With him out there, it's like he does his role really well and Monta fills that void really well for the second unit."
Teague, meanwhile, gets to play the role that made him an All-Star for Atlanta two seasons ago, and do what he was brought to the Pacers to do. He had 15 points by halftime, hitting a couple of 3-pointers in the first quarter, then had 11 assists in the second half. He was just three rebounds short of his first triple-double, and had his seventh with 8:50 left in the third quarter. It's difficult to manufacture rebounds for a point guard, though, and Teague played just 4 1/2 minutes in the fourth period.
Safe to say, things are working out as Teague hoped when he returned to his hometown to play for the Pacers. He's not living with his parents – that declaration at his introductory press conference was intended as a joke, he says now – and he's found it somewhat difficult to try to resume the life he had while attending Pike High School because old friends just seem to want to talk basketball. But on the court and in the locker room, things are going well.
"Coach pulled me aside a couple of weeks ago, and told me he wants me to move the ball and wants me to get in the lane and kick out," Teague said. "I think it became contagious. Everybody one-through-15, we're just trying to get the ball to the open man and make good passes and get teammates open shots."
In other news Thursday, Atlanta reportedly traded Kyle Korver to Cleveland, while rumors persist about other trades involving Hawks players. Teague's old team, which won 60 games two seasons ago, is breaking up just as his new one appears to be coming together. Such is the flimsy fate of NBA players, and he's happy to be swept up in the positive changes this time.
"Right now we're jelling," he said. "We just have to continue."
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