Why No Love for the Pacers?

So, call me crazy, but I think that the teams with the best records should usually get the most attention. I'm more than just a casual fan of the NBA. I like to think I know my stuff. But I know almost nothing about the Indiana Pacers. So I see today that, with a week remaining in the regular season, they have all but locked up the 3 seed in the Eastern Conference. They have more wins, as of 10 pm April 17th, than the Lakers, Clippers, Grizzlies, Celtics, and Magic. They had an all-star in Roy Hibbert, one of the best true centers in basketball, a commodity seen less and less. But the casual fan may only know him from his days at Georgetown. Do they know who Danny Granger, Paul George and David West are? Is that why no one is talking about them as serious playoff contenders?

I know that the NBA is a star-driven league. Fans obsess over LeBron, Wade, Melo, Kobe, Blake Griffin and all the other guys seen in Nike or Adidas commercials. But some times these stars are more famous for being stars than they are for their production in the trophy department. If they aren't in the bright lights of a major market, or if they aren't picked early to be the heir-apparent to His Airness, it can be very difficult for a player to become a star.

Dirk Nowitski had to become a German Larry Bird before he was considered on the level of a superstar. Tim Duncan, who is arguably the greatest power forward of all time, isn't a true superstar. He just wins titles a lot. But he isn't flashy. He doesn't throw powder in the air before games. He doesn't dunk over cars. He is so un-flashy that his nickname is the borderline-derogatory "Big Fundamental". They have the rings that some of these superstars don't have (yes, that was a shot at LeBron. Win something, son.)




So is this the case with the Indiana Pacers? Is it that they are a small market team, devoid of stars, that just goes out there and wins more than almost everyone else? That isn't a bad thing. They have no pressure on them, unlike the three amigos in Miami, the old men in Boston, or the #1 seed in Chicago. Maybe they are a year away, like last year's Oklahoma City Thunder. Or maybe they are just the type of team that can hurt an up and down, star driven team in a 7-game series. They are consistent. They are talented. They do all the fundamental little things right.

It shouldn't matter that they don't have a LeBron or Kobe. All that should matter is who is winning, and who can win in the playoffs. I would just think it'd be nice for the NBA, and the sports pundits that talk about it, to acknowledge that there might just be a title contender in Indy. Because right now, no one is talking about them.