It's been a long time coming, but for the first time in five years, the Indiana Pacers are headed to the playoffs.

Most considered it a foregone conclusion heading into these last few games, with the Milwaukee Bucks too far behind and the Charlotte Bobcats too banged up and too challenged to depleted to hang with the Pacers -- but as we have seen all year, with this Pacers squad, you just never know.

Thankfully, last night, with a comprehensive 136-112 beatdown of the hapless Washington Wizards (which featured the first good start to a game that I can remember), coupled with an overtime Bobcats loss to the Orlando Magic, the Pacers are in.  They can lose the final three games of the season and finish 36-46 (which is highly likely considering they play Atlanta, New York and @Orlando), and they will still make the playoffs. 

Interestingly, 36-46 is the record the Pacers finished with in 2008 and 2009 and yet they just missed the playoffs in those years.  Some might want to rain on the parade and say that the Pacers made it not because they deserved it, but only because the East is so weak at the moment.  Whatever.  What non-fans don't realize is how long Pacers fans have waited for a return to the playoffs.

Sure, it's just as the eighth seed, and let's be honest here -- the Pacers will be lucky to even take one game off Chicago (or Boston) -- but I'll gladly take that over missing the playoffs for yet another year.  This is a new squad, not the legendary teams with Reggie Miller and Rik Smits and Jalen Rose and Mark Jackson and the Davises that made the Conference Finals just about every year.  This team is learning and on the upswing, and these playoffs are just the beginning.

I'm awfully excited.  Chances are the Pacers will look like a bunch of deer in the headlights in the first few games, probably get blown out.  The Washington game aside, this season they've shown an inability to get off to a good start, something they can't afford against the top seed.  But what we also know is that when these Pacers are on their game, they can beat any team in the NBA.

These last three games will be interesting still.  It will be nice to see the Pacers build some momentum and confidence leading in the playoffs and not rest on their laurels knowing that they've already made it.  It will reveal a lot about this team and what kind of performance they might have in the playoffs.

In the meantime, let's celebrate!  Woo hoo!

As I write this post now, the Pacers are down 25 to the New Orleans Hornets.  But even with another brutal loss, the Pacers have just about locked up a trip to the postseason where they can be swept by either the Bulls, Celtics or Heat.

That's because a couple of days ago they overcame the Milwaukee Bucks, 89-88, when Drew Gooden missed a three pointer at the buzzer.  With that win, the Bucks were just about eliminated from contention and, coupled with a Bobcats loss to the Magic, the Pacers moved to 2 games ahead of their only rival for the 8th spot in the East.

Oh, and the Bobcats seem to have run out of steam -- they just lost to the Wizards today (in Charlotte, no less), so even if the Pacers lose (which they probably will) they remain 2 games ahead.

What is frightening is that their last win against the Bucks might be the last victory for the Pacers this season.  I think they'll beat Washington, but if they don't, they could very well lose to the Hawks, New York and Orlando in their last 3 games -- AND still make the playoffs and get swept.  Even if they beat the Wizards (and provided they make the playoffs), that's still a potential 7-game losing streak coming our way.  With the likely lockout approaching, it might be a very long time before the Pacers get another win.

The weird thing is, the Pacers have talent.  No one will argue that a core of Granger, Hibbert, Collison, George and Hansbrough (and if you want, Rush) is a bad young nucleus to have.  Well, maybe some, but that's a pretty talented young team that has plenty of room to grow.  It just seems to me that something is desperately missing from this squad.  These days they seem to always get into a hole in the first quarter, without fail.  Every bloody time.  They can't defend anybody and rely on their erratic offensive game to win games, which is a gamble night in night out.  They turn the ball over far too often and don't get to the 50-50 rebounds and loose balls.  They miss far too many foul shots.  Make a list of things a team shouldn't do and chances are the Pacers will tick all the boxes.

Granger is the team's best player but he doesn't have the leadership, heart or passion a franchise player needs.  Every game there are moments where I see him not playing with effort, getting blown by on D, getting outmuscled and outrebounded by smaller players and throwing up bad shots.  I'm sure he cares, but his facial expression and body language suggests he doesn't care enough.

Hibbert plays with passion but he doesn't know how to channel it.  And no matter how much he improves I don't think he'll ever be an elite center in the league unless he knows how to control his mind and his emotions in a positive way.  And he's still too slow and falls all the time.

I love the speed and tenacity Collison brings to the team but he can't guard anyone.  He is flat out hopeless against the pick and roll and every team I watch exploits that weakness against him.  I wonder if he'll ever be able to improve.

Paul George and Tyler Hansbrough -- now those I like.  But they are still both unknown and risky prospects with weaknesses.  But at least they give Pacers fans some hope going forward.

Almost on cue, the Indiana Pacers went out there and surprised me the last couple of games.  They earned their first win against a tough Boston Celtics team, 107-100, and then held on to beat the Pistons 111-101.

But despite the stellar showing, they remain only one game ahead of the gutsy Charlotte Bobcats at 34-42 with 6 games remaining in the season.

Note that the Pacers have already overtaken their horrific win total from last season (32), which was their worst in over 20 years.  Now, if the Pacers win just 3 out of their last 6 games, they will finish the season at 37-45, which will be their best record since 2005-2006 (when they won 41 games and last made the playoffs). 

That's right.  Despite all the supposed improvements and progress this team has been making (or so we've been told) over the last 3 or 4 seasons, the Pacers have not had much to show in the standings at all.  Which is pretty sad, really.

But if this team can make the playoffs, which I think they will (see below), then at least that will give the fans something to get a little excited about.  Sure, they'll most likely get swept in the first round, but the experience will be invaluable as the team heads into the offseason with plenty of cap space.

Okay.  With the Pacers winning against Detroit today to end a March where they went 8-10 (not bad if you factor in the 6-game losing streak from games 2-7), they remain just one game ahead of Charlotte, who also won in a close one against the Cavs.

The Pacers' final 6 opponents are: Milwaukee, @New Orleans, Washington, Atlanta, New York, @Orlando.

The Bobcat's final 8 opponents are: @Orlando, Washington, @Cleveland, Orlando, @Miami, Detroit, @New Jersey, Atlanta.

You can pretty much forget about Milwaukee because they're too far behind.

With this Pacers team, you never know, but realistically the only win they SHOULD definitely get is Washington at home.  The one against Milwaukee is a bit of a worry because they don't match up well against that team, but the Bucks have been struggling. 

To be honest, those are the only two games I see the Pacers winning for certain.  That would be the worst case scenario though, and the Pacers will finish 36-46.

Now with the Bobcats, they might very well win the games against Washington, Cleveland, Detroit and New Jersey, four teams with nothing to play for.  If they do, they will also finish 36-46, but the Pacers will have the tiebreaker because they won the head-to-head for the season.

But if the Bobcats can just get one more, or if the Pacers just one less, then the playoff drought will continue.  It shouldn't be like this, with the Bobcats having traded away Gerald Wallace and nursing a bunch of injuries to key players.  Nevertheless, it'll be a very interesting end to the season.

Let's just hope the Pacers can pull through.

We're heading into April, when the NBA is supposed to heat up and everyone starts to get excited.  For the first time in five years, the Indiana Pacers are on track to make the playoffs.  And yet, I can't get my blood pumping. 

Is there any doubt these Pacers are the most frustrating team in the league?  A team capable of beating the best teams in the NBA on the road, but also capable of losing to the worst teams at home (and losing badly, might I add).  They flirt with the playoffs, then play themselves into the lottery, then are miraculously gifted the 8th seed, but are now doing everything they can to play themselves out of it. 

A stunning 111-88 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats gave the Pacers the knockout blow they needed, giving them a full 3 game lead over their nearest rival.  With Milwaukee falling apart and New York in a dramatic slump, it was possible that the Pacers could even catch up to the Knicks and the 7th seed.

But is anyone surprised that the Pacers then promptly went out and lost the next two games, in appalling fashion, against the Sacramento Kings (at home) and the Detroit Pistons (on the road)? 

All this time they talk, talk and talk, but their actions betray their words.  They talk about tightening up the defence, but continue to give up 100+ points just about every game.  They talk about overcoming slow starts, but they continue to fall behind early against just about every opponent.  They talk about making the playoffs as one of the hottest teams in the league, but...well, that's just laughable at the moment.

Even with the Bobcats effectively throwing away their season (by trading Gerald Wallace) and with Stephen Jackson playing on half a leg, the Pacers can't put their fans at ease.  The Pacers, 32-42, are now just one game ahead of the Bobcats, who have gone on to shock both Boston and New York in consecutive games.

Next up is Boston, a team the Pacers could very well meet in the first round.  I don't like their chances, but then again, you just never know with this squad.

First of all, let me apologize.  I've been away on vacation and I didn't have the time or internet access to post on the Pacers.  Actually, I did one post, but as usual it got wiped clean before I had the opportunity to post it!

So allow me to quickly recap.  The Pacers have continued to baffle the last couple of weeks.  I knew it was going to be an up and down season but what has happened this season is beyond anything I could have ever imagined.

They beat New York back to back and one of the hottest teams in the league in Chicago (in OT, no less).  But they also lost to Minnesota and Memphis, two of the worst teams in the league.  Losses to Boston and Memphis were pretty much expected.

Tyler Hansbrough has been playing out of his mind, which makes one wonder why he didn't get more minutes before.  He is the one guy that gives 110% on every possession, and the rest of the Pacers (take note, Danny Granger) could certainly learn from that.

Okay, so coming off a tough win against the Deron Williams-less New Jersey Nets, tonight the Pacers are in for a huge game against the Charlotte Bobcats, who are one of the two teams (the other being Milwaukee) battling the Pacers for the 8th and final playoff spot in the East.  It really shouldn't even be a contest, considering the Bobcats pretty much blew up their roster and gave up on the season, but because the Pacers have been so crap lately, anything is possible.

The Pacers are 3-0 against the Bobcats, but with this squad, you just never know.  Which team will show up?  The one that has beaten Miami, LA, Chicago, Denver, Dallas, Portland and the Knicks, or the one that has lost to Toronto, Minnesota, Detroit and Washington?  Your guess is as good as mine.

The Pacers are currently 31-40 while the Bobcats are 28-41, so a win here would really solidify their position for the playoffs (where they can be swept by either Chicago or Boston or perhaps win a game against Miami).