Pacers Forward Unpacks Biggest Reason For Recent Winning Ways

One Pacers player gives a reason for why they have been winning games recently.

Dec 6, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine (8) goes to the basket against Indiana Pacers forward Obi Toppin (1) during the second half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images / Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

The Indiana Pacers have won four out of their last five games. They finally started looking like the team that everyone in Indiana thought they were going to see. A year removed from making the Eastern Conference Finals, the Pacers haven't had the great start they were hoping for.

Following a win over the Phoenix Suns, the Pacers are feeling very confident in what they are able to do. The Eastern Conference is the weaker of the two conferences. Some ground can be made up quickly, which is good for Indiana. They currently sit eighth in the conference.

They could move quickly up the standings by stringing together some wins just like they have been able to. When asked why the Pacers have been able to flip a switch and start playing like the contender that they expected to be, forward Obi Toppin had a very simple reason.

"We're just out there having fun playing like ourselves," Toppin said. "Playing in transition, getting a lot of transition points. When you get that flowing, it's hard to stop it."

Toppin is right. The Pacers have played at a much slower pace this season than they did last year. They were the fastest team in terms of pace a season ago. This season, they are just eighth. That's a big drop for a team that moved as fast as they did last season.

Their pace is a big weapon for their offense. It's how they get easy buckets and how they can keep their flow going. The Pacers are not a good defensive team, so their pace has to be high to make sure they get enough possessions to score more points than the other team.

Indiana did play perhaps their best defensive game of the season against the Suns. They were able to keep Bradley Beal and Devin Booker from going off against them, although Kevin Durant did have 37 points. That was enough for them to get a 120-111 win.

If the Pacers get back to playing with speed and pace, they are a hard team to stop. That is what made them so hard to beat last year in the playoffs. It's what makes them special in a league full of teams playing the same style of basketball.

The Indiana Pacers have a tough stretch of games coming up. If they can win those games, they can continue to make up ground in the standings.

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