[Gonzo]

The Indiana Pacers are one of the hottest teams in the NBA despite being without three starters. They continue to gather steam in the Eastern Conference playoff race and are poised to move into the postseason with significant momentum.

The Pacers took another step in that direction Friday night when they gained a tie with Washington for the fifth seed in the conference with a 93-83 victory over the Wizards at Conseco Fieldhouse.

The Pacers have won a season-high six straight games. Their magic number to clinch a playoff spot is three. They hold the tiebreaker over the Wizards for the fifth seed because they have a better conference record.

The Pacers haven't gone on their winning streak by beating the likes of Utah, New Orleans and Atlanta, some of the worst teams in the NBA. They've beaten the Wizards twice, Miami and Cleveland, all teams likely headed to the playoffs.

See the rest of the article here:
http://www2.indystar.com/articles/6/235487-9316-179.html

Good article, and what Croshere says appears to be true. These guys are playing awesome together right now... I don't really know if I want Jermaine back for the playoffs, he may just slow down the tempo of our team.

 

[Pacers Fan]

The winning streak has a lot to do with our improvement as a team, but I think it has more to do with us not playing western teams and getting plenty of rest.

 

[StephenJackson]

Good post LL....the team is clicking, and it is beautiful. I know a lot of people will say that this because we aren't playing west coast teams, but I think that's pretty much BS. We beat the Heat, we beat Detroit. Did I mention we beat the Heat? All the games we are winning by at least 10 points...at least on the ladder part of our streak. West coast, East coast, it doesn't matter. The bottom line is we are winning games, and we are winning them by doing the same thing day in and day out...playing team basketball with confidence. Our team is so solid right now, if we keep this up....you are going to REALLY see teams start to sweat that we are going to face in the playoffs.