by Mueez Azfar
The wait is over, the Indiana Pacers schedule for the 2023-24 season has been released and there are some things we need to talk about.
First and foremost, Indy’s X account’s method of releasing the schedule was a bit…odd.
There are plenty of takeaways from this schedule release and what this means for Pacers fans and the NBA. As we know, the Indiana Pacers have been lauded as one of the NBA’s most exciting young teams after the recent acquisitions of Jarace Walker through the draft, Bruce Brown through free agency, and Obi Toppin through trade have bolstered the roster around the core of Tyrese Haliburton, Bennedict Mathurin, and Myles Turner. Some have even projected Indiana as a sleeper candidate for a top 5 seed in the East with expectations being through the roof after only a few seasons of missing the playoffs
With that being said, some people still don’t believe in Indiana’s resurgence, and the schedule makers are clearly among that bunch, as will be discussed.
Back-to-Backs, Stars, and Road Trips
Indiana opens up the season on October 25th vs the Washington Wizards, the same team they faced on opening night in 2022 where they lost 107-114. This is the seventh time in the last eight years the Pacers have started a season off at home.
This season is a bit different from the past few however, for the first time since 2021, the Pacers have true aspirations to make the NBA playoffs and fans are excited to see what the new additions of rookies Jarace Walker, Ben Sheppard, and offseason acquisitions Bruce Brown and Obi Toppin can do in the blue and gold.
Seven of Indiana’s first nine games will be at Gainsbridge Fieldhouse including a five-game homestand from November 3 to November 9. The first-ever In-Season Tournament game against Cleveland will be on November 3, followed by a matchup with the Charlotte Hornets and rookie Brandon Miller the following night.
Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs visit Indy on November 6th which is a game that will most likely be very highly anticipated by the Indiana Faithful and the five-game homestead wraps up with back-to-back games against the Jazz and Bucks on November 8 and 9, respectively.
Aside from the matchups with Milwaukee and Cleveland, both Central Division rivals, the rest of the Pacers’ home games are against teams that missed the playoffs the previous year, which provides some relief for Pacers fans asking for an easier schedule to start off the season.
The Pacers have a total of 13 back-to-backs on the season, with the first occurring in the aforementioned five-game homestand in November. They will also play two straight games in Los Angeles on March 24 and 25, facing the Lakers on Sunday and the Clippers on Monday. This means that Indiana will only have to travel during seven of their 13 back-to-backs.
For Pacers fans looking to see when the NBA’s superstars come to Indiana, Nikola Jokic and the defending champion Denver Nuggets visit Gainsbridge on January 23, with the new-look Phoenix Suns coming to Indianapolis three days later. The Pacers will make the trip to Ball Arena on January 14 to face the Nuggets in what will be Bruce Brown’s return game in Denver.
For fans wondering when Indiana will get another swing at Domantas Sabonis and the Sacramento Kings, they come to town on February 2.
Indiana has a six-game road trip from January 12-21, which is quite a bit but not as much as the previous year’s seven-game road trip, which was the first of that length since 1986. This six-game trip also includes two back-to-backs very close to each other, with the first one being in Denver and Utah and the second being in Sacramento and Portland.
The Pacers will be put to work before All-Star Weekend in Indy, having 3 road games in a row before going back to their home turf to host the midseason festivities.
Following All-Star Weekend, the Pacers will host Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies on January 28, the Warriors and Stephen Curry on February 8, Luka Doncic and the Mavericks on February 25, and LeBron James and the Lakers on March 29.
Indiana will finish off their season on April 14th, facing the Hawks, as they did in the 2019 season finale. The Pacers have the 9th easiest Strength of Schedule, according to Positive Residual, with 8 rest advantages and 9 disadvantages.
January Blues
Despite the schedule only releasing a few hours ago, Pacers fans are already looking forward to, or dreading, the month of January.
This is not without reason however, as the Pacers will run the gauntlet among the NBA’s elite to start off the new year, with two games against the Milwaukee Bucks, three games against the Boston Celtics, including their only national TV game on January 30th, two games against the new look Phoenix Suns, and two games against the defending champion Denver Nuggets.
Despite having a relatively easy strength of schedule for the season, the Pacers always have one month per season where they have to face the NBA’s best teams. Last year, it was around mid-January to mid-February, and this year, it’s the full month of February.
For all we know, maybe the optimists are right about Indiana’s fortunes and they escape the month of January with a winning record, further cementing their position as a team to look out for in not only the future but the present as well.
If anything, at least the rookies are in high spirits for February’s onslaught.
Kings vs Pacers not on the Big Stage?
Now, maybe I’m the one getting a bit too ahead of myself for wanting the small-market Pacers to play on Christmas Day, but surely there was an opportunity that was presented here, especially with a prime matchup against the Sacramento Kings being right on the table, with the Kings also not having a Christmas Day matchup on the schedule.
In my opinion, a Pacers/Kings Christmas Day matchup would be the perfect mix of drama and fun, entertaining basketball, with both teams playing a very exciting style of basketball. The Kings, known as the “Beam Team”, are known for their fast-paced style of play and lights-out 3-point shooting which led them to their first playoff berth in 16 seasons, which was partially due to the acquisition of Domantas Sabonis from the Pacers themselves.
The Pacers, on the other hand, did not make the playoffs due to an injury to Tyrese Haliburton, however, stayed competitive through most of the year and were one of the more exciting teams to watch, and have only gotten better through the offseason with the aforementioned pickups.
Putting a matchup such as Kings/Pacers on Christmas Day would not only give casual NBA fans a taste of new blood in the NBA but would also let the fans of either team enjoy another matchup, hopefully, more exciting this time, as the first Kings/Pacers matchup since the trade resulted in a lopsided victory for Sacramento whilst the second was tainted from the start with De’Aaron Fox sitting out and the Pacers squeaking by with a three point victory.
There is no doubt in my mind that with a healthy Pacers and Kings roster and a national TV slot, both teams would bring their A-game and it would not be a matchup worth missing. At the very least, if not on Christmas, this matchup could’ve been put on the so-called “Rivals Week” where most of the matchups aren’t even between rival teams.
This is also not just a problem with the Pacers, as the NBA’s Christmas schedule seems to be stuck in the past and overly reliant on big market bias, which is preventing fans from seeing the NBA’s elite play on perhaps the biggest regular season stage.
Only One National TV Game?
Despite some fresh new faces in Indiana and their new status as one of the league’s most exciting teams to watch in the coming years, nothing has changed as far as the schedule makers are concerned, as Indiana has once again only received one nationally televised game all season, with this sole game coming at the end of January vs a Boston Celtics team that most expect to make it to the NBA Finals.
Admittedly, the Pacers and Celtics have produced exciting matchups 2 out of the 3 times they faced off last year, so they are certainly liable for producing an entertaining game whenever they are matched up together, which is also amplified by Boston trading away Marcus Smart for Washington’s Kristaps Porzingis, which in turn moves one of the best perimeter defenders in the league away from Tyrese Haliburton, thus making it more possible for a national TV outburst, which would put Indiana in the spotlight.
However, this should not take away from the fact that this should not be Indiana’s only nationally televised game. Ever since the Paul George era in Indy ended in 2017, Indiana has gained a reputation as a “League-Pass team”, or in other words, a team that must be sought out to watch, and will not get any national TV attention, despite probably deserving it.
This year is no different, as many have noted the Pacers as a team to watch in the East, and are looking forward to watching them on League Pass. However, one can also come to the conclusion that Indiana’s recent moves have graduated them from the shadows of the NBA League Pass and have taken them to a team that people want to see on national TV.
Whether it is against the aforementioned Kings or another team the Pacers had exciting games with, such as the Lakers, the Indiana Pacers deserve more than one nationally televised game a year, which is a sentiment shared by most fans after the schedule was released.
Final Thoughts
I for one, am very excited about this upcoming season. Indiana woke some people up with their play early in the 2022-23 season and only started stringing losses together after Tyrese Haliburton‘s injury which put them in a good position in the 2023 draft lottery. This led them to draft Jarace Walker, and with the additions of Obi Toppin and Bruce Brown in the offseason, Indiana is looked at as one of the NBA’s premier young teams.
With the schedule for the Pacers being released today, Pacers fans can get a little taste of what they can expect for the upcoming season and despite the lack of national TV exposure, Indiana should still be poised to have a very impressive season, barring injuries of course.
Originally posted on 8points9seconds.com