If you could script it, celebrating the conclusion of the season’s first half by getting incinerated by the Boston Celtics is not how the Indiana Pacers would have plotted it out. Alas, that is how it ended. Fortunately, Indiana had the New York Knicks to chase away that bad aftertaste Boston left. The season’s second half began much better than the first ended. Which was a shame because the first half offered so many highs.
The Pacers backed up the promise they inspired a season ago, finished the first half seven games better than their 2017-18 selves did.