The 82-game regular season is a very long journey for many NBA teams. While for some (say, the Golden State Warriors) it is merely a very long on-ramp, for many others — including the Indiana Pacers — fighting for playoff positioning can determine whether a postseason run ends in the first round or if it clears the way for a potential run to the conference or NBA Finals.
So when you look at Indiana’s 11-11 record against teams with winning records, it’s worth noting that isn’t just a potential sign of fraudulence — The Pacers beat bad teams, struggle against good ones — it might also mean they could end up losing a spot in the playoffs thanks to being on the wrong end of a tiebreaker.