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Pacers 2016-17 Schedule: Top Games, Championship Odds and Record Predictions
- Updated: August 11, 2016
Change isn’t always for the better, and the Indiana Pacers could learn that the hard way following an eventful summer.
The NBA released Indiana’s schedule for the 2016-17 season Thursday.
Team president Larry Bird wasn’t content to stick with the status quo after the Pacers exited in the first round of the 2016 playoffs. He opted against signing head coach Frank Vogel to a new deal. He also jettisoned one of the few remaining remnants from better times when he traded George Hill to the Utah Jazz, receiving Jeff Teague in a three-team deal with the Atlanta Hawks.
Even before Vogel’s departure, Indiana was clearly in a period of transition. His defense-first philosophy is no longer conducive to playoff success in the NBA, and the roster wasn’t built for the league’s current emphasis on three-point shooting.
As a result, the Pacers will look a lot different than they did a year ago. Joining Teague will be Al Jefferson and Thaddeus Young. Indiana will be a better offensive team, but that could come at a major cost on the defensive end.
Below is a look at the Pacers’ most intriguing matchups for the upcoming season and a prediction for how they’ll finish the year.
2016-17 Details
Season Opener: Wednesday, Oct. 26 vs. Dallas Mavericks
Championship Odds: 66-1 (via Odds Shark)
Top Matchups Orlando Magic When: Nov. 14, Jan. 1, Feb. 1 and April 8
Vogel is one of the most successful coaches in Pacers history. He took Indiana to back-to-back Eastern Conference Finals in 2013 and 2014, and his 250 wins are second to Slick Leonard (529). But that didn’t stop the Pacers from kicking Vogel to the curb in May.
Vogel is now in charge of the Orlando Magic.
“I really wanted to stay in Indiana forever, but this is a business and you’ve got to respect the decisions that are made,” he said in July, per the Indianapolis Star’s Nate Taylor. “I was happy that coach Nate [McMillan] got hired in Indiana.”
Although he didn’t openly criticize the Pacers regarding the departure, there will likely be a small piece of Vogel looking for revenge when Indiana and Orlando first meet in the regular season. He’ll want to show the Pacers they made a mistake in letting him go.
Similarly, McMillan will be under a little extra pressure to show the …
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