INDIANAPOLIS — They are beneath the radar but, make no mistake, the Indiana Pacers are flying.
Ignored by the NBA's broadcast partners, overlooked by the national media, the Pacers are quietly the hottest team in the league.
With their seventh win in a row, 118-109 over the Bucks on Thursday, the Pacers improved to 41-22 and strengthened their grip on the third seed in the Eastern Conference. Their 11-1 record in April is the NBA's best, and they've gone 15-4 since Larry Bird acquired Leandro Barbosa from Toronto at the trade deadline to add more scoring punch to the bench.
"I write the word 'Believe' on the board before every single game," Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. "Me talking about believing how good we can be, it's no longer a sell job. I'm not trying to persuade guys that we can be great. They believe it and it's just a matter of going out and having fun and raising the level of play every time you're out there."
The very reasons for their success are those that explain their anonymity: They lack a lightning-rod superstar, they play a physical style long on fundamentals and short on flash, and their close-knit locker room has been utterly devoid of off-court drama.
"I tell people all the time we're the best-kept secret," Roy Hibbert said. "People don't have to talk about us. We're fine going about our business. People who play against us know what's coming. The media, that's fine — they'll find out too, eventually."
The Pacers have two former All-Stars, David West and Danny Granger, and Hibbert made his first appearance in the NBA's talent showcase this season. But the Pacers still possess an everyman mentality. Whoever's hot gets the ball, whoever is playing well finishes the game and all five players on the court must be linked defensively.
The success of the formula is evident. They have produced more victories in 62 games (41) than in any their five previous 82-game seasons. Only two teams have more road wins than Indiana's 19, and the Pacers already are ensured of just their fourth winning road record in franchise history. In each of the other three seasons, the most recent being 2003-04, they reached the Eastern Conference finals.
It represents quite a leap for a team that won 37 games last year, eked into the playoffs and raised a few eyebrows with a gritty performance before losing to top-seeded Chicago in five games.
"If you ask our entire fan base when I did speaking engagements during the lockout, I told everybody to prepare for us to take a big jump this year," Vogel said. "We're not looking to take a small step, we're looking to take a big step, and we're on pace to do that. We haven't done anything yet. Taking a big step for us is defined as going deep in the playoffs, and we're set up to do that."
The Pacers' magic number for clinching home-court advantage — something they have not had in the postseason since the 2004 conference finals — in the first round is down to one, with a favorable schedule the rest of the way. They have just three games left, all of which will be played at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
Indiana has surged behind a productive offense that has topped 100 points in seven straight games and 12 of 13, and a defense that had limited nine consecutive opponents to double digits before Milwaukee scored 109 on Thursday.
Granger has shaken free of a long slump to score at least 18 points in 14 straight games, Hibbert had registered five consecutive double-doubles prior to the Bucks game, and even the one injury issue in the starting lineup has turned into a positive.
Point guard Darren Collison missed five games because of a sore groin, but George Hill stepped in and looked right at home. Though Collison returned to action Monday, he was not effective and reported tightness, so Hill will remain in the lineup for the time being. With Hill in the starting lineup, the Pacers are a perfect 7-0.
"They're an excellent team and Frank has done a great job," Boston coach Doc Rivers said. "They play so well together. They've bought into their roles. Granger used to be the guy. You just pretty much loaded up on him, but you can't do that anymore, and that's what makes them so good."
Barbosa has added 3-point shooting and the ability to take over a game, offensively, for brief stretches with his occasional hot streaks. The Brazilian also brings a wealth of playoff experience from his years with the Suns, joining West (New Orleans) and Hill (San Antonio), who also have deep postseason runs under their belts.
As much noise as they're making now, the Pacers realize it will fall on deaf ears unless they rise up in the playoffs.
"We're not talked about a lot, but I think teams in the NBA know what we're capable of," Granger said. "Maybe everybody in the sports world doesn't, but I'm sure if we win a playoff series, make noise in the playoffs, we'll get a lot more recognition."
