Charlotte Hornets(4-7) vs. Indiana Pacers(4-7)
Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis
Wednesday, 7:00 p.m.
Television: SportSouth
Radio: WFNZ-AM(610 The Fan)
Series history(since original Hornets first season in 1988-89): IND leads series 57-35
It will be an emotional night for Lance Stephenson, as he and the Charlotte Hornets travel to Indianapolis on Wednesday night to take on a struggling Pacers team that enters the game with a 4-7 mark, just like the Hornets. Charlotte is coming off a hard-fought loss to the Dallas Mavericks back on Monday night at Time Warner Cable Arena 107-80, while Indiana is coming off a 99-90 win over the Bulls back on Saturday night in Chicago.
Scouting the Hornets
The Charlotte Hornets are coming off a lackluster performance on Monday night as they were blown out a home by the always tough Dallas Mavericks 107-80, dropping Charlotte to 4-7 on the season. Once again, the Hornets will be without Gary Neal, P.J. Hairston and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist for this match-up tonight, meaning that we could see another lineup adjustment, as the Hornets look to snap their brief 2-game skid tonight in Indianapolis as Lance Stephenson makes his return to Bankers Life Fieldhouse for the first time as a member of the Hornets.
Scouting the Pacers
Like the Hornets, the Pacers come in with a 4-7 mark into tonight's Eastern Conference match-up at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. After an exciting season last year, the Pacers are struggling out of the gates this season, but they do have a group of talented players including Roy Hibbert and Paul George, that can make it tough for those playing the Pacers, and these two players will be in the spotlight tonight for Frank Vogel's squad, as they welcome in former teammate Lance Stephenson and the Charlotte Hornets to Indianapolis.
Next 4 games for the Hornets(Home games in Purple, Road games in Teal)
Friday: Orlando Magic vs. Charlotte*(7:00 p.m.)
Sunday: Charlotte @ Miami Heat*(6:00 p.m.)
Monday: L.A. Clippers vs. Charlotte(7:00 p.m.)
Next Wednesday: Portland Trail Blazers vs. Charlotte(7:00 p.m.)
*-Southeast Division game
NOTES: All SportSouth telecasts begin with "Hornets Live" 30 minutes before tip-off; All Hornets games can be heard locally on flagship station WFNZ-AM(610 The Fan) and throughout the Carolinas on the Hornets Radio Network.
Our ongoing "30 Teams in 30 Days" series brings us back into the Eastern Conference after a long stay in the Western Conference over the last couple of days. We resume the Eastern Conference portion of this series with a look at one of the teams that is always a contender in the Eastern Conference, the Indiana Pacers, a team that could give the league a run for their money in the 2014-15 season.
Last season's record: 56-26(1st in Central Division and Eastern Conference; Def. ATL 4-3 in Eastern Conference 1st Round; Def. WAS 4-2 in Eastern Conference Semi-finals; Lost to MIA 4-2 in Eastern Conference Finals)
Head Coach: Frank Vogel(5th season, 167-100 overall with IND)
Arena: Bankers Life Fieldhouse(18,165)
Website: Pacers.com
If you had the Indiana Pacers taking the Central Division on paper, then you knew that they were a team with depth and size, but we all know that games aren't played on paper, they play it on hardwood, and many Pacers fans knew this. Behind the solid play of Lance Stephenson, who was the center of attention of what would happen to him in the off-season, and of course, the supporting cast behind him, Indiana did indeed capture the Central Division crown, and landing the number one overall seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs last year, finishing up with a 56-26 mark.
Indiana did this without Paul George, who was out for the season, and the postseason, and after getting past the Atlanta Hawks in the 1st round, and Washington in the Eastern Conference Semi-finals, Indiana was staring down at it's final hurdle: The Miami Heat. It was an epic series for both teams, but Miami got the best of Indiana in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Then, this past off-season, Lance Stephenson decided to leave the Pacers and sign with the Hornets to bolster their lineup this season down in Charlotte, but that didn't stop Indiana from getting Paul George back after an extended period of time, and just recently, they signed Frank Vogel to an extension, after all he has done in his short time as the head man in Indiana.
Things are looking up for the Pacers this upcoming season, and they will always be one of the prime teams in the league, and in their own division, with rivals in the Milwaukee Bucks, Chicago Bulls, and yes, the Cleveland Cavaliers again, now that LeBron has decided to rejoin the team again, and this team could be a dangerous threat to win it all, but we shall watch and see how they'll do this upcoming season.
Upcoming team previews in the "30 Teams in 30 Days" series:
- Saturday: Chicago Bulls
- Sunday: Milwaukee Bucks
- Monday: Detroit Pistons
- Tuesday: Cleveland Cavaliers
- Wednesday: Toronto Raptors
- Thursday: Boston Celtics
- Next Friday: New York Knicks
