After one of the most surprising and impressive postseason runs in recent NBA history, the Indiana Pacers have nothing to show for it aside from an Eastern Conference championship banner. As if getting bested by the Oklahoma City Thunder in seven games for the Larry O'Brien wasn't enough, they'll also remember how painfully close they were to reaching the pinnacle each time they take the court without Tyrese Haliburton next season, who will be recovering from the torn Achilles he suffered seven minutes into Game 7 after starting on a quick 3-4 from deep that suggested that he was going to have an all-time Finals performance.
Even though Indiana fell just short, teams around the NBA have a lot to learn from their torrid run through the East. The league has been known to try to emulate its most impressive squads, like when franchises tried to replicate the Golden State Warriors' small-ball "death lineup" or the Boston Celtics' analytically driven perimeter attack.
The Pacers' specific brand of basketball will be near impossible to match without an offensive guru on the sidelines like Head Coach Rick Carlisle and a turbocharged distributor like Tyrese Haliburton, but there's one important lesson that teams like the New Orleans Pelicans can take away from Indiana's recent success.
Like the Indiana Pacers, the New Orleans Pelicans are closer than they might think
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Not many outside of Indiana expected the Pacers to make it to Game 7 of the championship round, but they didn't exactly come out of nowhere. Just last year, they were in the Eastern Conference Finals and gave the Boston Celtics an honest run for their money. The series was a sweep, but three out of the four games were decided by five points or less, and that's with Haliburton only playing in the first two bouts.
A good chunk of fans, analysts, and pundits around the league chalked up Indiana's run to luck and injuries, as they got to play the Milwaukee Bucks without Damian Lillard for two games and Giannis Antetokounmpo for the whole first round. Then, they eked by the New York Knicks, who had Mitchell Robinson on the sidelines.
But, even if no one else believed that the Pacers had built something real in Indiana, they did. They ran back essentially the same roster and proved the world wrong by not only returning to the Conference Finals but coming one game (and possibly one torn Achilles) away from winning it all.
The New Orleans Pelicans may have had an absolute dumpster fire of a campaign last year, finishing 21-61, but they're only one season removed from 49 wins, a playoff berth, and a career-high 70 games from Zion Williamson. Between the team's recent history and all of the injuries they suffered this past season, it's easy to feel like [the Pelicans are nowhere close to contention and might need to tear the whole thing down](https://pelicandebrief.com/the-thunder-s-title-has-struck-the-pelicans-with-a-harsh-reality).
But Zion, Trey Murphy III, Jordan Poole, Dejounte Murray, and Herb Jones might make up the most talented top five of any team in the league. Add in Jose Alvarado, Saddiq Bey, and rookie standout Yves Missi, and New Orleans has a serious playoff rotation, [albeit with a glaring hole at center](https://pelicandebrief.com/the-pelicans-should-aggressively-pursue-indiana-pacers-big-man). If the Pelicans just exercise some patience and belief in their own process and roster and nail the draft and free agency, this team could just be the next to shock the NBA world.