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The Indiana Pacers are on their way to being a surprise team in the Eastern Conference for the second consecutive season, but this time the surprise isn't quite as pleasant for Roy Hibbert and company. Danny Granger (knee) is out for at least three months due to persistent patellar tendinosis, and through eight games the Pacers rank No. 28 in field goal percentage, No. 23 in three-point percentage, No. 28 in Offensive Rating (pts/100 poss) and No. 30 in Assist-to-Turnover Ratio. To add insult to injury, Roy Hibbert is shooting 38.4 percent from the field. A 3-5 start is not what the Pacers had envisioned, so....surprise!
The Bucks have fared much better in the early action. Their 4-2 record puts them in a position to build early momentum and pull farther away from wounded teams like the Wizards, Pistons, Cavs and Raptors. On Wednesday night, the Bucks get a chance to kick the Pacers while they are down and to build upon an impressive 4-1 conference mark. The Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Men (Larry Sanders and Ekpe Udoh) will face a tough test in front court the combination of David West and Roy Hibbert, but there is no reason to think they can't play shutdown defense against those guys.
This one should be interesting, especially considering that Sanders had a meltdown against the Pacers last year, and Mike Dunleavy appears to genuinely dislike Tyler Hansbrough.
Steve's Song: