I'll admit that I didn't think the Pacers were going to beat Miami last night.  But, I'm not surprised that they did.  This Indiana team has proven they can beat anyone in the league.  They have also proven they can lose to any team in the league as well.  Up and down, all season long, that has been the issue.

Currently sitting at 30-42 on the season and with only 10 games to play, the Pacers are four games behind Chicago for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.  Normally, I would say this is a done deal, but with a schedule that favors Indiana, I could actually see Indiana make the playoffs.

Here is how the final 10 games look for the Pacers:

As you can see, seven of the final 10 games are at home, which helps the Pacers, because they have been absolutely miserable on the road this season (10-28).  However, five of the 10 games are against teams that currently hold playoff seeds (bolded up above).  Milwaukee is just one game ahead of Indiana in catching Chicago, so a win against the Bucks could certainly help boost the Pacers into the playoffs.

If Indiana is going to catch Chicago, then they have to win the final two games against the Bulls.  The first will be this Saturday at Chicago and then again on Tuesday (in Indianapolis).  With two wins against the Bulls, that closes the gap down to two games with eight to play.  After that, it becomes a race to the finish.  With as many as five teams fighting for that last playoff spot things could get very interesting in the East. 

Another interesting scenario to play itself out is the fact that Detroit is only one game ahead of Chicago for the seventh spot in the East.  If the Pistons manage to lose a few games in a row and a team that is currently out of the playoffs can win a few, then the Pistons could be out of the playoffs. 

The next two weeks will be very interesting to see who can close out and who is going home to prepare for the lottery.