Jason Whitlock can be full of himself at times, but he’s still one of the best sportswriters out there. This recent column about the pain he experiences in watching his beloved Pacers is biting and hilarious. Of course he’s not the only one mocking Roy Hibbert and the emotionally fragile Pacers, but Whitlock does it more eloquently.

That’s the question everyone is asking as the Pacers have jumped out to an 8-0 start. Paul George seems ready to make the jump as an elite player as he’s off to a torrid start with 24.9 points per game, 7.8 rebounds and 3.6 assists while shooting 47.9%. Check out the interview above where he discusses the new season and his desire to help get the Pacers over the top. The additions of Luis Scola and CJ Watson have helped the bench scoring and soon Danny Granger will be back as well. It will be interesting to see how he fits in from a chemistry point of view, but finding minutes for him is a good problem to have.

Of course it’s very early. Miami seems to start slow every year and then they turn it on, but Indiana might make it hard for them to catch up. The Pacers seem focused on getting home court advantage, and desire is an important factor in the long NBA season.

Brian Windhorst has an excellent article about the dilemma facing Lebron James in tonight’s game 7 showdown in Miami versus the Pacers. Should he try to take over the game and save the Heat like he did in Game 5, or should he try to stay with the program and find ways to get Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh involved.

Against the front line of the Pacers, the formula that worked in the regular season for Miami isn’t working now. Wade’s injury isn’t helping, and right now the Heat are searching for players who can hit shots.

But while everyone is focusing on Lebron and the lack of help, we can’t forget that it was Lebron who basically went AWOL back in 2011 against the Mavs, which was very similar to his disappearing acts in Cleveland. And while Dwyane Wade hasn’t played well in this series, Wade remembers that he had to carry a fragile Lebron several years ago.

So the dynamics in the Heat locker room will be a hot topic of conversation for a while, whether the Heat win or lose tonight. It will be interesting to see if Wade ever calls out Lebron for his own failures in the past.

As with competitive NBA playoff series, we’re seeing a back and forth between two excellent teams, and each game seems to produce a new conventional wisdom that the media will beat to death. The latest has Lebron James winning these games on his own in “Cleveland” mode, with Chris Both and Dwyane Wade doing their best impressions of disappearing magicians.

As with every “theme’ coming out of one game, things can change very quickly. The main characteristics of Lebron’s days in Cleveland were games like this when he couldn’t miss a shot, often followed by big games where he would clank up threes at the worst time and then wilt under pressure. Lebron is now much more mature and consistent, but there’s no guarantee that he can continue his torrid shooting in game 6.

Also, everyone is ripping on Dwyane Wade as he seems to age right before our eyes, but Wade is still capable of scoring outbursts that can help carry the Heat.

Then we have Chris Anderson. He should have been tossed in game 5, but the NBA at least got it right by booting him for game 6.

On the other side, Indiana needs to find someone to help out Roy Hibbert and Paul George. Lance Stevenson has been huge in their wins, but has had a hard time in Indiana’s losses. They need him to play well.

I think tonight’s game is a tossup, and if Indiana pulls it out, anything can happen in game 7 even though the Heat will be favored at home. It should be interesting . . .

The Indiana Pacers evened the series against the Miami Heat last night for a host of reasons, but one centers around Roy Hibbert and the mismatch against the Heat front line. The Heat have no answer for a classic center like Roy Hibbert, and he creates all sorts of problems for them when he stays out of foul trouble.

Now, this wouldn’t matter as much if the Miami shooters were hitting their threes, but Indiana’s overall defense deserves some credit as well.

Unlike the matchup with the Bulls, there hasn’t been a time so far in the first three games where the Pacers have looked overmatched against Lebron James and the Heat. The Pacers have the athletes and the size to go head to head with the Heat, even if they at times have their own breakdowns against the suffocating Heat defense.

But by taking game 2, the Pacers now have more than a puncher’s chance of winning this series. There’s a very long way to go, but now game 3 becomes a pivotal game. Let’s see if Hibbert and the rest of the Pacers can keep up the intensity at home. The Heat aren’t intimidated by playing on the road.