It feels like more than a coincidence that the two teams that lost to the Heat in a Game 7 last season have also been the two best to start this season.
Both the Pacers and Spurs were within just one win of dethroning the defending champions last year, only to come away empty-handed and filled with remorse. But the two teams appear to have recovered nicely from their painful defeats, albeit in two very different ways.
For San Antonio, life goes on. The veteran core of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili had never lost in the NBA Finals before last season, but with multiple titles already under their belt, they have the confidence and wisdom to know they can get back there.
For Indiana, change was necessary. The team revamped its weak bench and, with newfound confidence and typically stingy defense, has earned a 7-0 start and an early leg up in the race for the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. If the Pacers can accomplish that, then a potential Game 7 against Miami would be held in Indianapolis this time, an advantage not lost on a team that went 8-1 at home in last season's playoffs.
The Pacers are the NBA's only unbeaten team -- and No. 1 in this week's Power Rankings, ahead of No. 2 San Antonio -- even though their second-highest-paid player, Danny Granger, has yet to play a single minute.
Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/nba/news/20131111/nba-power-rankings-indiana-pacers-san-antonio-spurs/#ixzz2kOwSNzhK
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