Tonight at 10:00 p.m. ET the NBA's best team to date, the Indiana Pacers (16-1) will travel to Portland where one of the NBA's best surprises, the Trailblazers (14-3) await them in a battle of offense vs. defense. Live stream the game by clicking this link; Pacers fans can hear the game on 1070 The Fan, while 1190 KEX Portland.
Indiana has been absurdly hot to start the 2013-2014 campaign, but expects the current road trip they've embarked on to serve as a litmus test for their championship aspirations.
"It's a good challenge for us. We're embracing this trip," said power forward David West. "We have a whole different animal going to Portland, but we've got to be prepared to let this one go, leave this one in Los Angeles, and prepare for a tough, tough game." Their recent win over the Los Angeles Clippers is the only one to come against an opponent currently over .500.
Defense has been the key to the Pacers' early success, as they are holding opponents to just over 86 points a game. Offensively, though, there is room for improvement according to breakout star Paul George. "We can become a lot better. We're still nowhere close to where we want to be offensively, and that's the next step for us," George said.
The Pacers' defense will be put to the test against the Blazers, who enter play averaging a healthy 104 points per game and rank as the third-best 3-point shooting team in the entire league, connecting at a 41.4 percent rate. Should they jump out in front of Indiana though, the Pacers shouldn't panic as Portland has struggled to hold leads.
"When things are going well, we tend to ease up instead of tightening up and putting teams away," said point guard Damian Lillard.
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