NBA: Ranking the 20 projected playoff teams based on their record vs. winning teams

7. Indiana Pacers (18-18)

After making the big move for Pascal Siakam at the NBA Trade Deadline, it's a bit surprising that the Indiana Pacers aren't playing better than they have since the NBA All-Star break. At the moment, the Pacers are sitting in the 8th seed of the Eastern Conference standings. They'll likely have to win their way into the playoffs via the Play-In Tournament and even though that shouldn't seem like a difficult task, anything can happen in a one-game sample.

If the Pacers were to miss out on the playoffs, it would be extremely demoralizing for the team. Especially with the way they started out the year. Interestingly enough, even though the Pacers are ranked 8th in the East standings, they've fared pretty well against teams with winning records this season.

Having a .500 record against winning teams is the formula for how to have a successful season. If nothing else, there's no question that this season will provide the Pacers some momentum to build as they head into the offseason. Maybe next year is when we see the Pacers make the big jump in their development.