What the Colts can Learn From the Pacers’ Success
By Ryan Stano
The Pacers are the talk of the town right now, having wildly exceeded expectations all season and are winning in the playoffs. The Colts can learn a thing or two from their next door neighbors.
The Colts will be an afterthought next season. They will be counted out and not expected to win many games. Many people expect them to be in contention for a top five draft pick again. They are in rebuild mode, and won’t contend for a few years, when their younger players grow up.
Guess who heard all of these same narratives? The Indiana Pacers. And now they have a 1-0 lead in the first round of the playoffs against the defending champions of the eastern conference. They didn’t let the media’s lack of faith in them affect their play. Now they have a chance to really make some noise in the playoffs.
The Colts would be wise to take some pointers from their Indy neighbors. Coach Frank Reich will instill confidence in his team that they can compete, much like Nate McMillian did with the Pacers. But the players have to work hard and believe in themselves. And if they do, they could have a surprise season.
Football is very different from basketball. Fewer players can have a greater impact in basketball than they can in football. But the Colts still get an impact player back in Andrew Luck. Luck has carried teams before in the past.
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The most important thing for a team is their mindset. If they stay positive and think that they can compete, that team will scrap and fight until the end. And that usually results in winning games. The Pacers have that mentality. The Colts would be wise to have that mindset too.