The Indiana Pacers will face the Miami Heat in the first game of their NBA Cup campaign on Friday night. The Heat just won their first game of the season against the New Orleans Pelicans after a hugely disappointing 0-4 start.
There is a new but not too novel challenger for the Heat in the recently acquired Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Pacers knew Giannis well from his time with the Bucks when the two teams truly, undeniably hated each other and would go to war every game.
While the NBA Cup has been seen as a sideshow since it was introduced, it is still a game that matters, and after a long and miserable 2025-26 season, it would be fun to see the Pacers return to the Cup's title game as they did in its inaugural season.
Additionally, with a stretch of bad performances in the very recent history for the Pacers, it feels important for this injury-ridden Indiana team to get a win without Tyrese Haliburton, Ivica Zubac, and TJ McConnell.
The team itself has the core and roots of a great team, but they haven't been able to survive against Haliburton. Facing a Heat team with a very good top two that lacks any real depth should be a test of whether the Pacers can punish a team that doesn't...