After a road victory against the Philadelphia 76ers, the Indiana Pacers lead East Group A with a 2-0 record. What exactly does that mean for the team in the NBA In-Season Tournament? Let’s talk about it.

The Pacers now have two games remaining in Group Play on the very colorful courts. Both will happen next week. One game on the road against the Atlanta Hawks, who are currently in second in the group at 1-0, on Tuesday, and one game at home against the Detroit Pistons (0-2) on Black Friday.

The Hawks are 6-4 overall this season and have looked very good to start the year. The Pistons are only 2-10 but they’ve kept both of their first two tournament games close.

staying put in the top spot of East Group A 😤 pic.twitter.com/AYlIDW0XyL

— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) November 15, 2023

If the Pacers are able to win against the Hawks, they’ll automatically advance to the Knockout Rounds by winning their group regardless of the result against the Pistons because they’ll own the head-to-head tiebreaker against each of the other teams that could still have one loss remaining by the end of Group Play.

Much like the World Cup, the Knockout Rounds are a single-elimination tournament. Only 8 teams qualify: the three group winners from each conference and two wild cards.

If they are unable to win against the Hawks, they can still win their group depending on the results of the remaining games for everyone else. If multiple teams have the same number of losses in Group Play, the tiebreaker is point differential. The Pacers are currently +11 over their two games and the Hawks are at +6.

Feel lame asking for tips but anything helps make the time spent designing these worth it. My cut from the site is just $1 per shirt sale. Appreciate the support.

Cash App/Venmo: djkkramer pic.twitter.com/1yLz01LOb7

— iPacers.com (@iPacersblog) November 16, 2023

It is possible the Pacers could advance as a wild card team if they have the best point differential among all second-place teams in each East group. They’d likely need a blowout victory in one of the two games next week to push their point differential high enough to get the wild card spot.

This Friday, the Hawks and Sixers face each other in a pivotal Group Play matchup as the Sixers look to stay alive and the Hawks look to make the game against the Pacers a battle for first place. Whatever the result, the Pacers are in full control of their own destiny after beating both the Cavaliers and Sixers already.

If Indiana does advance to the Knockout Rounds, they’ll be seeded and play in the first round either at home or on the road at a typical NBA arena. If they win in the first-round, the semi-finals and championship game will be played in Las Vegas.