Apr 21, 2013; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers starting five (L-R) forward David West (21), guard George Hill (3), forward Paul George (24), center Roy Hibbert (55), and guard Lance Stephenson (1) watch from the bench against the Atlanta Hawks during game one of the first round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Indiana defeats Atlanta 107-90. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

The Indiana Pacers should not hang their heads. They made it further than most pundits predicted, overcame the agony of a Game 1 loss, and looked the defending champs square in the eye as they punished their lack of size. Roy Hibbert put some sort of hex on LeBron James, Paul George continued his miracle year, and their team wide physicality often bordered on the frightening.

So what went wrong?

The Pacers simply didn’t have the firepower. As an Eastern Conference cousin to the Memphis Grizzlies, in the end, you have to score more points than your opponent, and while the Pacers are clearly studs on defense, their offensive prowess is to put it mildly, inconsistent. Paul George serves not only as the team’s best player, but also an apt metaphor for both their strengths and struggles. George can be a marvel to watch, long and rangy and tough, elite defensive instincts and occasionally spectacular offense. And then sometimes he can’t hit the broadside of an Indiana barn.

The Pacers can play defense. The Pacers’ poetry is defense. It’s what got them to the Conference Finals and it’ll be what wins them another fifty games or so next year. But to get over the hump they need to make a few tweaks. Just a few ideas, not scientifically proven, off the top of my head.

1. Vogel is vital

Frank Vogel has earned the keys to the kingdom, despite not having Hibbert in at the end of Game 1. It takes a heady coach to get this kind of performance out of non marquee players and Vogel has masterfully maximized most of his talent and taken it to the brink. He deserves a round of applause (cue slow clap for the wild-eyed Vogel).

2. Extend David West to another two-year deal

David West is entering the twilight of his career, but he’s expressed a willingness to stay and probably won’t find another team in which he’ll be the undisputed elder statesmen. Teams that get close sometimes overreact and clean house. This team deserves another shot at the crown, and they need to keep as much of the gang together as feasible. In a perfect world they will get West on a short-term deal and he’ll once again reward their trust in him with his scowl, his midrange daggers, and a seven-foot wingspan that wreaked havoc on the Heat’s composure.

3. The Granger Conundrum

Before David West chose Indiana and before Paul George became a household (basketball nerd household) name, the man carrying water for the Pacers was Danny Granger. Granger is a scorer with some crafty moves around the basket, but he prefers long twos and three-pointers. You’re not going to get a ton of assists or rebounds from Granger, but he does score about twenty points per game, and make 3s at a reasonably good percentage. It was hard not to think one or two offensive bursts from Granger might have swung a crucial game. On the other hand, with a healthy Granger it is unlikely Paul George ever becomes Paul George and with one year left on his contract the Pacers would be better served moving him for assets, young players or draft picks or even some canny veteran. Addition by subtraction is a hard thing, but the days of Granger, Monta Ellis, and Joe Johnson as leading men is not going to cut it anymore.

4. Sign Jarrett Jack

DJ Augustin is off the books next season and the Pacers would be wise to find a proven back up point guard who adds a different dimension than George Hill, rather than a watered down version of him. Luckily, there is a journeyman superstar who might just have played himself into a big payday. Jarrett Jack is coming off a career season with the Golden State Warriors. He is a bold and (perhaps too) fearless point guard who can create his own shot. That’s not always a great thing, as Jack sometimes gets a little comfortable being a knight in shining armor and clearly delights in his heroics. Still, he’s a very good player that could elevate the second unit and score those elusive buckets needed when Indiana fall into their scoring droughts. Plus, he’s already been a Pacer once!

5. Live By Defense, Kill by the 3

Shooters is sometimes used as a pejorative, in the case of players that clearly have no other discernible reason to be on the court. Guys like Daequan Cook and Jason Kapono and Sasha Vujacic have at times inspired venomous loathing for missing two shots in a row and less explosive but more well-rounded players earn a kind of rustic respect or in the case of a guy like Tony Allen, a cult status. The Pacers already have their quota of the rugged types, they need some finesse dudes, they need someone who can just fill it up from distance, someone who is always a threat to bury you with a barrage of threes. Luckily for the Pacers, there are plenty of free agent sharpshooters, and several of them are even in their price range, like the charming Marco Belinelli, who often gets mocked for his Stallone-like features and his falling from a chair shooting form. Aim a little higher and make a push for J.J. Redick, who could slide right into the starting line-up. Anthony Morrow has a beautiful shot and kind of looks like a kinder and gentler Lance Stephenson. Kyle Korver exists. Corey Brewer can hit the corner three with some regularity. Spend a little and get a lot.

6. Sign the Undisputed Champion of My Heart: Nate Robinson

This comes not from parsing any data or even any deep pondering. I just happen to believe in my heart of hearts that adding Nate Robinson as a super sixth man who is given free rein to shoot when he’s on fire is basically the answer to everyone’s problems. His scoring acumen, utter audacity, and fiery personality will compliment the almost stoic lunch pail stevedore vibe the Pacers have going on. The Pacers can put you in a position to win any game with their defense. But Nate takes over games. You heard it here first: Nate Robinson is the missing piece of the jigsaw puzzle that will propel the Indiana Pacers to the promised land. Nate and Roy Hibbert press conferences would also probably be very hilarious and vaguely dystopian, like David and Goliath deciding to play World of Warcraft instead of killing one another.

May 30, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat shooting guard Dwyane Wade (3) takes a breather during the second half in game five of the Eastern Conference finals against the Indiana Pacers of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

1)  Will Dwyane Wade finally show up?

In a postseason filled with disappointing performances by Miami Heat players Wade is the most significant. Everything the Heat do on either end of the floor is based on the one-two punch of Wade and Lebron James, using their athleticism to roam passing lanes, contest shots at the rim, quickly close out shooters on defense and to break down defenses to create open looks for themselves or the team’s many outside shooters on offense.

Things have not played out that way in this postseason, with Wade turning in a decidedly lacklustre performance.  Gone is the aggressive defense he used to stymie the likes of Derrick Rose and James Harden in playoff series past, replaced by drives to the rim by Paul George and open outside shots for Indiana shooters as Wade gets caught watching the ball and is slow to rotate back to the correct position.  The aggressive drives to the rim and athletic fast break finishes are few and far between, and the space those feats of athleticism afforded him for his jumpshot has disappeared.

Wade is currently on a streak of twelve games where he has scored 20 or fewer points, the longest of his career with the only comparable occurrences being a pair of 9 game streaks during his rookie season. Wade has clearly been slowed by injuries but after his post-game 6 comments he owes it to his team to finally play at something which at least resembles his usual level.

Jun 1, 2013; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Miami Heat shooting guard Ray Allen (34) shoots against the Indiana Pacers during the first half in game six of the Eastern Conference finals of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

2)  Will Ray Allen find the bottom of the net?

This is only the second time in Allen’s stellar career in which he has shot 40% or less in 6 games or more. This playoff run featured the first time in his career in which he scored 6 points or fewer in more than 3 consecutive games, the six game streak ending when he scored 11 points in game 4. Even his historically great free throw shooting has suffered, with Allen’s three consecutive games in which he attempted free throws while making fewer than two-thirds of them being the second longest of his career. There has been this feeling that the streak-ending game is looming but it never quite gets here.

May 1, 2013; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers forward Paul George (24) high fives center Roy Hibbert (55) after he scored against the Atlanta Hawks in game five of the first round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

3)  Will Roy Hibbert and Paul George continue their stellar play?

Hibbert is having his way with the smaller Heat frontcourt and is currently on a streak of seven games where he has scored 19 or more points, easily topping his previous high of four games. At this point it’s difficult to say how much of this is Hibbert reaching a new level and how much of it is a string of games against an opponent who is clearly physically outmatched.  His history of inconsistent play suggests that this high level of play could disappear in an instant but he has continued his dominance.

George is also riding a hot streak, with the streak of four 20+ point games he posted the longest and a streak of seven 4+ assist games being the second longest of his career. The last two games have also been only the second time he has 25+ points in consecutive games since making the jump to the NBA. It’s not clear what the Heat can do to stop him, with LeBron having to conserve energy for offense and Wade being almost entirely ineffective.  Ray Allen has defended him well for stretches but he’s not young enough to sustain that for a series anymore.  The only person who is capable of staying with him right now is the one who is already doing almost everything for Miami, I don’t think they can realistically ask him to be their defensive stopper on top of all of that.  George appears to be in a great position to show that his Most Improved Player award was well-earned with yet another solid all-around game against the defending champs and best player in the league.

That’s more or less the story of the series so far: the Pacers streaking upward while the Heat hurtle down in a nosedive, seemingly with a crash landing in their immediate future. If I’m a betting man I still put my money on James to find a way to snatch the victory away from the Pacers but as NBA history has shown one man is generally not enough to get the job done against a quality team like the Pacers. If the struggling Heat players don’t figure out a way to reverse their fortunes or find a way to slow down their streaking Pacers counterparts this may be the night their season ends.