The Indiana Pacers managed to avoid a postseason meltdown, but it took a Game 7 victory in order to do so. The Pacers were pushed to the brink against the Atlanta Hawks as the team exposed several weaknesses in what was assumed to be an air-tight defensive unit. Now Indiana will look to regain their No. 1 seed form as they begin their series against the Washington Wizards.

It took the Pacers to adapt to the Hawks three-point shooting attack. The Wizards were taking note and hope they can beat Indiana in a similar fashion. John Wall and Bradley Beal had the hot hands against the Chicago Bulls and could put together a similar game plan as Atlanta. Add Trevor Ariza into the mix and the Wizards have the athletic and versatile shooters that could give Indiana headaches once again.

Head coach Frank Vogel said he believes the series against Atlanta helped prepare the players for someone like Wall and Nene who operates the power game of Washington's offense. Marcin Gortat works tandem with NeNe as the power on the inside. David West and Roy Hibbert will be expected to get at their best to guard these two.

The Wizards have had five days to rest and heal after beating the Bulls in five games. The Pacers have not had the same luxury as the starters played extensively in the first round, especially Game 7. The quick turnaround could be good or bad. Washington has the confidence to test the Pacers. They won their first play series since 2005. They have not reached past the second round since the 1970s.

The Pacers finally have momentum heading into the second round. They entered the first round after losing several games towards the end of the season. This is the first time the team won back-to-back games since mid-March, but appears to have things figured out and possibly a new found confidence to face the young Wizards.

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