Being unable to draw stars to Indy, the Pacers have had to be shrewd in the draft. They took a chance on Roy Hibbert with the No. 17 pick in 2008 and took largely unknown Paul George with the No. 10 pick in 2010. Tyler Hansbrough, the No. 13 pick of the 2009 draft, is a great energy guy off the bench. Of the current starting lineup for the Pacers, no player was drafted above the 10th pick in the NBA draft.

They acquired David West via free agency (at a time when many believed West was too beaten up, past his prime) and George Hill via a trade for Kawhi Leonard from San Antonio.

And this starting five is excluding All-Star forward Danny Granger (17th pick in 2005), who has been injured for the majority of this season and didn’t see action until two games ago against Detroit.

These aren’t your household superstar names.

These Pacers are leading the NBA in rebounding and defense, but that’s not all they're good for. They’re a talented bunch. They space the floor. They have shooters. They have stars and closers with Danny Granger and Paul George. They’re big down low with David West and Roy Hibbert.

The Pacers' frontline is big enough to cause matchup problems, and their perimeter defenders are long enough to match up with most players in the league. The backcourt is quick enough to match up with most guards in the league as well.

Quietly the Pacers have slipped into the second seed in the Eastern Conference, and after the scare they gave the Miami Heat last season, it’s time to take them seriously.