Small forward Paul George led the Indiana Pacers with 20 points in a losing effort against the New York Knicks in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

And yet, the game typified the Pacers effort so far in the 2013 NBA Playoffs: the better (and much more balanced) team much of the time, but at other times almost disinterested. When it counted the most in New York’s Game 2, the Knicks went on an inexplicable 30-2 run to win the game quite easily. How does this happen? And who is to blame?

Pacers Head Coach Frank Vogel has received some criticism for an ill-advised timeout and substitution pattern. To which, he responded, to Bob Kravitz of the Indianapolis Star, “You’ve got to use the bench at some point.”

The dominant New York run and Game 2 victory did not stop Kravitz, along with Charles Barkley, from stating his observation and prediction that the Pacers have the better team and will go on to win the series.

Vogel’s response in this instance doesn’t sound super convincing to me, but on the other hand, it’s hard to blame a 28-point swing on coaching alone. How did the Pacers players allow such a thing to happen?

Perhaps the Pacers youthfulness has something do with this, but the inconsistency has been present for the entire playoffs. In their 4-2 first-round victory over the Atlantic Hawks, for example, both losses were by double digits. Game 3 was especially concerning, with the Hawks winning by 21 points.

After two straight road losses against the Hawks, the Pacers got serious again and closed out the series. Will this unpredictability continue?

Don’t get me wrong, losing games in the playoffs is inevitable. But the concern is that when the Pacers aren’t at their best, it almost seems like they stop fighting. A Game 2 loss to the Knicks by three or four would be a lot different psychologically than a loss by 26.

Like Kravitz and Barkley, the first couple games have shown me that the Pacers are the more equipped of the two teams to win the series and battle the Miami Heat (or Chicago Bulls) in the Eastern Conference finals. But it really would be nice to see the same gritty group showing up every night.

With the teams rising star, Danny Granger, suffering what now appears to be a season ending injury the Pacers have had to look to other key players to step up their roles.  First time all-star Paul George and David West have become consistent contributors, but on any given night the game-breaking performance could come from a number of players.

I have been a fan of Indiana starting with the beginning of the Reggie Miller era and although they have been exciting to watch for several different years I haven’t been more excited about the direction the team is headed.  In the midst of an NBA that is full of superstars and powerhouses the Pacers prove that fundamentals are still essential to victory.  Indiana has lead the league in defense and their unselfish style of play on the offensive end allows them to take high percentage shots.

Last year in the playoffs the Pacers were the only team to give the Miami Heat a run for their money.  With another year under their belt and many great player additions in the offseason I not only look for them to do so again this year, but I am confident that they are the only team that is capable of beating the Heat in a seven game series.  Call me crazy but I am going with the Pacers.