Another successful week of In-Season tournament basketball is in the books. What started with 30 teams now leaves just four who have booked a ticket to Las Vegas for the Semifinals. The Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks, Indiana Pacers, and the New Orleans Pelicans have all played courageous basketball to outlast the competition. They have climbed up the reward ladder, guaranteeing a six-figure check at the least. However, over the next week, bragging rights are on the line.

Each team has their eyes on one prize – the $500,000 reward for the winners. They have ferociously competed in each round to secure a place in Vegas. It’s now time for the final stretch. Just two more games stand between each of these four titans of the IST. Given their incredible dedication towards reaching here, no team deserves the title any more than the next. However, three teams will end up in sorrow and heartbreak. That’s the painful consequence of the battle. Not all can win!

But some might argue this is more than just winning for glory. At first half a million sounds like change money for NBA stars. In the era of gargantuan contracts, we need to acknowledge those at the end of the bench. $500,000 is life-changing money for them. Recently, Richard Sherman made a case for a certain team because of the energy and passion displayed by their role players.

Sherman dismisses his Lakers to side with the Indiana Pacers

Before the Los Angeles Lakers clashed with the Phoenix Suns in the much-anticipated quarterfinals matchup, Sherman and Skip Bayless went to debate. While discussing the Purple and Gold in particular, the former Seattle Seahawks star was devoid of confidence. The reason behind it? Anthony Davis.

Sherman believed the Brow wouldn’t “show up” after his dominant explosion against the Houston Rockets. Davis did struggle, but he preserved despite an off-night. Contributing on either end of the floor yet again, he compiled 27 points and 15 rebounds in the controversial win over Kevin Durant’s Suns. He was arguably the best player behind LeBron James, who closed the show with 15 points in the final quarter, and Austin Reaves, the dynamo sixth man for the Lakers.

Maybe it was because he didn’t envision the Lakers making it all the way to Las Vegas that he sided with a team that has exceeded all expectations this season – the Indiana Pacers. Feeding off Tyrese Haliburton’s breakout season, the young team has looked indomitable. No matter how big the occasion, they seem to have a blueprint to win. The modern-day, zesty point guard has engineered the best offense in the NBA due to his highly efficient playmaking.

Apart from the monetary benefits at hand, the Pacers are consumed by their lust to keep winning.

“I just want to win. I’m tired of being a loser. I’ve got to do a better job of finding ways to win.” said Haliburton after a frustrating loss to the Miami Heat.

Sherman noticed the heightened efforts of the Pacers group and felt it was because of their contract hierarchy. To go into detail, the Pacers have three players under two-way contracts. Ten players will make less than three million. Their highest-paid star currently is Bruce Brown who is making 22 million for the season.

“You saw how excited their team was when they won that ball game. That’s because they have 10 guys making three million or less. They got three guys on two-way contracts. So $500,000 means a lot to those men. And so they are going to put a different effort in than these superstars making 10, 20, 50 million dollars in these games.,” Sherman said in support of Indiana.

Where we see super-teams assembling, the Pacers are playing old-school basketball at its finest. Stay aggressive and never let your shoulders drop. Their joy was palpable when they beat the Boston Celtics to advance. The entire bench rushed to the floor when the final nail in the coffin was hammered in. By no means do they lack the passion that has elevated the In-Season Tournament’s atmosphere.

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Guys who aren’t in the top slab will chase the $500,000 with whatever they have. But the reality isn’t so simple. Sherman forgot that it’s not just the Pacers who have such players not making lavish money.

The Indiana Pacers are no different from any other NBA team

To provide context to my above-mentioned point, let’s look at the Lakers and the Bucks. Both house a tandem, making over $40 million every season. Additionally, they have other players who make almost the same amount of money as Brown, the Pacers’ highest-paid player for the season. Yet that doesn’t change the dynamic as you go down.

According to Hoops Hype, eight players on the Lakers are making less than $3 million, six for the Pelicans and 10 for the Bucks. Hence, favoring the Pacers for this reason isn’t fair. At the end of the day, it is high-level basketball that will prevail. What we have seen from Indiana is an undying resolve to overcome adversity and advance further.

They have turned things around and are looking like early favorites to make the playoffs. Haliburton’s remarkable command over the offense sees Indiana have the most prolific offense in the entire league. What has helped tap into their inner desires is the taste of victory. The city hasn’t seen playoff basketball since 2018. It’s the sensation of victory that is motivating the Pacers. Ultimately, that will be quintessential to achieve winner status in Las Vegas.

However, the other goliaths aren’t any less charged up than the Pacers. The Lakers are roaring in the IST, still undefeated like the Pacers. The Milwaukee Bucks are starting to flourish with Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo’s partnership. They have won five of their last six games. The New Orleans Pelicans might as well be dark horses. But with CJ McCollum back, they have weapons of destruction on their side.

Of these motivated and hungry sides, the one who deserves to win is the one who shows their desire to be the strongest. Each side has something to prove this season. In the grand scheme of things, an In-Season Tournament win could be a confidence booster for the remainder of the season.

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In two days, we will find out who will be the last two standing. Who are your picks? Let us know in the comments below.