By D. Chip James

The Indiana Pacers, once thought to be the best team in the Eastern Conference, have lost six straight games and appear to be dropping faster than a victim of a Ron Artest flagrant foul. Three of those losses have come to teams with little or no hopes of reaching the post-season. The Pacers lost to Atlanta by 7 on the road, by 5 in Memphis and then took an embarassing 83-78 defeat at the hands of Michael Jordan and the Washington Wizards.

After scoring just 69 points in Wednesday's loss to the Celtics, Indiana has lost their Central Division lead and is now a half game behind Detroit for the number one spot.

Jermaine O'Neal was the Eastern Conference's starting power forward in this year's all-star game and he leads the Pacers in scoring, rebounding and blocks but maybe it is Ron Artest who is the most valuable player of this young team.

With the exception of his 23-point game in the loss to the Grizzlies, Artest lately has been horrible for Indiana and that could be the source of Indiana's recent futility. As Artest goes, perhaps so go the Pacers.

During the six game skid, minus the loss to Boston in which he was suspended by Coach Isaiah Thomas, Artest shot 31 percent from the field and averaged just 10.2 ppg. He was 2 of 12 against Atlanta and 3 of 17 against Washington.

The team hasn't performed much better. Denver is the worst shooting team in the NBA, connecting on just 40 percent of their field goal attempts. Indiana has struggled just to reach that putrid level, connecting on just 38 percent from the field and 26 percent from behind the arc.

Spring is just around the corner. In the NBA that means you need to start playing your best ball in the very near future, and for Indiana, the urgency is great. Nine of their next 10 games are against playoff-quality teams including a 4-game road stretch against the Warriors, Lakers, Blazers and Kings.

Indiana's recent struggles leaves some questions unanswered. The question of Ron Artest's ability to play within himself and Thomas' system remains. Can Tinsley do his part? Can Reggie still carry a load in playoff situations? Can the "other O'Neal" solidify his name amongst the league's elite power forwards?

It appears that the youthfulness that is Indiana has made them the Eastern Conference's biggest conundrum, rather than its biggest contender. Lately, at least.


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