"Entering Saturday night, the Indiana Pacers were 16-6, within 11/2 games of the best record in the Eastern Conference . . . but no one seems to be noticing. Indianapolis Star Pacers beat reporter Mike Wells and assistant sports editor Nat Newell take a look at the overlooked and underrated team and just how much further it can go:

The Pacers are 27th in attendance with an average of 13,871. The other six teams at the bottom of the attendance figures -- New Jersey, Houston, Detroit, Milwaukee, New Orleans and Sacramento -- are a combined 44-90 with only Houston over .500. What's it going to take for the fans to embrace this team?

Wells: I'm surprised fans aren't showing up at the fieldhouse. They wanted Larry Bird to put together a competitive team on the court that would stay out of trouble off the court. Bird's done both. What happened to this being a basketball state? The Pacers have the fifth-lowest ticket prices in the league, according to a team marketing report. That's why Golden State has the best fans in the NBA. The Warriors haven't been to the playoffs since 2007 and their fans still show up and are the loudest in the league."