Vogel: 'Every (game) changes our position in the standings'

Add one more duty to the job Frank Vogel is doing as the Eastern Conference's top coach for February.

While watching his Indiana Pacers play, he scoreboard watches.

"Just being real," he said Tuesday as the Pacers prepared to take another step toward reaching the playoffs. "(It's) understanding that every (game) changes our position in the standings. It puts a little urgency to this part of the season."

Based on those standings, there's significant urgency in Pacerland. They stand a half-game behind Brooklyn for the eighth and final spot in the East, and Miami is only a half-game ahead of the Nets for seventh.

Charlotte, Boston and Detroit share this pursuit, which makes sorting out the East a complicated process. That's why Vogel believes it's his job, and not that of the players, to study what's going on around them. He watches, they play.

"We sort of let him handle that," veteran forward David West said. "We obviously know who's ahead of us or if the game that night (means something). We talk about winning a season series (with a team), not splitting with certain teams in that regard.

"He does a good job of letting us know where we are, who's behind (us)."

The next foe is lowly New York, which has the league's worst record. The Knicks have had losing streaks of 7, 10, 16 and 8 games, and they've had 19 players on the roster due to the injury Carmelo Anthony, a couple of trades and the release of Amar'e Stoudemire.

The Pacers get the Knicks twice this week – they play Saturday night at Madison Square Garden – part of a favorable stretch of the season. In fact, as Vogel knows, the Pacers have the most enviable final 23 games among this cluster of six Eastern Conference playoff hopefuls.

Indiana, which at 8-2 is tied with Oklahoma City for the best recent 10-game stretch, has 13 of its final 23 games at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Six of the next seven games will be on the home court where the Pacers are .500 for the first time since Halloween. They could be favored in each.

Challenging road games remain at Chicago, Cleveland and Washington, but the Pacers arguably have the softest schedule left.

Charlotte and Detroit each have West Coast trips to make. Over the next two weeks, the Pistons must visit Houston, the Lakers, Golden State, Portland and Utah before coming home to play Memphis. Three of those are division leaders.

Minus Chris Bosh, Miami must still play San Antonio, Cleveland twice and visit Oklahoma City, Toronto, Atlanta and Washington. Boston's path includes games at Oklahoma City and San Antonio before facing the Cavs twice in the final four games.

Brooklyn still has to play Cleveland and Atlanta twice.

Vogel not only knows his team's position, he likes it.

"We had the mindset that we had to weather the storm early with the injuries that we had early on in the season and try to get better each month," he said. "We had a strong month of February, and we've got to build on it.

"Every game matters right now."

PACERS ACHE FOR SHAW

The Pacers felt bad for former assistant coach Brian Shaw, who was fired Tuesday as Denver's head coach.

"It's unfortunate, obviously; it's a tough business," Vogel said. "He's a hell of a good basketball coach, a hell of a good man and ... I just know he's very strongly responsible for what we've built here."

West was more demonstrative, insisting Denver dismissed the wrong person.

"There are no grown-ups on that roster," he said. "You can't win without grown-ups."

Follow Star reporter Curt Cavin on Twitter at @curtcavin.

WHO YOU GOT?

There are six teams battling for the final two Eastern Conference playoff berths. Here's a look at each team's remaining schedule, including games behind, opponents' winning percentage, game left at home and on the road:

Team GB Opp rec Home Road 7.Miami - .488 13 10 8.Brooklyn .5 .483 15 9 9.Indiana 1 .487 13 10 9.Charlotte 1 .494 12 13 11.Boston 2 .483 11 14 12.Detroit 3 .499 9 14

(All statistics are through Monday's games)

NEW YORK at INDIANA

Tipoff: 7 p.m.

TV: Fox Sports Indiana.

Radio: WFNI-FM (107.5), WFNI-AM (1070).

KNICKS (12-46)

Pos. Player PPG Key stat PG Langston Galloway 11.5 3.0 apg SG Tim Hardaway Jr. 11.4 2.2 rpg SF Cleanthony Early 4.1 1.9 rpg PF Lou Amundson 7.3 5.8 rpg C Andrea Bargnani 10.9 4.8 rpg 6th Alexey Shved 9.3 2.5 apg

PACERS (25-34)

Pos. Player PPG Key stat PG George Hill 13.8 4.4 apg SG C.J. Miles 12.6 2.9 rpg SF Solomon Hill 9.4 3.9 rpg PF David West 12.6 7.2 rpg C Roy Hibbert 10.9 7.2 rpg 6th Rodney Stuckey 12.4 3.1 apg

STORYLINES

• Nicely rebounding: Since returning to the starting lineup Feb. 4, George Hill has played the best basketball of his career. Not coincidentally, the Pacers are 8-2 in that stretch where he's averaged 13.9 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.1 assists. Those figures include the triple double against Cleveland (15 points, 10 rebounds, 12 assists), and he's had 19 rebounds over the past two games (both wins).

• A tribute to Bobby Leonard: A documentary described as "a portrait" of former Pacers coach Bobby "Slick" Leonard will make its debut on Fox Sports Midwest following the game with the Knicks. Airtime for Ted Green's work is set for 10 p.m. Leonard's Indiana teams went 529-456, with a 69-47 playoff record (including three ABA championships).

• Prediction: The Pacers are playing so well in the key moments of games that it seems unfathomable that they'd trip in crunch time against the league's worst team. However, this is the NBA, where anything can happen. Pacers win in a game that's closer than it should be, 94-90.

— Curt Cavin