Dec 4, 2014; Portland, OR, USA; Indiana Pacers head coach Frank Vogel looks on from the bench during the third quarter of the game against the Portland Trail Blazers at the Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. The Blazers won the game 88-82. Mandatory Credit: Steve Dykes-USA TODAY Sports

The Indiana Pacers have now lost their last five games and seven of their past nine. After starting the year by getting out to a relatively encouraging 5-7 record, the team now sits at 7-14. Worse still, with four games against the Los Angeles Clippers, Toronto Raptors, and Portland Trail Blazers coming soon on the schedule, the near-term future looks even worse.

Some of this is schedule-based: The Pacers are in the midst of a woefully unfortunate stretch that simply has them matched up against too many teams that they really have no business beating. That happens to every non-contending team and it is the Pacers turn.

But it doesn’t change the fact that they have simply been playing poorly for long periods in almost all their recent games. Again, that is partially the opposition imposing its will on the Pacers, a team that hasn’t had will imposed on it all that often over the past two seasons.

Despite all this, head coach Frank Vogel is optimistic. He is always outwardly optimistic (and, I believe, almost always internally so as well), so this comes as no surprise. But he is also happy to report that the team’s morale remains upbeat and that he thinks the losing is not due to effort, according to Autumn Allison of the Indianapolis Star.

“We’re down. We’re frustrated. We want to win. So when I say morale’s okay, I mean we still believe,” Vogel said. “We’re still getting after it with the approach that the next game could change our momentum.” “I like our effort. I don’t like our record.”

For their part, Rodney Stuckey (in this video) and Chris Copeland (another video on Pacers.com) are both preaching similar mentalities.

By all accounts, the team is close and the early-season (relative) success bonded the bench players together. So it isn’t surprising that all remains well through a bit of adversity.

But the road ahead is very, very rocky, so let’s check back in two weeks to see how the morale and positivity is doing.