Pacers vs. Bulls, Game 2: When The Pacers Grabbed Everyone's Attention
by Tom Lewis on Apr 19, 2011 2:30 PM EDT
in Indiana Pacers News
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Nobody knew how good the Indiana Pacers were before last night. That may include the Pacers themselves.
By backing up their game one effort with a grind-it-out, fight-to-the-finish effort in Game2, the Indiana Pacers may have lost another game to the Chicago Bulls but they won over the NBA-observing world. The many young and inexperienced players on the Pacers showed their game one effort wasn't a fluke and that there is more talent and depth on the Pacers than their regular season output suggested. Young players like Paul George and Darren Collison are tapping into their potential before our very eyes.
At halftime, Charles Barkley captured that sentiment mentioning how the Pacers had far more quality talent on their roster than he realized. That they just need that oh-so-hard-to-find lead dog, crunch-time killer that we all know they're missing. Suddenly, the Pacers are the playoff darlings, in part because of some young, talented players that most are unfamiliar with showing their wares.
It also helps that they are playing to top seed in the East, so other fans want to see the Bulls tested and pushed to a long series, both to expose flaws and wear down the Bulls. By putting on a show on the big stage, we can look forward to more than zero nationally televised games next season. May even have an appearance or two on the Thursday night showcase games.
While the recognition is a great by product of the effort, the experience is what will really pay off for the Pacers.
They aren't just gaining experience by the game, their learning by the possession. Frank Vogel has his team competing at a higher level than I think even they thought was possible. There's no other way to explain so many weak, regular season games by this team when you see them playing a game like last night, when they didn't shoot it well, struggled in general on offense, lost Darren Collison but still found a way to stay in position to win late in the fourth quarter. That tells me this is less about overachieving in these two playoff games and more about underachieving for big chunks of the regular season.
But in hindsight, that underachievement makes some sense when you consider that Tyler Hansbrough (game one) and Paul George (game two) elevated their games on the playoff stage, when during the regular season they spent most of the time being told they weren't worthy of a significant role. Then once Frank Vogel changed all of that and turned to the young players they still had to prove they were worthy and learn how to play heavy minutes.
They're still learning, but watching Paul George chase around Derrick Rose and make him work all night was beautiful. It will surely expedite his development, at least at the defensive end of the floor. You don't think he'll be up for the challenge to guard any 1-3 player in the league next year after this? I also like the fact that he wasn't happy after the game, making an early morning stop in the gym after the team returned to Indy.
I just wish there weren't any "if only" moments from both games that altered the way the game was played but can't be blamed directly for the outcome. If only, Tyler Hansbrough wasn't knocked out for a stretch of game one. Yes, he returned and lit it up, but he was driving the Bulls nuts before leaving the game. His exit changed the tone of the game until he came back out and gave the Bulls front court a chance to catch their breath and get back in the game.
If only, Darren Collison didn't run into the baseline photog and sprain his ankle in game two. Impossible to project how it plays out, but DC's departure gave the Bulls a short-term boost and jumbled the Pacers' playing rotation causing problems as A.J. Price adjusted to going against Derrick Rose instead of C.J. Watson.
Hopefully DC returns, ready to go on Thursday. Suddenly, I don't mind the long layoff between games. Regardless, until the league tells them they can't play anymore, the Pacers have to keep grinding away, getting up to take another swing and matching the effort we've seen so far in the first two games.
We're done wondering if they can play with the Bulls. Now they need to win.
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Seriously can't wait for wednesday
I’m feeling what I felt when I was watching Reggie’s team, it’s great
I think you can take solace in the "if only" moments
With the realization that we are playing with house money. As you said, everything we’re doing will probably result in something better in the future. The problem I’m having right now is that as hard as I look, I’m not seeing that future alpha dog closer that you mentioned.
Hansbrough seems too limited and predictable. PG doesn’t seem to have the offense (sometimes he can’t even dribble and rarely in this series has been willing to take open threes). Hibbert is the closest, but he hasn’t looked like it this series. I just wonder if we’re ever going to get anywhere without trying to trade for a guy. I hate to be a downer, but watching Rose knife through us with all that speed and physicality…it just reminds me of something you need in the modern NBA that we’ve never had, and may never have.
It’s fun. It’ll be fun, as long as these guys are playing hard. But soon this honeymoon period where we’re happy to be alive and fighting will be over. I’m really relishing it while it lasts, and I hope other fans are too. But sooner or later we’re going to have to take that next step.
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at some point we're going to need to take a huge risk
There are possibilities on the roster but the chances of any current Pacers becoming an alpha dog are minimal. And we’re not going to have a high enough draft pick anytime soon either so that’s unlikely. And as we’ve all discussed before, no one wants to sign up to play in Indianapolis. So ultimately, our only realistic way of becoming a contender is to trade for a guy with superstar-potential (b/c superstars themselves rarely get traded). We’ll have to take a risk on someone who hasn’t put it together yet and we’ll have to give up some of our solid role players to do it.
Who knows who this player might be or how we’ll get them. Bill Simmons has thrown out the idea of us getting Oden b/c he still has a high ceiling and could be had for cheaper. It’s the right idea, getting a former top pick while his value is at it’s lowest, but personally I don’t see Oden ever becoming a healthy center. So who else out there fits this profile? I don’t know, but it would make for an interesting series of posts this summer…
"If you don't [draft me], I promise you I'll come back and kick your ass for the next 15 years."
Don't buy Oden being healthy
even if he was, he doesn’t have a good enough offensive game to be that “go-to-guy” that the Pacers need anyway. I really would’ve liked Zach Randolph because he can get points in the post when his team really needs them. Don’t think we can really go after anyone this summer who fits that bill.
that would epitomize the definition of "risk"
I read what Simmons said, and couldn’t believe it. I do enjoy what he writes, but that was just “something to write”. No way do the Pacers trade Hibbert for Oden. What an awful scenario, and one that makes absolutely no sense. Oden has proved he is just a blown out knee waiting to happen. Hibbert is young, has proven to be reliable, and he’s a 7-2 center with a solid, versatile game. Even if Oden comes back, he’s not the center that Hibbert is. You can see Hibbert improving almost by the game. You can be assured next year he’ll up his rebounds at least by 1, his points by at least a couple, and his block shots… oh… by a half (let’s stay conservative here). That’s 15 pts, 8.5 reb, over 2 blocks a game, and a guy you can run the offense through. That is likely all-star worthy, with a guy who works hard, is a good teammate, and has no injury history. The risks will be taken elsewhere, trust me!
I like Hibbert
But I think you have to understand how much better than Hibbert Oden should be.
Talent-wise they are worlds apart. Hibbert is virtually the same player we saw at Georgetown. He gained weight, then lost some, and got a little more spring to his step. But he hasn’t added much to his repertoire, his jump shot has sort of regressed, and he’ll never be an athlete.
Oden, on the other hand, if you remember (here’s a refresher if you don’t) was one of the most dominant bigs to come out of high school in the modern era (he may have been the most dominant since Shaq, who didn’t even start showing his dominance until college). Add that to the fact that he does exactly what the Pacers need: block shots, defend the rim and rebound.
Obviously if he had never suffered serious knee injuries, he’d be worth $10 mil or more a year, even if he only averaged 10 points per game. The unique thing about his situation now is that he’s completely ruined his stock to the point where he may not even be worth the $8+ million qualifier the Blazers are reportedly willing to offer him. But financially, he’ll likely see no more than that on the open market in the event that they don’t qualify him. He may see more years, but to any team interested it’s going to be difficult granting him those years. If I were him I’d take the risk and sign the qualifier if offered and try to play my butt off and stay healthy for all of next year.
Anyway, that’s a tangent. The risk I’d be happier taking than Oden would be to spend big on the “closer” type, and the one that fits the bill to me is Marcus Thornton (with Jamal Crawford, who I hate, coming in a close second). Then we could address the rebounding and shotblocking elsewhere like by signing Dalembert and drafting Faried, or some similar combo.
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If only
I feel for Oden, I do. I have a pretty sweet Jeep that should be a killer off-roader… if only the axle wasn’t snapped. Oden is damaged goods, and Hibbert is not. It’s an open and shut case.
I disagree about Hibbert not being an athlete and digressing/plateauing. How could that be the case if he’s gotten better each year? Also, he does athletic things that few 7+ footers do in this league. Sure, I wish he looked better running down the court, but not every center can be like David Robinson or Hakeem. Heck, people still to this day say that Shaquille was “just” really big and strong, when in fact he was more agile and faster than practically everybody else no matter what the position. Hibbert has great touch, passing ability, and decent pivot moves. Those are all athletic abilities. Yeah, he falls down easily and still makes bad fouls, but that comes with learning, which he is. Heck, look at Pau Gasol! Hardly looks athletic, but gets the job done. Frankly, not sure where you’re coming from.
I agree with you though, we need a scorer and a banger. Doubt we’ll get both, but it will be a good test for mgmt.
Risk does need to come, trading for Oden when we could just sign him outright this summer
No thanks.
But the problem with this roster is there too much offensive redundancy. Just about every player on this roster can score, but the problem is they all score at the exact same rate. No one’s consistently more efficient than another, especially as the game winds down.
I imagine George’s offensive game will come around, but it likely won’t be in this series. He’s got tremendous tools on both ends, but those offensive ones are raw, but they will be lethal if the kinks are worked out.
Problem is, it’ll become a waiting game unless someone this offseason gets some unreal offensive growth. This roster as constituted minus the contracts will continue to get better, but we’ll always be short the final piece. But this team does need to come out with the best player in every deal they make, so not immediately making moves won’t be hindering. We’re definitely not at the point where we can trade Schrempf for McKey.
Simmons' idea
Was that Portland would sign Oden to a four year extension ($40 million I think) and trade him and a first round draft pick for Hibbert and James Posey, and we wouldn’t have to absorb any salary. Not saying it’s a great idea, but that clarifies the difference between trading for him and signing him straight up.
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won't happen next year
Nathan, it won’t likely happen next year. Fact is, very few teams reach elite levels and remain there. In fact, this team is way lucky to have the core that is have, if you want to be real about the situation. That Schrempf for McKey trade was a nice luxury wasn’t it??! That’s a great example We definitely are far from that point, but we don’t know what will happen this offseason with player growth and creative decisions by mgmt.
Personally I can realistically see major stride potential from Hibbert, Collison, George, Hansbrough, AJ, and even Granger. I don’t think many teams can say they have that kind of emerging group. Even if one of those guys takes major strides, and the rest only typical growth, you probably still have a 50 win team. That’s good business!
I buy into George being that guy
he’s shown the ability to slash and create of the dribble this year. He’ll need to work on his game, but he’s only 21, crazy athletic and could be a star paired with Granger if he works on his jumper a little.
20, i think
Harper's on Miller, McKey, gets in to Miller for the win and...
Hail to the Orange.
Hail to the Blue.
Hail Alma Mater,
Ever so true.
We love no other,
So let our motto be
Victory, Illinois, Varsity.
Chief Illiniwek lives
by wonillionaire on Apr 19, 2011 3:13 PM EDT up reply actions
You're right, my bad. That even helps my point
George hasn’t really had his shot this year but he’s a pure shooter. If he ups his 3pt% to 35-38% and gets more shots, he could score 20 a lot easier than Granger can.
george is still a rookie
I say that mostly regarding his offense, it seems like what all rookies talk about where the game slows down for them has not fully happened for George, you see him try so hard but its just not clicking, yet. Game 3 would be a nice time to do that, right?
I disagree
I think Paul George can be that guy. He has the physical tools, poise, and natural creativeness to really develop a unique style of play. I think he’ll get there. Derrick Rose is once in a generation specimen and nobody has, and might not ever, match his combination of speed, stength, explosiveness and touch. However, you don’t necessarily need that to win, and in some cases Super Player X naturally takes on too much responsibility that no one person can shoulder to a championship and no matter who else is on the team, they are left standing around waiting for that player to win the game (Lebron and the Cavs come to mind). I see that happening with Bulls as we speak.
However, I think an upgrade has to happen in the frontcourt. The current Pacer bigs play with heart, NO DOUBT, but they are just limited. I say we try to bag Varejao or Reggie Evans to shore up the rebounding issues and then hope the Hawks collapse and trade Hibbert for Josh Smith (using our cap space to absorb his salary).
don't like it
Josh Smith is a nice player but he hasn’t done any wonders with the Hawks in the playoffs so I don’t see how he would be expected to do it for us.
You never get rid of a specimen like Hibbert
Like I said in another response here. Hibbert is gold. 7-2, young, long, no injury history, versatile, good guy, works hard, and improving. That is a sacred combination that you don’t get rid of. It’s probably one of the rarest combination in this sport.
Admit it, you just like Josh Smith’s dunking. Me too, but he’s proven to not be much more than that. His numbers have plateaued, he looks disinterested, he’s got that punk-ability factor that the Pacers do-not-want, he’ll be too expensive, and Paul George will basically do the same job while being a better teammate.
If George comes along in his development,
I could maybe get behind trading Granger for Smith. Trading Hibbert wouldn’t really help anything IMO.
Bottom line, the Pacers need to improve their rebounding which means that they can’t keep McBobs as a rotation guy
Canseco had better be bumping
I’m in Miami so I won’t be there… but c’mon Hoosiers! Fill it up and get loud. I feel like this Bulls team won’t respond well to a raucous crowd. And if we take Game 3, they’ll be scared s***less for Game 4.
Maybe so
They’re beatable on the road. Hell, they’re tied for the #1 home record in the league and we almost beat them twice there in high pressure playoff situations. I really hope we can take that Thursday game. I just hope Collison’s healthy and we’re still playing like we belong in the playoffs while at the same time not giving up that “nothing to lose” killer attitude we’ve had through most of the series thus far.
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Silver lining
The Bulls look really, really beatable. They have a young star, who the Pacers can learn to gameplan for, and they only won single digits at home twice. This team can definitely be beat. Granger just has to step up. He hasn’t had a truly star-worthy performance yet, and the Pacers need one from him at some point. I don’t love Dunleavy taking that big three-pointer at the end, but you live and you learn. The point is, the Bulls can be beaten, and now there at two home games to prove it. Check out the stats on the series so far and the Bulls’ vulnerability:
http://sportstatistics.blogspot.com/2011/04/nba-playoffs-night-three.html
Unless I'm looking at the wrong place,
I don’t see many stats or vulnerabilities addressed here. This site has done a far better job of analysis and showing the Bulls’ weaknesses. They do say Indy made the series competitive and therefore will be hard to beat in Indiana but that’s fairly obvious.
"Fast Don't Lie"
by Sandberg's evil twin on Apr 19, 2011 4:33 PM EDT up reply actions
Nice post and great title
It really does feel like today everyone is talking about how the Pacers are better than they realized. Hopefully this will be one of those stepping-stone series we can look back on in future years as where we started our run.
"If you don't [draft me], I promise you I'll come back and kick your ass for the next 15 years."
Kind of like OKC last year...
but not quite that good. =)
WE NEED CLUTCH-NESS-ABILITY
Great article Tom! These playoffs will no doubt give these guys confidence and the burn to win next year. What I’m waiting to see is somebody with that ability to be clutch. The playoffs is typically where that gets cemented, so let’s hope in the next couple games, that person appears!
I think we have players with that potential, but too often fold when the pressure is on. Collison definitely has shown it lately, but his confidence seems to still be teetering for whatever reason. Granger is sort of an enigma to me on this front, but maybe with another year of ball-handling experience he can become a late game go-to guy. Hibbert is sort of in the same category as DC. Definite ability, but shaky confidence and focus.
Strangely, I feel the guys who have the most confidence and clutch-ness are those who have the least talent, which include AJ, Dahntay, and Pyscho-T. Thank goodness they have it, but realistically they aren’t the answer for clutch wins. Maybe Psycho-T earns that chance in the future, but we’ll see.
Next year should be a lot of fun and show a lot of promise. A lot of people are high on Paul George right now, so maybe he also contributes to that role next year. I’m sure nobody would mind if he does it in the next couple of games! Well maybe not in Chicago.
Love seein George getting these minutes
the way he’s playing D on Rose is great. I would like to see D. Jones playing on him when George sits, rather than rush. Off the topic, but did you hear Korver ask Barkley how tall he really was? Barkley said 6 foot 4. Is that actually true? ha kinda funny if it is.
And if Collison can't go the rest of the series
Do we activate Lance. Probably not, but just an idea
Best supporting cast?
Charles Barkley made a comment during halftime of the game last night about the Pacers as a supporting cast to a superstar. He said (as I paraphrase), “Put LeBron on this team instead of Cleveland, and he probably could have won a championship or two.”
While that will never happen, it got me thinking about what other superstars nearing free agency think about this team. Barkley was completely surprised by how (again, using paraphrasing), “loaded each position was.” You think some of the NBA’s superstars are taking note?
I see a complete team in Indiana that’s lacking one stud offensive weapon. If I’m a big name player looking to win a championship, I look at this team and think I have a legitimate shot at making a run. They have a complete set of tools to run with any team in the NBA. They’re very close!
After watching this series, young studs like Eric Gordon or Kevin Love who will be RFA’s in 2012 should consider the option of taking max $ to play with Indy over their current squads who are in much worse shape. Even big-time names like Dwight Howard, Chris Paul, and Deron Williams who have player options for 2012 could be the last piece of the puzzle for the Pacers to win a championship. I certainly don’t see it happening with their current teams.
I understand this is a pipe-dreams, and appears to be a long-shot. Everyone thinks their team is one superstar away from being title contenders, and will make their team out to be better than perceived. However, this team is different. The Pacers are garnering buzz from national media, who directly influence the elite players. If the likes of ESPN, SI, NBC, CBS, etc. paint the Pacers in positive light, players begin to warm to the idea of succeeding in a smaller market (i.e. Oklahoma City).
It isn’t absurd to think that playing in Indy is a smart move for elite players in search of championships over stardom – especially if teams like Oklahoma City, Denver, and Portland, who are considered secondary markets, progress through the playoffs.
The FAULK
by incredibleFAULK on Apr 19, 2011 4:31 PM EDT reply actions
In no way is Gordon coming home a pipe dream
Not in my opinion anyway. I think he’d very much like to come back to Indy. Here’s to hoping restricted free-agency’s done away with in the new CBA. Well, just in EJ’s specific case.
I just hope we don’t spend money/take on contracts just because we can and feel like we have to use the capspace. If there’s moves that make sense, by all means make em, but don’t just spend money because you have it. That’s what scares me more than anything about Bird potentially retiring.
I don't know what to do. At all.
im not sure if i want eric gordon on this team
because he’s an undersized shooting guard. i dont like the idea of our backcourt being that small, with DC as the point guard. plus, isn’t PG supposed to be our guy at the 2 spot? i also think PG will end up being a better player than gordon when it’s all said and done.
more selfishly, i don’t want gordon on this team bc i dont want to have to be forced to change my stance on one of my least favorite college players of all time.
Harper's on Miller, McKey, gets in to Miller for the win and...
Hail to the Orange.
Hail to the Blue.
Hail Alma Mater,
Ever so true.
We love no other,
So let our motto be
Victory, Illinois, Varsity.
Chief Illiniwek lives
by wonillionaire on Apr 19, 2011 6:44 PM EDT up reply actions
other than screwing over my beloved fighting illini
by going back on his word and following a sleazeball cheater coach to another school at the last second, completely messing up illinois’ recruiting class, no, not really. i’m still bitter about that, if you haven’t noticed already lol.
Harper's on Miller, McKey, gets in to Miller for the win and...
Hail to the Orange.
Hail to the Blue.
Hail Alma Mater,
Ever so true.
We love no other,
So let our motto be
Victory, Illinois, Varsity.
Chief Illiniwek lives
by wonillionaire on Apr 19, 2011 6:52 PM EDT up reply actions
Get over it
EJ is EXACTLY what we need
"You're hitting the wrong person. Don't you know you're hitting Ron Artest?"
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if were are going to take an undersized scoring 2 guard
id personally much rather take marcus thornton. similar production (if you consider thornton’s sacramento numbers), and most likely a lot cheaper.
the only scenario in which ill stop hating gordon is if he goes to the pacers and wins us a championship. grudges die hard.
Harper's on Miller, McKey, gets in to Miller for the win and...
Hail to the Orange.
Hail to the Blue.
Hail Alma Mater,
Ever so true.
We love no other,
So let our motto be
Victory, Illinois, Varsity.
Chief Illiniwek lives
by wonillionaire on Apr 19, 2011 7:19 PM EDT up reply actions
I like Thornton
But that’s like comparing Collison to D-Rose, Granger to LeBron, Tyler to LeMarcus Aldridge. We need someone who can not only score at will from the outside, during clutch situations without any help from his teammates (which admittedly Thornton is pretty good at) but wee need someone with that second gear, rock-step move that can get them into the lane and draw contact. Gordon is a freight train.
But we can do both. We can sign Thornton to a generous deal this off-season (starting at like $7 million a year), and if we structure it properly with our other signings, we could offer Gordon a deal too rich for LA’s blood the next off-season (5/$77 or something like that in the 2012 summer). Assuming HIbbert’s market value doesn’t skyrocket, we could still afford him at a 6 year deal (if those are still allowed for Bird Right’s holders) in the $6-$7 mil a year range topping out near $8. Now, not knowing about the cap, it’s hard to predict what would then happen with Collison and Hansbrough in the summer of 2013, but at the very least we’d have enough room to qualify them. And if Bird Rights stick around we can pony up for sure and get them both long-term deals (though they’d probably have to start at just over each guy’s qualifier). If we’re a 45-50 win team by then, ownership would be stupid not to do that. If we’re not, well, we just start over at PG and PF that year.
Anyway, it’s all speculation. But a rotation of the guys we have, a couple rooks who can fill needs (rebounding, backup PG), a shotblocker like Sam Dalembert and two scorers of Thornton and Gordon’s caliber…wow. Youth meets talent meets affordability.
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Oh...
To your “undersized SG” worries, Gordon’s a solid defender and a great athlete. He’s no Paul George defensively, but I’m still not convinced George is ever going to be a comfortable 2-guard. He’s proven he can guard any of the 1-2-3 positions. Imagine our flexibility if we can let him come off the bench for a year, then insert him in the starting lineup if we can trade Granger when his contract’s a little uglier. The two of them (EJ and PG) are two very different players. I don’t know how you can qualify a comparison on the end of their careers this late, but I think it’s safe to say Gordon is far more accomplished and comfortable offensively at this stage.
Also screw your Illini. Despite the cheater who shall not be named, EJ is a HOOSIER, who we all know are superior human beings!
;-)
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*
DG’s contract is a little LESS ugly (is what I meant)
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That's a pretty tough lineup...
Collison
Gordon
George
Hansbrough
Hibbert
Bench:
Thornton
Dalembert
Price (or another backup PG)
Faried/Lorbek?
Unfortunately, Gordon's probably a pipe dream.
Clippers don’t want him going anywhere and they have TONS of cap room
They also have a history of underpaying, refusing to match, or trading their own players
And then there’s the off chance that Gordon tells them he doesn’t want them to match or that he requests a sign-and-trade.
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As a Bulls fan watching your team this season and the last two games in particular,
I have to say you’re right. Indy’s team is very talented and with a big star the sky is the limit. There’s no quit in them and they all fight to the last second.
"Fast Don't Lie"
by Sandberg's evil twin on Apr 19, 2011 4:36 PM EDT reply actions
I loved watching Ryne Sandberg play baseball, so props there….
How do you like the chances of a Pacers vs. Bulls rivalry developing here? I’m not sure Indy’s ready to be on Chicago’s regular season + postseason level, but as we’re all seeing, there’s certainly some potential there. As a Bulls’ fan, do you take the Roger Federer approach (he’s mentioned several times now how much he enjoyed his tennis life before rival Nadal showed up), or, do would you rather have that nagging rival breathing down your neck?
The rivalry's a natural
I was telling a Bulls fan friend of mine to-day that there’s definitely potential for the Bulls to be the Pacers’ Knicks of the ’90s. (The Knicks are gonna be way too soft the next few years to reprise that role).
Lots of physical play, each side’s got that “hate him if he’s not on your team” player in Noah/Hansbrough, and there’s the big market small market rivalry.
Eyewitness report
I was lucky enough to 1) be in Chicago last night and 2) have a friend with dang good tickets.
I don’t know if it was as quiet as Game 1, but Bulls fans were nervous up until about 30 seconds to go.
We were close enough to the Pacer bench that the drunks in our section were giving Foster hell for standing and stretching in the corner. Every time he scored, he got a “GO STRETCH FOSTER” yell in his direction. Hansbrough was the only other guy to get it from the fans.
Bird was in the middle of a row, next to Bulls fans. He seemed to be chatting quite nicely with the middle-aged woman next to him.
as a Bulls fan, i'm scared to death
honest answers, please: are the Bulls playing awful or are the Pacers really this good? i really expected the Bulls to blow out the Pacers, especially in game two. the 37-winness/4-game-losing-streak-heading-in-to-the-playoffsness of the Pacers makes me think the Bulls are bad for not blowing out your team.
no disrespect intended, but from your end, are the Pacers really this good? or was the Bulls regular season a fluke?
Ben Wallace signing + pissing off BG7 + pretending to trade for Kobe and getting everybody butthurt = 1.7% chance at the #1 pick...which somehow turned into Derrick Rose joining the Chicago Bulls. Garpaxdorf for executive of the year!
by sloantojordantorose on Apr 19, 2011 6:06 PM EDT reply actions
i think it's a little bit of both
yes, i think the pacers are this good. the regular season record is misleading, because for the first half of the season, we had an incompetent coach who berated his players in the media and refused to play young players, regardless of potential. once we got a real coach (vogel), we finished the season much stronger, going 20-18. throughout the regular season, we’ve also beaten good teams like the lakers and heat on their home court, to name a few.
the bulls are also not playing as well as they could be. however, i dont think that is the reason for this series being close. no disrespect intended, but i think that the bulls won a lot of games this regular season simply because of their hustle. in the playoffs, because everyone goes hard all the time, this advantage no longer exists for them. this could be a factor in the series being much closer than anyone thought it would be.
Harper's on Miller, McKey, gets in to Miller for the win and...
Hail to the Orange.
Hail to the Blue.
Hail Alma Mater,
Ever so true.
We love no other,
So let our motto be
Victory, Illinois, Varsity.
Chief Illiniwek lives
by wonillionaire on Apr 19, 2011 6:16 PM EDT up reply actions
And the Pacers have a magical way of playing up to competition
and certainly down as well. I think they can out-hustle most elite teams that were expecting to roll over them.
2 Biggest Problems With the Pacers
1. Ability to play “above the rim” in the front court – While I love the guys that we have individually and think they can each be a contributor in their own way, this series is really exposing their lack of ability to both protect and finish at the rim, not to mention go up and get a rebound. It has been frustrating as heck to watch us try and bat at rebounds only to see Noah, Booz, Deng go up and pull it down after we had a hand on it. Not to mention the number of times our bigs just get flat out stuffed in the post.
2. Penetrating guard that can create offense or his own shot – Some people would refer to this as the “closer” ability. However, I just think overall we lack players with the ball handling skills to get to the hoop or create offense consistently without turning it over. Collison is probably the best we have but unfortunately he struggles to finish because of his lack of size/strength and still turns it over a little too much. Some people see PG filling this role eventually, but i’m not sure that he will develop those ball handling skills although he obviously has the athleticism to explode if he can get there, but i still see him as a more natural 3.
If we shore up these 2 things in the off-season, I think we can move from the 8 seed range to challenging the Orlandos/Hawks and then we just have to take it from there.
1. I kind of agree with you on that. Though as a recent post pointed out, the discrepancy in rebounding is partially due to the defensive strategy the team is taking against derrick rose. I agree with you that we need big men who can finish at the rim.
2. possibly Lance in the future?
Harper's on Miller, McKey, gets in to Miller for the win and...
Hail to the Orange.
Hail to the Blue.
Hail Alma Mater,
Ever so true.
We love no other,
So let our motto be
Victory, Illinois, Varsity.
Chief Illiniwek lives
by wonillionaire on Apr 19, 2011 6:30 PM EDT up reply actions
Possibly Lance sure
I mean, anything possible, but I’d put the odds under 5%. I’m not exaggerating. I have no hope for Stephenson suddenly understanding what it takes to become a professional ball player.
I do think his selection shows that Bird knows a guy with his abilities is a missing piece though.
I don't know what to do. At all.
I gotta hand it to you
You guys are a dang pesky team, who could EASILY be up 2-0 in the series right now. Thank god you’re not :). Anyway, I really hope Collison is back, even if it means the Bulls lose a game or two. Although, I hope for MY sake that the Bulls can sweep this weeked, but I doubt that happens. Good luck on thursday.
never forget...
1.7%
anything is possible...
by wrigleyrocker12 on Apr 19, 2011 11:41 PM EDT reply actions
Question
Does your signature refer to the Bulls’ lottery chances the year they won the #1 pick to select Derrick Rose? If so, no, anything is not possible. We have an entire generation of failure to ever pick inside the top 3 to prove it…
Anyway, thanks for the encouraging words. Collison makes all the difference in the world. I hope it’s a great series, but we’ve already gotten our money’s worth. I’m proud of the Pacers and I hope they can even this thing out.
"You're hitting the wrong person. Don't you know you're hitting Ron Artest?"
Come visit The Fantasy Ninjas. We'd love to hear from you.
Yes it is, and quit nitpicking!
never forget...
1.7%
anything is possible...
by wrigleyrocker12 on Apr 22, 2011 1:11 AM EDT up reply actions
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