Smash-mouth basketball is a Frank Vogel term tossed around liberally to help explain the Pacers' effort and toughness used to earn wins even without an efficient offense. The Pacers are 1-1 in their last two games but there was little to point to in their play that would be considered tough.

There was an obvious lack of smash-mouth attack in Atlanta. Not only did the Pacers get beat on the glass, they allowed the Hawks easy access to the rim with little if any retribution. Heading into the game on Wednesday, Atlanta was making 60.6% of their shots at the rim, averaging 14.9 makes on 24.6 attempts. For comparison's sake, the Pacers were making 56.4% averaging 13.5 makes on 24 attempts.

Against the Pacers, however the Hawks were 18 for 24 at the rim for a 75% success rate which actually seems low if you watched the game. The Pacers had been defending the rim pretty well before the dam broke against the Hawks. Prior to the game the opponents were shooting 59.5% at the rim which was ranked fifth in the league.

This little snapshot highlights the fact that the Pacers can't simply show up and win. They have to be ready to beat opponents in a race down the court and be ready to fight and claw for every rebound that is up for grabs (another area where the Hawks pounded the Pacers).

The smash-mouth philosophy is made up of a bunch of little effort plays that come together to make playing the Pacers an unpleasant experience. For the Hawks, playing the Pacers was like a walk in the park. Memphis has some similar parts that will require a better effort from the Pacers to avoid losing their second game in a row for the first time this season.

So it is time for the Pacers to toughen up and deliver the style of play and effort that has proven so successful.

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Conrad Brunner filled in for Michael Grady on the Grady & Big Joe show this week, so I'll give him credit for the extra Pacers-centric interviews, including Larry Bird and Frank Vogel earlier in the week and today newly minted NBA All-Star Roy Hibbert and former Pacers' president Donnie Walsh.

Walsh sounded like a proud papa pumping up the current state of the Pacers from his home in Indiana, giving Larry Bird all of the credit for selecting Roy Hibbert in the draft when few if any thought the big fella would become an all-star. They also discussed the exciting steps the Pacers are in the process of making, first making the playoffs and now in position to make the next big jump of winning in the playoffs.

"I think this team is definitely a team that will make the playoffs and I think it's a threat to go beyond the second round and that's a big jump. That's starting to put you into the Eastern Conference finals and that sort of thing. So I think they can do that if everything comes together and then if you get to the Eastern Conference final then you have a chance to win a championship, so I think they have a chance to get on that level."

That comment caught me off guard, just because I was expecting Walsh to say that he thought the Pacers could advance to the second round but instead he said they're a threat to go BEYOND the second round. That's a happy thought to let swirl around in your head for a bit. Especially if you watched the Atlanta game and are trying to get pumped up for tonight's game in Memphis.

Listen to the whole interview, highly entertaining.

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Regardless of how viable the arguments, none of the analysis of all-star snubs will change the fact the Roy Hibbert will play in the NBA All-Star game. It remains remarkable and fun all at the same time. In fact, Hibbert himself captured the moment perfectly on Twitter.

Wow!!!

— Roy Hibbert (@Hoya2aPacer) February 10, 2012

Larry Bird was equally excited and even sounds like he has no concerns with bringing back Hibbert who will be a restricted free agent this summer.

"Obviously, I'm happy for Roy," said Pacers President of Basketball Operations Larry Bird. "He's a guy who has put in the hours and the work to make himself a better player and help make us a better team, which has helped us become a winning team. Being an All-Star not only means you are recognized as one of the best, but it carries meaning for the franchise and your teammates. It's an important designation and I'm sure Roy will handle it in the right way. I look forward to Roy being a Pacer for a long time."

Hibbert's All-Star status will be tested immediately when the Indiana Pacers face the Memphis Grizzlies. The Grizz will throw Marc Gasol at the Pacers and Hibbert in a game of dueling all-star reserve centers. Of course, speaking of snubs, the key to the game may be the performance of dueling forwards since both Rudy Gay and Danny Granger have been playing at an all-star level of late.

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Indiana Pacers center Roy Hibbert was officially named as a reserve center on the Eastern Conference team for the NBA All-Star game on February 26th in Orlando.

Huge congratulations to the big fella who literally earned this honor after putting in tons of hard work since being drafted as a project center with questionable upside. What we've learned is that Hibbert never stops learning and has been able to improve his game each season. Forget the individual numbers, Hibbert has been instrumental in helping the Pacers jump out to a 17-8 start and that is why he will bask in the glow of All-Star weekend, representing the Pacers and the Eastern Conference.

Hib Hib...HOO-ROY!!!

Here is the full group of All-Star reserves for both conferences:

EAST: Joe Johnson G, Deron Williams G, Paul Pierce F, Andre Iguodala F, Chris Bosh F, Luol Deng F, Roy Hibbert F

WEST: Kevin Love F, LaMarcus Aldridge F, Russell Westbrook G, Dirk Nowitzki F, Tony Parker G, Steve Nash G, Marc Gasol C

Attendance at the Indiana Pacers game on Tuesday night against the Utah Jazz was disappointing at first blush. The chunks of empty green seats in the lower and club levels was surprising considering the Pacers' positive start and the fact that former Butler star Gordon Hayward was playing for Utah.

In reality, though it was really the last night of good excuses for fans to stay home. The 10-day Super Bowl festivities was a grind on the community with much of the ticket-buying public involved in events as attendees, employees or volunteers. I was worn out and I only volunteered a few shifts and took in the fun on a couple of other days. I spoke with a few media members who covered the Super Bowl and they were near catatonic after two weeks of 13-14 hour work days. In essence, the sporting public was still trying to recover.

It appears that there were plenty of Pacers fans in recovery mode, though since the Fox Sports Indiana television rating for Tuesday's game was strong, registering a season-high 3.7 rating, according to FSI. Through Tuesday's game, ratings for Pacers games on FSI are up 26% compared to the same date last season which is more impressive when you consider that last season the ratings were up 35% over the prior season.

Also, the 3.7 rating on Tuesday was the eight game with a 3.0 or higher rating so far this season which has already surpassed last season's total of seven games. So the television numbers continue to improve after a strong showing last year.

Now the Pacers need to move the rear-ends attached to all of those eyeballs into those empty green seats at the Fieldhouse. With the local distractions out of the way, the upcoming schedule should help build up some attendance momentum. The Pacers play the Denver Nuggets on Saturday night with their next home game on Tuesday night against the Miami Heat. Weekend crowds are always better and the Heat will draw a crowd regardless of the day of the week.

Starting next Thursday the Pacers play three straight games at home in six days against New Jersey, Charlotte and New Orleans. Pretty safe to say, those three games will give a strong indication of how many people are going to the Fieldhouse to watch the Pacers. No more excuses.

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NBA All-Star reserves will be announced Thursday night and the Indiana Pacers are hoping their 17-8 start will earn an invitation to at least one of their players. Center Roy Hibbert seems like the most likely candidate considering his strong start to the season and the dearth of competition at center in the Eastern Conference.

Hibbert is averaging 13.6 points and 9.9 rebounds and has show signs of fading back to his inconsistent ways of late, but the impression he left around the league in the first month of the season should be enough to give Hibbert a solid shot at making the All-Star squad in the East.

Danny Granger summed it up best after Tuesday's game.

"Other than Dwight Howard, I can't tell you who's a better center," Granger said of Hibbert's opportunity in the Eastern Conference. "I think it would be awesome for him as a young big man in this league. It's an awesome time, a lot of fun."

Playing in the game would give Hibbert another boost of confidence which is always a good thing and may be just what he needs to get his game going on the court again.

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The Indiana Pacers ran into a tough situation on Wednesday night and just weren't up to the challenge against a desperate Atlanta Hawks team that outworked the Pacers and then used some impressive perimeter shooting to hold on for a 97-87 win.

With the Pacers playing the second of back-to-back games, the Hawks came out ready to attack in an effort to avoid losing their fourth straight home game. The foundation for the win was set in the first half as Atlanta had an early 8-0 run and then later an 18-2 run to push their lead in the second quarter to as much as 21 points.

And when I say run I mean the Hawks literally ran and usually right by the Pacers, as Atlanta held a 21-5 advantage in fast break points in the first half. In the second quarter alone, eight of the Hawks 11 field goals were layups or dunks.

Late in the second quarter, with the Hawks up 15, Zaza Pachulia pump faked at the free throw line and then drove by Roy Hibbert with no help for an easy dunk. Then at the other end, Pachulia forced a turnover leading to yet another fast break opportunity. The Hawks had numbers on the break, with Danny Granger and David West trailing. Joe Johnson was fed on the wing but passed up a three-pointer to hit Zaza still running toward the hoop for another layup. The Pacers were simply beat to the rim by Pachulia and it wouldn't be the last time.

As they have all year, the Pacers stuck with it for 48 minutes and came out strong in the third quarter, tightening things up and cutting the lead down to six points. But they just didn't have it and the Hawks showed some resolve by knocking down some key three-pointers which served as rally killers several times in the second half.

If the playoffs started today, these two teams would be doing battle in a 4-5 matchup which would certainly be entertaining, but also a struggle for the Pacers since the Hawks are able to match the Pacers length and athleticism.

After the jump a few more thoughts on the loss.

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