Here's Bruno's Scouting Report with a closer look at the recent fourth quarter woes that have turned solid play in to losses. In a nutshell, the Pacers can't get stops and can't score consistently down the stretch, which is obviously a lethal combination. The Spurs have been dawdling through the regular season lately, finishing January with an 8-8 record. The good news for the Pacers is that Tony Parker will not play, so he won't be taking the ball in the lane at will tonight. The bad news though, is that Manu Ginobili would be driving the lane regardless of how strong the Pacers' perimeter defense, but since we all know this is a weakness, he's probably having trouble containing his excitement.
Here's what the efficiency numbers say:
| Team | Pace | Off.Eff. | Def.Eff. |
|---|---|---|---|
| IND | 96.8(2nd) | 106.1(18th) | 108.1(19th) |
| SAS | 87.5(28th) | 109.6(18th) | 104.2(4th) |
Projected Starters
| PACERS | pos. | SPURS |
|---|---|---|
| Mike Dunleavy | F | Bruce Bowen |
| Troy Murphy | F | Fabricio Oberto |
| Jeff Foster | C | Tim Duncan |
| Danny Granger | G | Michael Finley |
| Travis Diener | G | Manu Ginobili |
Feel free to leave your thoughts on the game in the comments.