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The Pacers took their loss to the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night hard, but there was more than just the normal level of frustration evident in the post-game locker room.
Veterans David West and Rasual Butler were having a very public, private chat just outside the main dressing area as the media entered the locker room. The hushed discussion lasted several minutes with Ian Mahinmi joining in at one point. Team things were discussed, and the indication from the tone the players seemed to take with each other was that they had to get everybody back on the same page.
We don't know what happened after the game which led to the vets putting their heads together, but we do know this loss seemed to shake the Pacers straight. Their defense which prides itself on making life difficult for opponents has been too spotty of late. As West mentioned after the game, the Pacers allowed Golden State's shooters to get too comfortable. Klay Thompson in particular made himself feel right at home in the Fieldhouse.
"They were too comfortable and I don't think we stayed the course, in terms of our aggressiveness and our fight," West said. "They're a jump-shooting team and they got comfortable. Thompson got real comfortable. We had to fight uphill basically the six minutes in the fourth quarter just to (try and) steal a win on our home court."
Actually, it was still a 12-point game with just over five minutes to go before West triggered a 10-0 run with a jumper and then later picked Steph Curry for a steal and dunk. But with the ball and a chance to take the lead, the Pacers didn't look like they were on the same page for their final full possession. West and Paul George were directing traffic (Lance) to get people in the right spots. They ran the play action bunched up in the middle of the floor which allowed Golden State to switch and cover up the initial look for PG. Forced to create late in the shot clock, an off-target three from PG was the end result.
So this loss leads to another tough challenge on the road in Charlotte on Wednesday night. No time to work through their issues in practice, but it is time to change their approach, as West said.
"Mentally, we've got to be way tougher than we are, because it's time," West said. "It's just time. It's not just something that you can just a week before the playoffs say, 'OK,' ... You've got to work your way into it. As a group, it's time. We've got a tough 3-game trip coming up, and it's just time."
The salty post-game locker room seemed to find the Pacers at a potential turning point where they can either come together under the leadership of their veteran voices or continue mounting their frustrations while watching the foundation from the early-season effort toward their stated goals further erode.
Despite all of the drama at the Fieldhouse, the Pacers remained two games up on the Heat who took a loss in Houston. There's still no doubt that the Pacers are championship contenders this year. Now they just have to play like it.
Check out the links:
Warriors at Pacers - Box score
Game Rewind: Pacers 96, Warriors 98 | THE OFFICIAL SITE OF THE INDIANA PACERS
Pacers fall to Warriors 98-96 | Indianapolis Star | indystar.com
Warriors hand Pacers rare home loss, 98-96 - AP
Game 61: Warriors 98, Indiana 96 - sfgate.com
Radio Highlights: Pacers 96, Warriors 98 | Pacers Blogs
Rewind: Thompson delivers when Warriors need him most | CSN Bay Area
Thompson’s last-second shot stuns Pacers - 1070 The Fan
Former Pacer Jermaine O'Neal was (and is) oh-so-good | Indianapolis Star | indystar.com
Pacers' Defense Showing Wear | THE OFFICIAL SITE OF THE INDIANA PACERS
Recap: Klay's fallaway jumper with 0.6 left lifts Warriors over Pacers 98-96 - Golden State Of Mind
Post-Game Grades: Pacers Nearly Come Back to Beat Warriors But Fall Short | 8 Points, 9 Seconds
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