RAJAH NIGHT AT THE FIELDHOUSE
-VS-
Game Time Start: 7:00 PM EST
Where: The Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
Officials: R. Garretson, D. Collins, V. Palmer
Media Notes: Indiana Notes, Golden State Notes
Television: FOX Sports Indiana / Comcast SportsNet Bay Area
Radio: WFNI 1070 AM / KNBR 680 AM
NBA Feeds:
*NBA Audio League Pass (available free to NBA All-Access members)
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REMINDER: Per PD policy, please do not share a link to, describe how to search for, request a link to, or request a PM about streaming video of a NBA game that is not coming directly through the NBA. Not even in a "wink-wink, nudge-nudge, know-what-I-mean" round-about sort of way. Thank you
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PACERS Danny Granger - sore left knee (day-to-day) WARRIORS Andrew Bogut - back spasms (out) Brandon Rush - torn ACL and MCL, left knee (out) |
Tim Donahue: Pacers Think Danny Granger’s Return Will Be Seamless While the whole world speculates whether Danny Granger’s return will slow down the juggernaut that is the Indiana Pacers, at least one person has no concerns. The team’s leader doesn’t think there is any chance that the return of the team’s captain will disrupt anything — either chemistry-wise or on the court. “Danny’s going to help us,” said David West. “He’s been with the team dealing with his injury. He’s been around us. It’s not like we’ve forgotten how he plays. He been around. He’s been in the locker room. He’s been on the road with us.” Some fans and media members thought the Pacers should have added a player — perhaps a shooter like J.J. Redick — at the trade deadline. But the team believes that its biggest “acquisition” will be simply getting Granger back on the floor. “What Danny Granger brings to the table is everything we could possibly hope to acquire at the trade deadline,” said coach Frank Vogel. “Hopefully, he gets back pretty quickly and returns to his form. If he does, it’s really going to give us a big boost.” West agrees. “There’s just nothing we can add that’s going to be better than getting Danny Granger back,” said West. “Six-nine, 235-pound, 20-point-a-game scorer. A matchup problem for these teams that just aren’t going to be able to deal with our size. Our tempo. Our ability to guard one through five. There’s nothing that we can add that’s going to be better than what Danny’s going to bring.” West went on to explain the other factors that Granger will bring to the team. ”He’s going to add to what we’re doing on both ends,” said West. “His size. His basketball IQ. His ability. He’s going to open the floor up, because you can’t help [off of him]. He’s just going to make everybody better. He’s going to make our team better.” “I Hope It Doesn’t Change Much” Then again, change always comes with some uncertainty. Granger returns to a team with the second-best record in the Eastern Conference. In Detroit tonight, he’ll get his first minutes as the Pacers are coming off back-to-back 30-point victories. Somebody, somewhere, is saying, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Many of the gains made by this team were made possible by Danny’s absence. That is not to say that Granger held this team down. Far from it. Rather, Indiana’s success has been spurred on by forcing the organization and its players to respond to loss of Danny over the course of the last four months. And there has been no more shining gain than the emergence of Paul George, who recently notched his first career triple double and made his first All-Star appearance. Many are worried about how Granger’s return will affect him. Even Paul himself sounded a little worried, when Pacers.com’s Mark Montieth asked him. How much will George’s role change? “I hope not much,” he said. “I really hope not much. That’s the most I can say, I hope it doesn’t change much.” But, worry isn’t always generated internally. These players — especially Paul — have been asked ad nauseam if they thought Danny’s return might cause problems. The constant questioning on the subject — which I have both observed and been a willing participant in — led me to have this exchange with David West. Me: Is it to fair to say that when we — collectively in the media — ask the question, “Are you worried about Danny?” that we are inserting the worry? West (laughing & nodding): ”I think so.” Beyond that, there are fears about what injecting Granger’s presence into a group that has seemingly finally gotten comfortable with each other and with a new persona. “I think we’ve kind of found an identity that we can play at,” Paul George said Friday night. “We can wrap our hands around the style of play we’ve been playing at lately. Getting up and down the court, pushing the tempo and trying to find things early.” The defense has always been there for this team — they are still on pace to be statistically the best defensive squad in the franchise’s NBA history — but the offense has been, well, ugly. However, it has been turning around (rising 4.8 points per 100 possessions since December 31), and tempo has been a factor. Danny’s return will have at least some affect on that, as much of the tempo comes not from the point guards in Vogel’s offense, but from the wings — specifically, the shooting guards. Lance Stephenson has been described by Coach Vogel as “our best push guy,” and all Pacer observers can close their eyes and immediately see Stephenson getting the ball and changing ends as quickly as he possibly can. However, it’s not just...CONTINUE READING AT 8p9s |
J.M. Poulard: State of the Warriors The Oklahoma City Thunder are the NBA’s modicum for patient, earned, and seemingly sustainable success. Just three years removed from a 3-29 start and in-season coaching change, OKC was a Finals participant last season in a closer-than-it-looked five game series. The trade of James Harden not withstanding, they boast a young, versatile roster with two bonafide superstars, a near All-Star big man that’s only getting better, and solid ancillary parts that play their roles to perfection. They’ve got a model lockerroom culture and maybe the league’s most passionate fanbase, too. After going through a six-game losing streak that looked as though it would never end, the Golden State Warriors (33-23) finally bounced back and won three games in a row. The Warriors still have concerns at present time given Andrew Bogut’s issues with a disk protrusion in his back, but the string of victories have allowed the Dubs faithful to breath a sigh of relief. Also, it’s worth noting that one of those victories came against a San Antonio Spurs team that owns the best record in the NBA at this point in the season, which probably served as a huge confidence boost for a team leaving home for about a week or so. Indeed, the Warriors will start a four-game eastern road trip tonight that will see them face some tough opposition in the Indiana Pacers (35-21), New York Knicks (33-20), Boston Celtics (30-27) and Philadelphia 76ers (22-32). The road trip will essentially be the start of the final portion of the schedule for a Golden State team poised to make a run at a postseason berth. What does the remainder of the NBA season have in store for the Dubs though? A quick peek:
In addition, let’s look at the games on the calendar that the Golden State Warriors have to play against the league’s elite (at least third best record in any conference):
One last quick tidbit, although the Los Angeles Lakers aren’t an elite team at this juncture, they have owned the Warriors in the past two seasons and the Dubs still get them two more times before the end of the regular season. So what does this...CONTINUE READING AT WARRIORS WORLD |
Pacers Mike Wells @MikeWellsNBA Jared Wade @8pts9secs Tim Donahue @TimDonahue8p9s Tom Lewis @indycornrows |
Warriors Tim Kawakami @timkawakami Marcus Thompson @gswscribe J.M. Poulard @ShyneIV Golden State of Mind @unstoppablebaby |
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