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For those of you questioning if the playoff push is a good thing Kravits has this to say

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  • #1

    For those of you questioning if the playoff push is a good thing Kravits has this to say

    I realize that some of you agree with this and others of you would rather watch the Shamwow infomercial than listen to Bob. However here is what he has to say.



    http://www.indystar.com/article/2009.../1088/SPORTS04

    Bob Kravitz

    Pacers surging; they could be sorry
    It is with profound sadness and grudging admiration that I must report that the Indiana Pacers seem to be making a playoff push.

    Sigh.


    With Wednesday night's 107-99 victory over the Michael Redd-less Milwaukee Bucks, the Danny Granger-less Pacers have now won six straight at home and five of their past eight games overall. They also are looking at playing five of their final eight games before the All-Star break at home, and all of those games -- at home and on the road -- look eminently winnable.

    The question that I ask -- and I ask this in the role of resident curmudgeon -- is: Is the playoff push really a good thing for this franchise?

    Seriously, in the big picture, looking at the long term, what do the Pacers accomplish if they sneak into that eighth spot and then get whacked by Orlando/Cleveland/Boston in the first round of the playoffs?

    It's easy to understand where the Pacers' brain trust is coming from on this, why they want to make the playoffs.

    Ownership desperately wants/needs a round of playoffs because it's a nice payday. And they can use any payday they can get. The Pacers have been hemorrhaging money for three years now; witness the latest news on the team's lease situation at Conseco Fieldhouse.

    Pacers president Larry Bird and coach Jim O'Brien are built to win, to win today and tomorrow, not three years from now when it's likely neither will still be here. O'Brien is playing Stephen Graham instead of Brandon Rush because today Graham gives him a better chance to win. He is playing Rasho Nesterovic instead of Roy Hibbert because today Nesterovic gives him a better chance to win.

    For these players, the playoffs would be a sweet payoff. This is a good group, hard-working, likable, community-minded, and they've done a lot to help restore the Pacers' good name.

    Granger should be named to the All-Star team later today. T.J. Ford, who was special Wednesday night, has put together some of his best basketball in recent games. Troy Murphy, who has had a renaissance season and is a sure-fire double-double guy every night, deserves to see the first postseason action of his career.

    So what they're starting to do here in recent weeks, and what they need to continue during this pre-All-Star stretch, is absolutely laudable and admirable.

    And yet . . .

    There's a downside.

    Doesn't this team need another shot in the NBA lottery, even if there doesn't currently appear to be a host of stars-in-the-waiting outside of Oklahoma's Blake Griffin?

    These are not the young Atlanta Hawks, dipping their feet into the playoff pool for the first time last year, then emerging this next year as a formidable contender in the Eastern Conference.

    The Pacers, or at least the Pacers who play, are relatively experienced and have a limited upside. Look at Wednesday's starters: Mike Dunleavy, Murphy, Jeff Foster, Jarrett Jack and Ford. How much better can they ever be?

    The good thing about being in the East is you always feel like you've got a chance to make the playoffs.

    The bad thing about being in the East is you always feel like you've got a chance to make the playoffs.

    Following?

    The East is an illusion, fool's gold, one that gives bad teams the goofy idea that if they can only claw their way into an eighth spot, they can make postseason magic like last year's Hawks.

    Put it this way: If the Pacers were in the West, they'd be completely out of the playoff picture and probably would be playing Hibbert and Rush significant minutes. Instead, Hibbert gets a few minutes at the end of the first half Wednesday and Rush never gets off the bench.

    We keep hearing how Rush has lost his confidence and how he's regressed; well, how do you fix that? By burying him at the end of the bench every game? If the Pacers are going to continue playing more established players in an effort to make the playoffs, why not send Rush to the NBDL team in Fort Wayne and let him restore his confidence there?

    By Feb. 11, we'll know and the Pacers will know if they're a playoff team, however humble that designation may be in the East. That's when this friendly stretch of schedule ends and the teams head for the All-Star break. The second "half" of the season is better -- the Pacers play 21 of their last 36 games at home -- but it really comes down to these next 21/2 weeks.

    "Is this a make-or-break portion of the schedule?'' O'Brien was asked.

    "Absolutely,'' he said. ". . . Every game is vitally important, but we'll find out if we have a legitimate chance to make the playoffs by the All-Star break.''

    There are two playoff spots up for grabs. Milwaukee sits at No. 7, although they've lost Redd for the rest of the season. Philadelphia is No. 8. Then there's New York, New Jersey, Charlotte, Toronto, Chicago and Indiana, all sub-.500, all within 21/2 games of the eighth spot.

    The Pacers are making their push.

    Is that a good thing?


    Basketball isn't played with computers, spreadsheets, and simulations. ChicagoJ 4/21/13
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Re: For those of you questioning if the playoff push is a good thing Kravits has this to say

    this year, i could care less. if we make it, we'll lose in round 1. if we don't, we'll need to get awfully lucky to find one of the few decent players in this draft. last year, otoh, i think most of you knew my opinion. last 2 years actually and thus my reputation. but as i've stated, my opinion is dependent on the quality and depth of not only the draft coming up, but also how good of a team and how much potential the pacers have. i highly doubt it'll make much of a difference if we got the 7th pick or 14th pick.

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    • #3
      Re: For those of you questioning if the playoff push is a good thing Kravits has this to say

      Yes, go for the playoffs. Absolutely.

      They must have the mental toughness that makes champions instilled in them NOW,
      and that means trying to fight as hard as they can to try to win every single game
      from now, until they run into someone who has the balls to stop them.

      No F'ing around.

      While yes, this may still be a rebuilding period, the Pacers do have a good group that
      I beleive is playoff worthy now. And even if the odds are they won't get out of the
      first round, I don't want to see them go down without a putting up a major dog-fight.

      C'mon guys...lets see what kind of heart you really have.
      Last edited by RamBo_Lamar; 01-29-2009, 04:22 AM.

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      • #4
        Re: For those of you questioning if the playoff push is a good thing Kravits has this to say

        I would say it is a good thing. The city would have something to cheer about and the experience for the young guys will be great, even if we,were to get swept. It is awful hard to know what to expect in the playoffs if you're just a spectator.

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        • #5
          Re: For those of you questioning if the playoff push is a good thing Kravits has this to say

          lets try our best to get to the playoffs. this year's draft is weak and even if we tank, which is the last thing i want us to do btw, it is almost impossible for us to get a guy that can change the look of this team right away.

          lets get to the playoffs and do our best against whoever comes. as long as we fight to the end i don't care if we go 0-4.

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          • #6
            Re: For those of you questioning if the playoff push is a good thing Kravits has this to say

            I agree with Kravitz on this one. You guys wanna make the playoffs to give playoffs experience to who? Foster?(32) Dunleavy?(28)Murphy?(29)Rasho?(32 and won't be back next year)Marquis?(28 he won't be back). I understand they need play to win, trust me one part of me want's them to make it, but the other part want this team to be in a good position in the draft.

            The pacers need to rebuild now and the only way to do that is trading your old players for young players or trough the draft, I also agree with Kravitz that maybe the reason why Larry and JOB are in "win mode" right now is because they are afraid of losing their jobs next year and that is not good because they are risking the future for the present, like I said before I want the Pacers to be contender in 2 or 3 years not playoffs pretenders for the next 10 years.
            @WhatTheFFacts: Studies show that sarcasm enhances the ability of the human mind to solve complex problems!

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            • #7
              Re: For those of you questioning if the playoff push is a good thing Kravits has this to say

              Originally posted by vnzla81 View Post
              You guys wanna make the playoffs to give playoffs experience to who? Foster?(32) Dunleavy?(28)Murphy?(29)Rasho?(32 and won't be back next year)Marquis?(28 he won't be back).
              Hmm I thought the Pacers had another pretty good player on their team this year...what was his name??

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              • #8
                Re: For those of you questioning if the playoff push is a good thing Kravits has this to say

                This is an age old question for any team that is still years away from breaking thru. When a team finally starts "getting it" the PO experience is invaluable. For those still building, they need to avoid the POs like the plague.
                Ever notice how friendly folks are at a shootin' range??.

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                • #9
                  Re: For those of you questioning if the playoff push is a good thing Kravits has this to say

                  I guess when you're 28 or 29 you're in the twilight of your career....

                  Comment

                  • #10
                    Re: For those of you questioning if the playoff push is a good thing Kravits has this to say

                    I will ignore the thought that we shouldn't shut it down because of the weak draft. What irks me is this. Just because a player is in his last 20s and early 30s does not mean they do not have upside. The upside to this team is that they can begin to play better together. What happens if Jack develops a steady mid range shot off the dribble? What happens if Ford continues to contribute? Dun gets his legs under him? What happens when Rasho gets the rest he needs because Baston is able to contribute?

                    Upside and potential is thrown around too much in the NBA. It is a relative term used in absolute means.

                    Comment

                    • #11
                      Re: For those of you questioning if the playoff push is a good thing Kravits has this to say

                      Originally posted by Hicks View Post
                      I guess when you're 28 or 29 you're in the twilight of your career....

                      I dread getting that old, I might just retire by then.

                      "I've got an idea--an idea so smart that my head would explode if I even began to know what I'm talking about." - Peter Griffin

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                      • #12
                        Re: For those of you questioning if the playoff push is a good thing Kravits has this to say

                        As stated in other threads if this group is good enough to make the playoffs then they need to make the playoffs. The idea it's ok to lose now because it will eventually make things better will corrupt this team just the same as having a bunch of knuckeheads with talent.
                        You know how hippos are made out to be sweet and silly, like big cows, but are actually extremely dangerous and can kill you with stunning brutality? The Pacers are the NBA's hippos....Matt Moore CBS Sports....

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                        • #13
                          Re: For those of you questioning if the playoff push is a good thing Kravits has this to say

                          Does any team, East or West, NBA/NFL/MLB/whatever, really deserve a playoff slot being under .500?

                          It would almost be an embarrassment when my Laker-fan cousins point out the Pacers record come playoff time.

                          It won't excite me, and I won't drop big bucks for playoff tickets to watch a team with a losing record...come to think of it, I would bet anything (especially in this economy) most of the fans won't either.

                          Comment

                          • #14
                            Re: For those of you questioning if the playoff push is a good thing Kravits has this to say

                            Originally posted by vnzla81 View Post
                            I agree with Kravitz on this one. You guys wanna make the playoffs to give playoffs experience to who? Foster?(32) Dunleavy?(28)Murphy?(29)Rasho?(32 and won't be back next year)Marquis?(28 he won't be back). I understand they need play to win, trust me one part of me want's them to make it, but the other part want this team to be in a good position in the draft.

                            The pacers need to rebuild now and the only way to do that is trading your old players for young players or trough the draft, I also agree with Kravitz that maybe the reason why Larry and JOB are in "win mode" right now is because they are afraid of losing their jobs next year and that is not good because they are risking the future for the present, like I said before I want the Pacers to be contender in 2 or 3 years not playoffs pretenders for the next 10 years.
                            IMHO...you're exactly right.

                            Comment

                            • #15
                              Re: For those of you questioning if the playoff push is a good thing Kravits has this to say

                              Originally posted by kellogg View Post
                              Does any team, East or West, NBA/NFL/MLB/whatever, really deserve a playoff slot being under .500?

                              It would almost be an embarrassment when my Laker-fan cousins point out the Pacers record come playoff time.

                              It won't excite me, and I won't drop big bucks for playoff tickets to watch a team with a losing record...come to think of it, I would bet anything (especially in this economy) most of the fans won't either.
                              I agree that if the Pacers get to the playoffs and are under .500 that the turnout will not be as high if the team was 6 seeded or higher and playing really well.

                              But if we make the playoffs we will have to have a record Post-Allstar in the top ten. That surge would generate more excitement despite a below .500 record. What else does Indy have to do in April?

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