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Rule #1

Pacers Digest is intended to be a place to discuss basketball without having to deal with the kinds of behaviors or attitudes that distract people from sticking with the discussion of the topics at hand. These unwanted distractions can come in many forms, and admittedly it can sometimes be tricky to pin down each and every kind that can rear its ugly head, but we feel that the following examples and explanations cover at least a good portion of that ground and should at least give people a pretty good idea of the kinds of things we actively discourage:

"Anyone who __________ is a liar / a fool / an idiot / a blind homer / has their head buried in the sand / a blind hater / doesn't know basketball / doesn't watch the games"

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"Remember when PosterX said OldCommentY that no longer looks good? "

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Now, does the above cover absolutely every single kind of distraction that is unwanted? Probably not, but you should by now have a good idea of the general types of things we will be discouraging. The above examples are meant to give you a good feel for / idea of what we're looking for. If something new or different than the above happens to come along and results in the same problem (that being, any other attitude or behavior that ultimately distracts from actually just discussing the topic at hand, or that is otherwise disrespectful to other posters), we can and we will take action to curb this as well, so please don't take this to mean that if you managed to technically avoid saying something exactly like one of the above examples that you are then somehow off the hook.

That all having been said, our goal is to do so in a generally kind and respectful way, and that doesn't mean the moment we see something we don't like that somebody is going to be suspended or banned, either. It just means that at the very least we will probably say something about it, quite possibly snipping out the distracting parts of the post in question while leaving alone the parts that are actually just discussing the topics, and in the event of a repeating or excessive problem, then we will start issuing infractions to try to further discourage further repeat problems, and if it just never seems to improve, then finally suspensions or bans will come into play. We would prefer it never went that far, and most of the time for most of our posters, it won't ever have to.

A slip up every once and a while is pretty normal, but, again, when it becomes repetitive or excessive, something will be done. Something occasional is probably going to be let go (within reason), but when it starts to become habitual or otherwise a pattern, odds are very good that we will step in.

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Also please be aware that you will not be given a pass simply by claiming that you were 'only joking,' because quite honestly, when someone really is just joking, for one thing most people tend to pick up on the joke, including the person or group that is the target of the joke, and for another thing, in the event where an honest joke gets taken seriously and it upsets or angers someone, the person who is truly 'only joking' will quite commonly go out of his / her way to apologize and will try to mend fences. People who are dishonest about their statements being 'jokes' do not do so, and in turn that becomes a clear sign of what is really going on. It's nothing new.

In any case, quite frankly, the overall quality and health of the entire forum's community is more important than any one troublesome user will ever be, regardless of exactly how a problem is exhibiting itself, and if it comes down to us having to make a choice between you versus the greater health and happiness of the entire community, the community of this forum will win every time.

Lastly, there are also some posters, who are generally great contributors and do not otherwise cause any problems, who sometimes feel it's their place to provoke or to otherwise 'mess with' that small minority of people described in the last paragraph, and while we possibly might understand why you might feel you WANT to do something like that, the truth is we can't actually tolerate that kind of behavior from you any more than we can tolerate the behavior from them. So if we feel that you are trying to provoke those other posters into doing or saying something that will get themselves into trouble, then we will start to view you as a problem as well, because of the same reason as before: The overall health of the forum comes first, and trying to stir the pot with someone like that doesn't help, it just makes it worse. Some will simply disagree with this philosophy, but if so, then so be it because ultimately we have to do what we think is best so long as it's up to us.

If you see a problem that we haven't addressed, the best and most appropriate course for a forum member to take here is to look over to the left of the post in question. See underneath that poster's name, avatar, and other info, down where there's a little triangle with an exclamation point (!) in it? Click that. That allows you to report the post to the admins so we can definitely notice it and give it a look to see what we feel we should do about it. Beyond that, obviously it's human nature sometimes to want to speak up to the poster in question who has bothered you, but we would ask that you try to refrain from doing so because quite often what happens is two or more posters all start going back and forth about the original offending post, and suddenly the entire thread is off topic or otherwise derailed. So while the urge to police it yourself is understandable, it's best to just report it to us and let us handle it. Thank you!

All of the above is going to be subject to a case by case basis, but generally and broadly speaking, this should give everyone a pretty good idea of how things will typically / most often be handled.

Rule #2

If the actions of an administrator inspire you to make a comment, criticism, or express a concern about it, there is a wrong place and a couple of right places to do so.

The wrong place is to do so in the original thread in which the administrator took action. For example, if a post gets an infraction, or a post gets deleted, or a comment within a larger post gets clipped out, in a thread discussing Paul George, the wrong thing to do is to distract from the discussion of Paul George by adding your off topic thoughts on what the administrator did.

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B) Send a private message to the administrators, and they can respond to you that way.

If this is done the wrong way, those comments will be deleted, and if it's a repeating problem then it may also receive an infraction as well.

Rule #3

If a poster is bothering you, and an administrator has not or will not deal with that poster to the extent that you would prefer, you have a powerful tool at your disposal, one that has recently been upgraded and is now better than ever: The ability to ignore a user.

When you ignore a user, you will unfortunately still see some hints of their existence (nothing we can do about that), however, it does the following key things:

A) Any post they make will be completely invisible as you scroll through a thread.

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To utilize this feature, from any page on Pacers Digest, scroll to the top of the page, look to the top right where it says 'Settings' and click that. From the settings page, look to the left side of the page where it says 'My Settings', and look down from there until you see 'Edit Ignore List' and click that. From here, it will say 'Add a Member to Your List...' Beneath that, click in the text box to the right of 'User Name', type in or copy & paste the username of the poster you are ignoring, and once their name is in the box, look over to the far right and click the 'Okay' button. All done!

Rule #4

Regarding infractions, currently they carry a value of one point each, and that point will expire in 31 days. If at any point a poster is carrying three points at the same time, that poster will be suspended until the oldest of the three points expires.

Rule #5

When you share or paste content or articles from another website, you must include the URL/link back to where you found it, who wrote it, and what website it's from. Said content will be removed if this doesn't happen.

An example:

If I copy and paste an article from the Indianapolis Star website, I would post something like this:

http://www.linktothearticlegoeshere.com/article
Title of the Article
Author's Name
Indianapolis Star

Rule #6

We cannot tolerate illegal videos on Pacers Digest. This means do not share any links to them, do not mention any websites that host them or link to them, do not describe how to find them in any way, and do not ask about them. Posts doing anything of the sort will be removed, the offenders will be contacted privately, and if the problem becomes habitual, you will be suspended, and if it still persists, you will probably be banned.

The legal means of watching or listening to NBA games are NBA League Pass Broadband (for US, or for International; both cost money) and NBA Audio League Pass (which is free). Look for them on NBA.com.

Rule #7

Provocative statements in a signature, or as an avatar, or as the 'tagline' beneath a poster's username (where it says 'Member' or 'Administrator' by default, if it is not altered) are an unwanted distraction that will more than likely be removed on sight. There can be shades of gray to this, but in general this could be something political or religious that is likely going to provoke or upset people, or otherwise something that is mean-spirited at the expense of a poster, a group of people, or a population.

It may or may not go without saying, but this goes for threads and posts as well, particularly when it's not made on the off-topic board (Market Square).

We do make exceptions if we feel the content is both innocuous and unlikely to cause social problems on the forum (such as wishing someone a Merry Christmas or a Happy Easter), and we also also make exceptions if such topics come up with regards to a sports figure (such as the Lance Stephenson situation bringing up discussions of domestic abuse and the law, or when Jason Collins came out as gay and how that lead to some discussion about gay rights).

However, once the discussion seems to be more/mostly about the political issues instead of the sports figure or his specific situation, the thread is usually closed.

Rule #8

We prefer self-restraint and/or modesty when making jokes or off topic comments in a sports discussion thread. They can be fun, but sometimes they derail or distract from a topic, and we don't want to see that happen. If we feel it is a problem, we will either delete or move those posts from the thread.

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Generally speaking, we try to be a "PG-13" rated board, and we don't want to see sexual content or similarly suggestive content. Vulgarity is a more muddled issue, though again we prefer things to lean more towards "PG-13" than "R". If we feel things have gone too far, we will step in.

Rule #10

We like small signatures, not big signatures. The bigger the signature, the more likely it is an annoying or distracting signature.

Rule #11

Do not advertise anything without talking about it with the administrators first. This includes advertising with your signature, with your avatar, through private messaging, and/or by making a thread or post.
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Spurs vs Pacers: Keys to the Game

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  • Spurs vs Pacers: Keys to the Game

    Rebounding:

    The Spurs have traditionally dropped offensive rebounding in favor of transition defense. However, this year the Spurs team just isn’t going t be as strong defensively as it traditionally is- at least not in the beginning of the season. In addition, we’ve seen a few Spurs this year- namely Bonner and Blair- go after offensive rebounds more- especially in the case of Blair, who is natural rebounder. For a team as good as the Spurs, it’s best to limit them to as few possessions as possible. Can the rebounders of Hibbert, Posey, McRoberts and Jones/Foster keep the Blair off of the offensive boards? If not- the Pacers could be in for a long season rebounding wise.

    Big Man Play:

    The Spurs will reportedly be without Tiago Splitter this game, as he is still battling strained right plantaris muscle injury. The spurs thus will be limited to a big man rotation of Duncan, Blair, McDyess, and Bonner, with RJ playing the four sometimes in small ball. Starting the game with Duncan and Blair, the Pacers will have a mismatch with Blair. Hibbert can shoot right over Blair, and McRoberts at the three point line will also be a problem with the Spurs. Can the Pacers take advantage of this mismatch and make them pay for having Blair in the lineup?

    Meanwhile, the play of Matt Bonner will be a key to how well the Spurs can run. When Bonner can space the floor with his three and when he can hit is teardrop runner, he is a very valuable player on the offensive end for the Spurs and makes everything easier for the big three. If Bonner hits his shots early- the Pacers will be in trouble- especially if they continue to have trouble rotating.

    McDyess looks very sharp and looks focused in what most likely will be his last season in the NBA. He will give the Spurs valuable minutes and midrange shooting. On the other side, the Pacers need to figure out who is their backup center. Foster was a good player but currently looks like he is an old NBA player coming back from injury. Solomon Jones has shown some promise but is also on the trading block. Is Posey the answer for them? Will his 3 point shot be a problem for the Spurs?

    Blair vs McRoberts:

    This is going to be a very key matchup for the game. Blair is much improved from last season and his my early favorite to win most improved player. He has added some offensive moves into his arsenal and can almost be considered an offensive threat. The Pacers will need him to fight against Blair for boards and to have a good game in general. The same goes for McRoberts- who has added a three point shot and could be a mismatch for Blair. With his excellent passing he could alos find holes in the Spurs defense- especially without Splitter. The Spurs had some problems with Channing Frye in the playoffs last season- can McRoberts provide the same spark?

    The Point Guard Battle:

    Judging from preseason play- Tony parker is fully healed from his injuries last season and looks very sharp and like the playoffs MVP he was in 07. With the Spurs now playing more uptempo and using a run and gun offense sometimes, Parker should have a breakout year this year. He seems to have regained some of the speed lost last season to injury. Meanwhile, Darren Collison comes in with high expectations as the point guard for the Pacers future. So far in the preseason he seems to be a bit lost, sometimes making bad decisions with the ball. However, he has been mostly scoring and passing well. The key for Darren will be how quickly will he get acclimated to the Pacers offense and can he play the pick in roll defense? As of right now he does not look the Pacers point guard of the future.

    George Hill has been awful this preseason. He has shot the ball poorly and generally does not look like the player he was last year. The Spurs need him to be able to provide good point guard play and eat minutes, as well as play defense and hit the corner three. He needs to get his shot going.

    Meanwhile, AJ Price has had a solid preseason- carrying over from his strong play in the last season. He looks like he is doing much better than what is expected of a 2nd round pick, and looks more comfortable running the offense and shooting the ball than Darren does.

    TJ Ford will be the key to beating the Spurs. In the past, the biggest weakness of the Spurs defense is the midrange game. TJ Ford is our best midrange shooter, and he and Roy Hibbert should be able to hit those jumpers all night. TJ Ford also has great dribble penetration, and with Duncan's loss of mobility he should be able to drive at Duncan most of the night- especially if McRoberts/Posey is camped out at the three point line.

    A Battle of Redemption From the Small Forwards

    Both Danny Granger and Richard Jefferson had disappointing seasons last year. Danny Granger suffered from a myriad of injuries last season and just didn’t look healthy. Meanwhile, Richard Jefferson had a hard time fitting into the Spurs system and looked like he was pressing for most of his time with the Spurs. Jefferson spent the summer retooling his game and going back to basics in order to fit in with the Spurs system better. Granger was selected to team USA over the summer and has had a decent preseason. Both players need to be spectacular for their teams to do well this season. Granger looks to be in the prime of his career and needs to get off to a good start. Jefferson has started showing signs of finally getting accliamated to the Spurs system – and with the Spurs turning into a more uptempo team he should be able to make more of an impact on the game this year While Jefferson still looks awkward sometimes while playing on the field, his confidence in his shot seems to be growing.

    Mike Dunleavy will also be looking for a bounce back year, as he seems mentally checked into the game and seems focused on having a good season. In addition, he has taken the rookie Paul George under his wing which will do wonders for George’s growth. If Dunleavy can get to a high level of conditioning and stay focused he should be able to make the correct reads and decisions to help breakdown the Spurs defense.

    New Players Making an Impact:

    Expect contributions from Gary Neal, James Anderson, and Paul George.
    Gary Neal turned strong summer league play into a 3 year deal with the Spurs, as his pure shooting stroke drew strong interest from the Spurs. While severely undersized as a two guard, expect Neal to be a third point guard type of player, bringing the ball upcourt and dumping to a playmaker such as Ginobili or Jefferson. The Spurs hope that he could be what Roger Mason Jr. should have been last season.

    Paul George, the first round pick for the Pacers this season, has shown flashes of all star level play at times in the preseason. He seems to have good form and the ability to drive and play like a well rounded wing, and should see a lot of minutes as the primary backup wing. While he has been streaky so far, he seems to be building up from each game and should be fun to watch and should have an immediate impact.

    James Anderson was hampered by a hamstring injury and did not play in the Spurs summer league. In limited minutes in the Spurs preseason, he played as expected from a rookie and seems to be learning his role in the Spurs system. He has shown good defensive effort and while his shot hasn’t been falling as well as it did in his college days, he looks comfortable so far. Expect him to see a few minutes at the backup two and three.
    Last edited by flox; 10-26-2010, 11:43 AM. Reason: titleeeee

  • #2
    Re: Spurs vs Pacers: Keys to the Game

    I can't wait for this game. I want to see McHans vs. Blair and I can't wait to see Timmy vs. Roy.

    I wan't to see Darren Collison vs. Tony Parker too. They have similar bodies and their inside games should be similar once DC gets better.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Spurs vs Pacers: Keys to the Game

      I'm glad you gave TJ some mention, I agree that he could play a big part in this game and I also agree that he does have an underappreciated mid range game. I have a bad feeling that Blair is going to totally own our big guys in this game. If not him then Timmy or someone else will. Either or, our big guys are going to get dominated, espeically with Posey guarding Tim on the block... uhg..

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Spurs vs Pacers: Keys to the Game

        Pssshhh.... Our bigs own Blair. Remember how much he gets blocked? Throw Roy and Josh in there and he won't get anything up.

        I can't wait for tomorrow.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Spurs vs Pacers: Keys to the Game

          So, limit the better rebounding Spurs to as few possessions as possible. That should mean slowing the tempo and passing the ball multiple times prior to shots being taken for the most part, something that has been anathema to O'Brien teams of the past. It also should mean taking higher percentage shots, which should be midrange and in, even with Duncan lurking.

          With good passing and movement, the Pacers should be able to establish a low post game with a quicker Hibbert (if he is able to stay in the game) and a larger potential for McRoberts driving to the rim. The question is will that be seen, or will McRoberts be instructed to stay primarily at the high post and arc while Granger and Collison drive, and with Dunleavy presumably being left in the midrange out to the arc with little to no role in the offense other than as a catch and shoot threat much as Rush has been used in that position?

          The Pacers have a "punchers chance" of winning if the tempo is slowed down and passing is used in conjunction with good movement without the ball, but I suspect that the hopes for an actual upset will hinge on how many 3's are hit by Dunleavy and Granger, and whether the drives of Collison and McRoberts are effective at both scoring and getting the Spurs bigs in foul trouble early. Shoot under about 35% for the game from the arc assuming the usual 25+ attempts and the Spurs will run away and hide, which is what I anticipate happening, especially if McRoberts is called on for many 3's as a "stretch 4".

          The point guard position is a lost cause. Parker will eat anybody the Pacers play there alive because Rush is not available to provide perimeter resistance while Dunleavy is not able to cover as much ground, leaving the point guards needing to make up for that deficit. Parker is the most likely difference maker in this game. Also, I doubt Hibbert does very well due to foul trouble, so he will at best be a non-factor in my view.

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Spurs vs Pacers: Keys to the Game

            very simple Turnovers and rebounds and dont shoot too many 3s

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Spurs vs Pacers: Keys to the Game

              Key to this game is the Pick and Roll Defense.
              You can't get champagne from a garden hose.

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Spurs vs Pacers: Keys to the Game

                Jermaine with the classic fade away jumper brick. This guy will be getting DNP-CD VERY SOON!
                *removed* Just keep politics and religion completely out of it, please.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Spurs vs Pacers: Keys to the Game

                  play smart and rebound

                  you're talking about one of the more fundamentally sound, veteran teams in the league
                  Sittin on top of the world!

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Spurs vs Pacers: Keys to the Game

                    I think this game would be a perfect time for McBob to play the post more often.. He should be able to easily shoot over Blair. I am not sold on McBobs outside shooting yet to want to see him at the 3pt line all game.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Spurs vs Pacers: Keys to the Game

                      I'd rather make it a wild-west shoot-out. Pack the paint, force them to kick out the ball to their shooters. Then use one of your bigs the same way the Suns used Frye - successful, as the OP notes. Without Splitter, the frontcourt of the Spurs team lacks speed. It also lacks shooting - Bonner is streaky and if you're forcing Popovich to use Bonner for extended minutes, that's already a plus. Attack their weaknesses first - the lack of quickness defensively, the slow rotations, the unreliable shooting out of the small guards - rather than their strengths.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Spurs vs Pacers: Keys to the Game

                        Roy must be aggressive and dominant against Duncan. He also must set picks for Darren and anyone else looking to drive in.

                        Danny needs to defend Jefferson who is someone that can go right in for a dunk when left unguarded.

                        I'm excited to see the PG matchup.

                        We need to win the first game of the season. It's always a good beginning.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Spurs vs Pacers: Keys to the Game

                          Originally posted by cordobes View Post
                          I'd rather make it a wild-west shoot-out. Pack the paint, force them to kick out the ball to their shooters. Then use one of your bigs the same way the Suns used Frye - successful, as the OP notes. Without Splitter, the frontcourt of the Spurs team lacks speed. It also lacks shooting - Bonner is streaky and if you're forcing Popovich to use Bonner for extended minutes, that's already a plus. Attack their weaknesses first - the lack of quickness defensively, the slow rotations, the unreliable shooting out of the small guards - rather than their strengths.
                          Yeah, that way they either have to play small ball four with RJ at the wing (his wing three better than the corner three so far) or rely on McDyess midrange (not a terrible proposition but also not ideal).

                          I'd definitely want to make the Spurs pay with their slow frontcourt. Splitter needs to come back soon.

                          Bonner hasn't looked very good in the preseason either- if the Spurs are forced to play him over 12 minutes thats not a good thing for the Spurs.

                          Comment

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