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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"

"People with intelligence will agree with me when I say that __________"

"Only stupid people think / believe / do ___________"

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"He/she is just delusional"

"This thread is stupid / worthless / embarrassing"

"I'm going to take a moment to point and / laugh at PosterX / GroupOfPeopleY who thought / believed *insert though/belief here*"

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

In general, if a comment goes from purely on topic to something 'ad hominem' (personal jabs, personal shots, attacks, flames, however you want to call it, towards a person, or a group of people, or a given city/state/country of people), those are most likely going to be found intolerable.

We also dissuade passive aggressive behavior. This can be various things, but common examples include statements that are basically meant to imply someone is either stupid or otherwise incapable of holding a rational conversation. This can include (but is not limited to) laughing at someone's conclusions rather than offering an honest rebuttal, asking people what game they were watching, or another common problem is Poster X will say "that player isn't that bad" and then Poster Y will say something akin to "LOL you think that player is good". We're not going to tolerate those kinds of comments out of respect for the community at large and for the sake of trying to just have an honest conversation.

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.

There's always a small minority that like to push people's buttons and/or test their own boundaries with regards to the administrators, and in the case of someone acting like that, please be aware that this is not a court of law, but a private website run by people who are simply trying to do the right thing as they see it. If we feel that you are a special case that needs to be dealt with in an exceptional way because your behavior isn't explicitly mirroring one of our above examples of what we generally discourage, we can and we will take atypical action to prevent this from continuing if you are not cooperative with us.

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.

The right places to do so are:

A) Start a thread about the specific incident you want to talk about on the Feedback board. This way you are able to express yourself in an area that doesn't throw another thread off topic, and this way others can add their two cents as well if they wish, and additionally if there's something that needs to be said by the administrators, that is where they will respond to it.

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.

B) The new addition to this feature: If someone QUOTES a user you are ignoring, you do not have to read who it was, or what that poster said, unless you go out of your way to click on a link to find out who it is and what they said.

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.

Rule #9

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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Pacers/Bulls Playoff Series news/thoughts thread

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  • #166
    Re: Pacers/Bulls Playoff Series news/thoughts thread

    http://www.suntimes.com/sports/baske...d-boys-vs.-men

    Pacers’ Bird has the word: Boys vs. men


    BY LACY J. BANKS
    lbanks@suntimes.com
    Last Modified: Apr 15, 2011 02:17AM
    INDIANAPOLIS — Hall of Fame forward Larry Bird, now the operations chief of the Indiana Pacers, really didn’t mean it the way he said it.

    “We’re going to be playing against men,” Bird said after the Pacers’ practice on Thursday, when he was asked how he views the best-of-seven series between his eighth-seeded Pacers (37-45) and the top-seeded Bulls (62-20).

    When asked if he was suggesting that his players are the boys in this matchup, Bird rephrased his statement.

    “We’re going up against older, very talented and more experienced men,” Bird said. “Let’s say that. But we are a very young team, and this is going to be a great experience for my young guys. The Bulls have got probably the best player right now in the league, and they are also the hottest team going into the playoffs.”

    When it comes to the NBA, Bird has some special insights. He, Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan are credited with doing the most to help the NBA turn the marketing corner in the 1980s and, with the guidance of commissioner David Stern, start enjoying global popularity and unprecedented financial success.

    Bird, a 12-time All-Star, already was a superstar when he led the Celtics to back-to-back, 3-0 playoff sweeps over the Bulls in 1986 and 1987. Still, he paid Jordan one of his highest compliments after Jordan scored a playoff-record 63 points at the Boston Garden.

    “I called him ‘God in disguise.’  ” Bird said with a grin. “He played one heck of a game. It was one of the greatest individual efforts I’ve ever seen.”

    The next time Bird battled the Bulls in the playoffs was when he was the rookie coach of the Pacers in 1997-98, the season he also was named coach of the year. Reggie Miller was his star player, and Jordan was thought by many to be the best player ever. Jordan and Miller staged a thrilling duel in the Eastern Conference finals, and the Bulls had to fight hard — sometimes literally — to eliminate the Pacers in seven games.

    “That was one heck of a series,” Bird said. “They had Michael, [Dennis] Rodman, Scottie [Pippen] defensively. It made our offensive players rather nervous. We spent a lot of time trying to run players away from them. But they still found a way to recover.”
    \
    The Bulls went on to win their sixth and last championship that year.

    This time, the Bulls are led by another guard — a smaller one in 6-3 Derrick Rose. Is Rose Bird’s NBA MVP?

    “Well, I’m really a Kobe Bryant fan,” Bird said. “I also like LeBron James. And Dwight Howard is right up there with them. But you’re probably going to have to give it to Rose. They’ve been doing an excellent job. They made a coaching change, brought in some new players, their chemistry’s good, they’re winning, and Rose is their leader. So, obviously, you have to look at him.”
    As for playing the Bulls in the playoffs, Birds said he still doesn’t believe his players really know what they are in for. This is Indiana’s first playoff series in five years.
    \
    “They’re about to find out that this is a totally different experience,” Bird said. “The intensity is greater, there is more pressure and the fans are much more excited. In terms of more physical play, we’re going to have to be the instigators and not the retaliators. And that’s going to be hard to do with young guys.”

    While Bird praises the Bulls’ talent, defense, chemistry and coaching, he might be most impressed with their court demeanor.
    “They look like they’re really having fun,” Bird said. “When you have all those things going for you, good things are going to happen.”

    Copyright © 2011 — Sun-Times Media, LLC

    Comment

    • #167
      Re: Pacers/Bulls Playoff Series news/thoughts thread

      http://www.suntimes.com/sports/baske...out-bulls.html

      suntimes




      Pacers’ Granger ‘just telling the truth’ about Bulls


      BY LACY J. BANKS
      lbanks@suntimes.com

      Last Modified: Apr 15, 2011 02:17AM
      INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Pacers star forward Danny Granger says he’s not backing down from his earlier quote, and adds that he isn’t worried about the Bulls posting it on the bulletin board.

      Granger has said he would rather play the Bulls than the Boston Celtics because of the Celtics’ championships and weapons, and that the best way to beat the Bulls is to “make a concerted effort to stop Derrick Rose. They go as Derrick Rose goes.”
      “I meant what I said and I’m not taking anything back because I was just telling the truth,” Granger said after Thursday’s practice. “I don’t believe in any of that bulletin board stuff, anyway. This is the NBA. You’ve got to come to play every game no matter what. You don’t need bulletin board material. Especially when you’re a team like ­Chicago.”

      The 6-8 Granger, a six-year veteran and an All-Star, leads the Pacers with 20.5 points a game. He most likely will be matched against the Bulls’ 6-8 small forward Luol Deng.

      Pacers point guard Darren Collison he feels no extra pressure on him to be the Rose stopper.

      “I just consider it an honor to be playing against him,” Collison said. “I’m going to do my best to defend him and we’ll do so as a
      team.”

      Pacers operations chief Larry Bird knows how diffficult a shutdown can be.

      “You don’t shut the great players down,” Bird said. “They might have a bad shooting night or get injured. But you don’t shut them down. Derrick will have an outstanding series. But they have a lot more firepower on this team. And if you spend a lot of ­energy trying to shut down one player, one of his teammates will step up to the plate.

      “They’ll try to take Danny out, too. They’re try to make him put the ball on the floor more. But we’re not a top team. We didn’t win 37 games for nothing. We’re just a young team trying to get better and we’re just glad to be here.”
      Interim coach Frank Vogel, 20-18 since he replaced Jim O’Brien, emphasized to “be sure you know where [Carlos] Boozer is at all times.”

      But Vogel agrees that Rose bears special attention.

      “His speed and his size are unparalleled,” Vogel said of Rose. “He’s definitely the fastest guy in the NBA. He’s Allen Iverson quick, Chauncey Billups strong and he can score from the perimeter. That combination is a killer. He’s got it all. So we’ll try different people on him.”

      Comment

      • #168
        Re: Pacers/Bulls Playoff Series news/thoughts thread

        http://www.suntimes.com/sports/baske...tml?print=true

        Thibodeau the most important piece of Bulls’ success


        By JOE COWLEY
        jcowley@suntimes.com
        Last Modified: Apr 15, 2011 02:17AM
        If the Boston Celtics can’t defend their Eastern Conference title in the next six weeks, it won’t be because they traded center Kendrick Perkins.

        It won’t be because a limping Shaquille O’Neal needs a Segway to get around.

        It won’t be because of age.

        All of the above will be contributors. But the downfall of the Celtics actually occurred last June 5, when they lost the biggest piece of their recent mini-dynasty.

        The Bulls, who hired Tom Thibodeau as their coach, have been smiling ever since.

        Thibodeau’s departure from Boston was inevitable. The Celtics knew they couldn’t hide the assistant coach much longer. Not when the evidence had moved past staring the rest of the NBA in the face and entered the slapping phase, leaving a red mark on cheeks from Kobe to ‘‘The King.’’

        I mean, Thibodeau had Ray Allen playing defense. Say it again slowly: Ray Allen playing defense.

        The Celtics expressed their concern about Thibodeau’s exit privately and publicly — from Kevin Garnett telling his inner circle that Thibodeau was all but irreplaceable to Glen ‘‘Big Baby’’ Davis saying in the Boston Globe, ‘‘I have no trouble following a guy who knows exactly where he’s going.’’

        My, where he has gone.

        Yes, Derrick Rose is the MVP of all things NBA these days, but the prodigy only showed flashes of dominance before Thibodeau was hired as the Bulls’ coach. That’s when Geppetto carved a valuable-looking piece of wood into life.

        The same can be said of Luol Deng and the rest of the Bulls, who in less than one season have become the pre-eminent defensive force in the Eastern Conference, a title that used to be bestowed on the Celtics.

        Why are the Bulls sitting with the crown of the No. 1 seed throughout the playoffs? Because Thibodeau taught them how to build the throne.

        Back-to-back .500 seasons with high-effort playoff exits in the first round usually are given a golf clap in most towns, especially with a team that was as young as the Bulls. But the Windy City is not most towns when it comes to the NBA.

        This is the land of Jordan. The bar is set at six, and the wait is going on 13 years.

        While there was a void of talent throughout most of the Bulls’ recent down years, that changed overnight with the drafting of Rose out of Memphis. Credit the organization for realizing it needed a teacher such as Thibodeau to harness that talent.
        ‘‘He’s a teacher,’’ general manager Gar Forman insisted when Thibodeau was hired. ‘‘He’s a communicator. He’s got strong ideas on how he wants his teams to play. He’s got a base to who he is. He’s obviously prepared for a long time and is a solid basketball coach. But even his vision, how to work with players, how to work within an organization, how to build moving forward .  .  .

        ‘‘[Players] want to be put into a position to succeed. I think they want to know there’s a game plan as far as the team’s concerned and a plan as far as their development and them having success on the floor is concerned. I think when they see that, they respond to it.’’

        How’s this for responding to it? The Bulls held the opposition to around 43 percent shooting from the field during the regular season, but Rose still was allowed to run an offense he could flourish in. Thibodeau had a plan of how to bring balance to Rose’s game, and it has been carried out to perfection.

        As for the Celtics, if they get past the New York Knicks in the first round, then somehow take their talents to South Beach and beat the Miami Heat, there’s a good chance they might see their former assistant coach/defensive guru in the conference finals.
        It must seem as though Celtics coach Doc Rivers can’t escape that idea.

        On March 9, Rivers and several of his players had a chance to meet with President Barack Obama. The ‘‘First Fan’’ not only reminded Rivers that he ignored his call after the NBA Finals last June, but he also thanked him.

        ‘‘I’ve learned that if it’s the 202 area code, you should probably answer it,’’ Rivers told reporters of the meeting. ‘‘[The president] thanked us for Thibs. He actually thanked us for giving him our guy. He asked us, ‘How did you let him get away?’  ’’
        The president definitely wasn’t the first to ask that. Come June, the Bulls are hoping he’s not the last, either.

        Copyright © 2011 — Sun-Times Media, LLC

        Comment

        • #169
          Re: Pacers/Bulls Playoff Series news/thoughts thread

          This is a better matchup article than the one in the Trib

          http://www.suntimes.com/sports/baske...tml?print=true

          suntimes




          Bulls-Pacers: How they match up


          BY MARK POTASH
          mpotash@suntimes.com

          Last Modified: Apr 15, 2011 02:17AM
          Indiana Pacers forward Danny Granger made headlines with his candor this week — he said he’d rather face the Bulls than the Celtics in the first round of the playoffs — and provided a perfect backdrop for the Bulls-Pacers series.

          Granger is an All-Star caliber player, one of the best shooting forwards in the NBA. He’s the Pacers’ best player. And therein lies the biggest difference between the Bulls and the Pacers: Their best player is not a closer. The Bulls’ best player is one of the best closers in the game.

          Though he’s a huge asset, Granger isn’t the go-to guy who carries you over the top in a close game.

          In the Pacers’ lone victory over the Bulls on March 18, he scored zero points on 0-for-4 shooting in the fourth quarter before hitting a three-pointer in overtime.

          In a 110-89 loss at the UC on Jan. 29, Granger scored four points on 0-for-1 shooting in the fourth quarter when the Bulls pulled away.

          In a 96-89 loss at Conseco Fieldhouse on Jan. 11, he scored eight points on 4-for-6 shooting in the fourth quarter, but the Bulls were leading by 18 to start the quarter.

          Granger nails big shots, but more often than not his biggest ones in tight games get you close with 5:30 to go. Or he disappears completely. Against the Knicks on Sunday, Granger scored three points in the fourth quarter as the Pacers blew an 11-point lead and lost 110-109.

          The difference between the Bulls and the Pacers is that the Bulls’ version of Granger — Luol Deng — no longer is the team’s best player. When Deng was in that role — or sharing it with Ben Gordon and Kirk Hinrich — the Bulls were not much more than what the Pacers are today: a nuisance with potential. Once the Bulls drafted Derrick Rose, the dynamic changed.

          Against the Bulls, the Pacers need someone to step up and make Granger a complementary player. If the Pacers intend to win, they better come at the Bulls with more than Granger. Otherwise, Rose will make the difference.

          WHEN THE BULLS HAVE THE BALL

          The Pacers, more than most teams, struggle to contain Derrick Rose without giving up too much. When they held Rose to 17 points, Carlos Boozer (left) had 22 points and 18 rebounds. When they held Boozer to 14 points, Rose had 29 and 10 rebounds. With Boozer in the lineup against the Pacers, the Bulls were 3-0 and shot 47, 46 and 48 percent from the field. Without Boozer, they shot 41 percent and lost in OT. The Bulls had 16 offensive rebounds vs. the Pacers in that game.


          WHEN THE PACERS HAVE THE BALL
          The Bulls have a head start defensively putting Luol Deng on leading scorer Danny Granger (20.5 ppg). Granger (right) scores in spurts but hasn’t been able to sustain anything against the Bulls, averaging 20 points per game but shooting 37 percent from the field. Tyler Hansbrough burned the Bulls for 29 points last month, when he averaged 23.4 points in a seven-game stretch. But he’s averaging 10.7 ppg over his last 10. Rose will have to defend Darren Collison, who had 17 points and eight assists when the Pacers won in OT last month.

          THE BENCHES
          The Bulls value their bench, but they might not have an advantage against the Pacers, who can turn the game into a taffy pull with Jeff Foster, perennial Bulls foil James Posey and Josh McRoberts. A.J. Price has been productive in place of Collison. If Ronnie Brewer (sprained thumb) can’t play, the Bulls would be missing a key defensive cog to their second unit. C.J. Watson might get more time with Rose, which could be productive. Kyle Korver had a season-high 16 points against Indiana on Jan. 29, but he is just 4-for-13 on three-pointers against the Pacers.

          THE X-FACTOR
          Pacers 7-foot center Roy Hibbert is averaging 16 points and 7.4 rebounds in his last seven games. In three losses to the Bulls, Hibbert scored 10 points on 4-for-20 shooting. In the Pacers’ 115-108 victory, the big guy scored 15 points on 5-for-9 shooting against Joakim Noah and Omer Asik. The Pacers have lost the last 10 games in which Hibbert has scored 11 points or fewer. Noah had 17 points on 7-for-8 shooting with three rebounds in that game.

          THE COACHES
          Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau is in his first season as a head coach but has plenty of playoff experience as an assistant, including trips to the Finals with the Celtics in 2008 and last season. Frank Vogel, 37, a former video coordinator for Rick Pitino with the Celtics, was an assistant to Jim O’Brien when O’Brien was fired in January. He has been an assistant coach in the NBA for eight years, including 35 playoff games.

          FACTS AND FIGURES
          The Bulls have won nine consecutive games, 21 of their last 23 and had the best record (62-20) in the NBA this season. . . . The Bulls were 26-14 (.650) against playoff teams this season; the Pacers were 13-29 (.310). . . . The Pacers went 20-18 after Vogel took over for O’Brien but finished 13-17 after a 7-1 start. . . . The Bulls outrebounded the Pacers 48-41 and 46-39 at the United Center; the Pacers outrebounded the Bulls 53-52 and 50-46 at Conseco Fieldhouse. . . . The Pacers were fifth in the NBA in free-throw percentage (.782); the Bulls were 26th (.743). . . . The Bulls were 36-5 at home; the Pacers were 13-28 on the road. The Bulls were better on the road (26-15) than the Pacers were at home (24-17) this season.
          PREDICTION
          Bulls in five games.

          Comment

          • #170
            Re: Pacers/Bulls Playoff Series news/thoughts thread

            One last one. This is mostly about the pacers. This one is good, so if you got bored readoing about the Bulls, read this one



            http://blogs.bulls.com/2011/04/pacers-ready-for-bulls/

            Pacers Ready for Bulls

            by Sam Smith


            Larry Bird has fixed things before, primarily basketball programs, like Indiana State, which he took from no one knowing where it was to the NCAA final game, like the Boston Celtics, who went from 29-53 to 61-21 in Bird’s rookie season, and the Indiana Pacers, who went from 39-43 to 58-24 in Bird’s first season as head coach.

            But this was something different as Bird moved to president of basketball operations for the Indiana Pacers, who’d just endured the worst occurrence in NBA history with Ron Artest and Stephen Jackson going into the stands to beat up fans and a talented but troubled mix of players like Jamaal Tinsley, Shawne Williams and Jermaine O’Neal, who had to be moved out to create a new atmosphere.

            And, by the way, make sure you win, also.

            “It’s been tough and it’s still tough,” said Bird in a telephone interview from Indianapolis. “I’ve been very fortunate to be on great teams and to coach great teams. So now you have to go rebuild and do it now. You have to be patient, pick up some pieces along the way and hope they fit in.”

            The Pacers are hardly a finished product. But they officially made the first step as they come to Chicago Saturday as the biggest playoff underdogs this season to open the 2011 NBA playoffs against the Bulls.

            “Truthfully, I have no clue about what is going to happen,” said Bird. “They have no clue at all of what the playoffs are about. But it’s going to be a great experience for the young guys and I’m excited to see how (the players) handle it. I remember when Philly beat us in the Eastern finals (in Bird’s 1980 rookie season after the Celtics swept Houston, then in the East, in the conference semis). It was an eye opener. The way we got beat I said to myself I had to get better.”

            No one expects the Pacers to beat the Bulls in the first round. Only three eighth seeds have won a series against No. 1: Denver over Seattle in 1994, the Knicks over Miami in 1999 and the Warriors over the Mavs in 2007. None, like the 37-45 Pacers, had a losing record. No Central Division champion ever has lost a first round series. The Bulls were 3-1 against the Pacers this season, and it’s been a rocky Pacers season with coach Jim O’Brien fired and replaced by assistant Frank Vogel.

            But the Pacers are 20-18 since Vogel took over and won 10 of their last 17. They aren’t quite the same team the Bulls pulled away from in the first three wins. Vogel is 1-0 against the Bulls with that March overtime win when Derrick Rose scored a career high 42 points.

            They are a physical team, ranking among the league leaders in rebounding, blocks and defensive field goal percentage. They shoot free throws well, have a quick point guard and big center and are among the highest scoring teams. The Bulls outlasted them in their three wins, basically only pulling away in the fourth quarter of all three before losing the fourth meeting.

            Vogel has altered the rotation to play the young players Bird has been putting in place and former coach O’Brien resisted playing. They play less of O’Brien’s motion game that limited Hibbert and more traditional pick and roll and NBA power sets. They’ve been more spirited and less selfish. And their top player, Danny Granger, has been bold in saying earlier this week the Pacers were better off playing a team like the Bulls with one star in Rose rather than a team like Boston with several.

            Bird has no problem with that stuff as he was happily one of the classic trash talkers of his era as a player. Heck, the guy once got the gentle Julius Erving to punch him during a game when Bird was dominating Erving, having 42 points to Erving’s five and chiding, “42-5 Doc, 42-5.”

            So Granger’s comments are kids’ stuff to Bird. But Bird also knows he has kids, and with kids you never know what they will do and how they will react.

            “Our guys are so young,” says Bird, though hardly as an excuse but more with a sort of fatherly pride.“ (Darren) Collison, (rookie) Paul George, (Tyler) Hansbrough all are starting. It’s really like a first year for Hansbrough (out most of last season as a rookie). Roy’s (Hibbert) in just his third year. But I thought we had a better team (than projected). I thought we could get into the playoffs.”

            It’s perhaps almost as much of a surprise as the Bulls with the NBA’s best record, especially with the likes of T.J. Ford, James Posey and Solomon Jones playing major minutes when the teams first met and Hansbrough and George none.

            But if inexperienced, they bring enthusiasm and effort, and Hansbrough hurt the Bulls badly in that March Pacers win popping outside to shoot jumpers and outhustling the Bulls inside. He’s a relentless worker whom the Bulls were desperately trying for in the 2009 draft.

            Actually, Bird’s philosophy of rebuilding hasn’t been all that different from the Bulls, though so far without the lottery luck the Bulls had and the big market potential draw.

            “We’re probably never going to get the superstar to come here,” admitted Bird. “So we wanted to get a core group of guys and add, trade a piece, get a veteran. We know we have holes to fill. It depends on the young guys getting better. We’re giving them the opportunity to play. This year has been great for them. I do feel we have some talent. They’ve got to get better and we have to add pieces. We’re not that far away from having a nice team.”

            Although Bird believes in work ethic and responsibility, he had a bigger job to do that most after a series of embarrassing off the court incidents of violence in addition to the Artest horror. Indianapolis is a conservative community, and fans became embarrassed about the players. That’s a worst case for a franchise, so finances fell as well. So as you hear around many teams, a “culture change” was required.


            “Look at our drafts,” noted Bird. “We went for older guys, Hibbert, Hansbrough, four year guys. We wanted to bring in guys who fit the community, who worked hard, guys committed to the game, who love to play and practice, guys willing to sacrifice for one another. We know we can’t get LeBron and Bosh and those guys (in small market Indianapolis), but you get guys willing to put in the time and if you get enough of them you can win.”

            The Pacers are doing that with depth as well as Bird said one of the keys to his best teams in Boston was bench depth.

            “Even,” he said with a laugh, “if K.C. (Jones) didn’t want to play them. In this league you can win games with your bench.

            “I’m not saying we’re a championship caliber team,” added Bird. “Some guys here I don’t want on my team. But we’re moving in the right direction.”

            The Pacers also are one of the best positioned teams after this season with major contracts of Ford, Jeff Foster and Mike Dunleavy coming off. They’ll be more than $20 million under the current salary cap. It likely will keep Bird around as he seems to finally have gotten the Pacers in position to take those upward steps.

            Bird doesn’t preach to the players much or give them the old war stories. He knows players, and he knows they need to find out themselves, just like he did.

            “When I played I did not want people bothering me all the time,” Bird said. “If Red (Auerbach) had something to say, it usually was over in 10 seconds.

            “NBA players think they know it all,” Bird said with a laugh. “They have a lot of pride. But the intensity of the playoffs is a different level. Teams study you, take away things. It will be interesting to see how guys adjust. This is what it’s all about.”

            Comment

            • #171
              Re: Pacers/Bulls Playoff Series news/thoughts thread

              Originally posted by Unclebuck View Post
              You don't have a preparation books like that for the final 4
              If a local team is in it, you definitely do.

              Comment

              • #172
                Re: Pacers/Bulls Playoff Series news/thoughts thread

                I'm really intrigued to see what Danny is going to do this series. I think all of the losing over the years has frustrated him and at times affected his play on the court. But now he's finally in the playoffs and has a chance to shine on the big stage. I'm expecting some scoring explosions from him this series.

                No matter what happens, this will be a good learning experience for our guys.

                Comment

                • #173
                  Re: Pacers/Bulls Playoff Series news/thoughts thread

                  Originally posted by Mackey_Rose View Post
                  If a local team is in it, you definitely do.

                  what do you mean a local team. Oh wait you are saying Butler does it. Regardless you are saying leading up to the final 4 teams have 400-500 page text book type preparation books. I find that hard to believe. But if Butler does have something even somewhat similar then maybe that is why the Bulldogs are so good in the tournament. I will say my sense is that Butler level of preparation is at a much higher level than most college teams
                  Last edited by Unclebuck; 04-15-2011, 09:18 AM.

                  Comment

                  • #174
                    Re: Pacers/Bulls Playoff Series news/thoughts thread

                    I have got 11th row tickets for game 4, I hope it is 2-1.

                    I really do not want to see the Bulls' fans with their brooms.

                    Comment

                    • #175
                      Re: Pacers/Bulls Playoff Series news/thoughts thread

                      Originally posted by Major Cold View Post
                      I have got 11th row tickets for game 4, I hope it is 2-1.

                      I really do not want to see the Bulls' fans with their brooms.

                      I hope it is 3-0, but it is the pacers fans with the brooms

                      Comment

                      • #176
                        Re: Pacers/Bulls Playoff Series news/thoughts thread

                        Ya know, the Bulls book on us. 400 Pages or so? Yeah, that's huge but when you figure it probably contains hot and cold charts, in depth tendancies, and pictures and descriptions of what works for us and what other teams did that gave us trouble...it doesn't seem so excessive.

                        Add in the Bulls game plan, what they are going to try to do, and probably a dozen things I'm overlooked...I can see it.

                        I'd pay good money to get a hold of one of these though. Before or after the series, I don't care.
                        "man, PG has been really good."

                        Comment

                        • #177
                          Re: Pacers/Bulls Playoff Series news/thoughts thread

                          Originally posted by Ozwalt72 View Post
                          Ya know, the Bulls book on us. 400 Pages or so? Yeah, that's huge but when you figure it probably contains hot and cold charts, in depth tendancies, and pictures and descriptions of what works for us and what other teams did that gave us trouble...it doesn't seem so excessive.

                          Add in the Bulls game plan, what they are going to try to do, and probably a dozen things I'm overlooked...I can see it.

                          I'd pay good money to get a hold of one of these though. Before or after the series, I don't care.

                          Mailk Sealy was a good source back in the early 90's

                          Comment

                          • #178
                            Re: Pacers/Bulls Playoff Series news/thoughts thread

                            does anyone know of a good Bulls fan forum. Seriously I mean something like ours

                            Comment

                            • #179
                              Re: Pacers/Bulls Playoff Series news/thoughts thread

                              “I’m not saying we’re a championship caliber team,” added Bird. “Some guys here I don’t want on my team. But we’re moving in the right direction.”
                              WOW - thats some blunt statement saying that there are people on this roster that he doesn't want...well its obvious who they are considering how they tried to get rid of TJ and B.Rush the past few times...but I wonder if anyone else has been irking Bird...

                              Comment

                              • #180
                                Re: Pacers/Bulls Playoff Series news/thoughts thread

                                Originally posted by Unclebuck View Post
                                does anyone know of a good Bulls fan forum. Seriously I mean something like ours
                                http://www.chicitysports.com/forum/c...es-thread.html

                                just google chicago sports and tons come up
                                Last edited by pacer4ever; 04-15-2011, 10:11 AM.

                                Comment

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