WITNESS THIS!
-VS-
Game Time Start: 3:30 PM EST
Where: AmericanAirlines Arena, Miami, FL
Officials: S. Foster, T. Washington, S. Wright, E. Lewis
Media Notes: Indiana Notes, Miami Notes
Television:
Local Radio: WIBC 93.1 FM
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Pacers None to report Heat None to report |
Tim Donahue: Offensive Rebounding will be Critical... The Pacers are an odd rebounding team. They’re spotty on the defensive glass. A lot of it is driven by how the defense plays. If the opposing offense can get the defense to start rotating then the Pacers tend to lose contact with rebounders. This tends to happen in flurries, like in Game Two against the Magic, when the Pacers allowed a ton of second-chance points and watched an early lead disappear. In some ways, those flaws are reflective of the team’s individual players’ weaknesses in rebounding. Roy Hibbert is slow and doesn’t have great hands. It’s not uncommon during these stretches to see him get his hand on rebounds that he doesn’t control. David West also lacks footspeed, but really is just more of a “block-out” guy. His default instinct is to control his man, as opposed to trying to chase down rebounds. He can help settle things down and keep an opposing player from getting a ton of boards, but he can’t himself control the glass. Danny Granger is just a sub-par rebounder for his position, averaging just 5.2 rebounds per game in high minutes for his career. Luol Deng, Carmelo Anthony, Andre Igoudala, by contract, have averaged 6.5, 6.3 and 5.8 per game, respectively. Paul George could be — and often is — a pretty good wing rebounder, but he is also the team’s primary wing defender, so rebounding isn’t his priority...CONTINUE READING AT 8p9s Jared Wade: Indiana Must Dominate the 3rd Quarter... All season long, the third quarter has been a huge strength for the Pacers. It was easily their best quarter throughout the regular season. They out-scored their opponents by 9.1 points per 100 possessions in the third this season. If that number doesn’t mean much to you, try this. If the Pacers were able to maintain their third-quarter dominance throughout all 48 minutes in every game this season, they would have have gone 66-0 while beating their opponents by an a larger average margin of victory than did the Bulls, which led the league by posting an average differential of 8.2 points per game. Safe to say that would have made some headlines. Obviously, no team can sustain such dominance for so long, but the Pacers have actually been even better — way better — in the third so far in the playoffs. In five games, they out-scored the Magic 127-84 in the third (scoring at a rate of 116.9 points per 100 possessions). That equals a total of 43 points, or 8.6 points per game. Considering Indiana out-scored Orlando by 54 points for the entire series, it’s safe to say that it was their third quarter play more than anything else, that won the series...CONTINUE READING AT 8p9s |
Brian Windhorst: Scouting report for Heat-Pacers Tilt The Pacers and the Heat are spending an extraordinary amount of time studying each other this week. Here’s a look at what their scouting reports will look like, provided by league advance scouts’ notes on both teams: PACERS STRENGTHS Getting to the line. One of the biggest changes Frank Vogel has implemented with the Pacers is turning them from a team that shoots a high volume of 3-pointers to a team that focuses on dribble penetration. As a result, the get a significant portion of their offense from getting to the foul line. They have several perimeter players who specialize in it from Danny Granger, Darren Collison, Paul George and George Hill. They are also a disciplined 3-point shooting team. They don’t take many of them but theymake them, they shoot at a good percentage. Zoom. The Pacers will go to “zoom” several times a half. This is where they quickly turn from their preferred tempered approach to playing up-tempo. This is often triggered by dribble hand-offs. They use the element of surprise. Bigs. The Pacers have four quality big men and two energy bigs off the bench in Tyler Hansborough and Lou Amundson. They also have good general length. As a result they are a good rebounding team, top 10 in the league, and an elite team when it comes to second-chance points. They are not a dynamic offensive team but with second-chance points and free throws, they get by. Wing versatility. The Pacers can play with excellent size on the perimeter. They can switch on pick-and-rolls because players like Granger and George can defend point guards. Most of the time they are solid in rotations. PACERS WEAKNESSES Low assist team. The Pacers do have a handful of players who can create their own shot but they do not execute plays very well. They were one of the lowest assist teams in the league. They try to set up a lot their offense out of the post but overall their ball movement is not strong. Their guards also are prone to turnovers, though they have improved from last year when they ran former coach Jim O’Brien’s “quick” system. Average in transition. The Pacers won 90 percent of their games when they outscored their opponents in transition, but they only did that about a third of the time. They don’t look to run often and aren’t very proficient at it. Hibbert in the pick-and-roll. He has excellent size but Roy Hibbert has poor lateral quickness on defense. Teams should involve him in as much pick-and -roll action as possible. Foul prone. The Pacers are a gritty team that works hard on defense but they often get over-aggressive. They committed the third most fouls in the league. Getting big men in foul trouble can be accomplished and should be a priority. WHAT THE PACERS NEED TO DO TO WIN Keep James and Wade off the foul line. They are great scorers anyway, they will make baskets against good defense. But they are at their best when they are able to earn trips to the line. Dominate the boards and get second-chance points. The Heat are one of the better defensive teams in the league but have some of the worst size. Getting extra possessions is the best way to balance out the talent differential. Manage turnovers. The Heat can win without getting in transition but that is usually how they blow you out. If you can limit letting them get free baskets with live-ball turnovers, you will have a better chance of managing the score. HEAT STRENGTHS Transition. The Heat are one of the best teams in transition in the last two decades. James and Wade look to run and work well together in transition. They are so quick and can change directions...CONTINUE READING AT HEAT INDEX |
Kelly Dwyer: A look at the Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers It's OK. You have to remember that, while you ponder the obstacles that might have been in place had Derrick Rose not hurt himself two weeks ago, or had Dwight Howard not frittered away his team's season. If you're the type that delights in the misfortune of the most talented, of the biggest and baddest bear of them all, go ahead. I don't think it's healthy, and I don't think it's right, but who am I to judge? If you delight in anything, then good for you. This is your time, pal. And nobody can that from you. You ever scratch a dog's chin so perfectly that his hind legs shake? That's the business, isn't it? So don't feel awful, for wishing and hoping for obstacles to stick in front of these Miami Heat. It's only natural, and you've likely been doing it for years — hoping against the Lakers, or against the Bulls before that. And, in the form of a well-coached and sometimes snippy outfit from Indiana, the Heat might just have a whale of a series on their hands...CONTINUE READING AT BALL DON'T LIE |
National Eye on Basketball (CBS) Tim Reynolds (AP via Yahoo) Britt Robinson (Sports Illustrated) SLAM Online |
Pacers Mike Wells @MikeWellsNBA Jared Wade @8pts9secs Tim Donahue @TimDonahue8p9s Tom Lewis @indycornrows Ian Levy @HickoryHigh |
Heat Brian Windhorst @windhorstESPN Tom Haberstroh @tomhaberstroh Ira Winderman @iraheatbeat Joseph Goodman @miamiheraldheat Peninsula is Mightier @DavidDwork |
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