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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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1/18/2013 Game Thread #41: Pacers Vs. Rockets

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  • 1/18/2013 Game Thread #41: Pacers Vs. Rockets

    HOUSTON...
    Y'ALL ABOUT TO
    HAVE A PROBLEM



    -VS-



    Game Time Start: 7:00 PM ET
    Where: The Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
    Officials: B. Salvatore, K. Cutler, G. Zielinsk

    Media Notes: Indiana Notes, Houston Notes
    Television: FOX Sports Indiana / CSN Houston
    Radio: WFNI 1070 AM / KBME 790 AM
    NBA Feeds:

    REMINDER: Per PD policy, please do not share a link to, describe how to search for, request a link to, or request a PM about streaming video of a NBA game that is not coming directly through the NBA. Not even in a "wink-wink, nudge-nudge, know-what-I-mean" round-about sort of way. Thank you


    24-16
    Home: 15-3
    East: 14-9
    21-19
    Away: 7-12
    East: 14-4
    Jan 21
    Jan 23
    Jan 26
    Jan 28
    1:00pm
    10:00pm
    9:00pm
    9:00pm
    HIBBERT
    WEST
    GEORGE
    STEPHENSON
    HILL
    ASIK
    PATTERSON
    PARSONS
    HARDEN
    LIN


    PACERS
    Danny Granger - left knee tendinosis (out)
    Lance Stephenson - sore right foot (day-to-day)



    ROCKETS
    Royce White - suspended (out)




    Rob Mahoney: James Harden walks the traveling line

    Watch any Rockets game and you’re likely to experience a mental trigger — that
    immediate notion that something you’ve just seen is ever so slightly amiss. There is
    no evidence so flagrant as to get up in arms about and no whistle to validate your
    instant suspicion. But James Harden weaved from just inside the three-point line all
    the way to the rim with a single dribble, finished and drew contact in the process.
    His syncopated strides bear a completely different rhythm from the quick one-two
    step of a standard drive, to the point that they almost seem illegal.

    That’s largely because Harden’s drives almost are illegal. No NBA player is more
    slippery off the bounce, in part because no player is more willing to walk the fine
    line of the league’s traveling rules. The widespread confusion over the letter and
    enforcement of the traveling violation has locked most of the league into a very
    conventional two-count driving style, though some of the more daring players are
    prone to Eurosteps or jump stops on occasion. Harden’s cadence is a world apart,
    largely because of his cunning manipulation of the “gather” provision of the rule.

    To clear up any confusion, the 2012-13 NBA Rulebook states as follows in Rule 9,
    Section XIII, Item (b):
    A player who receives the ball while he is progressing or upon
    completion of a dribble, may take two steps in coming to a stop,
    passing or shooting the ball. A player who receives the ball while
    he is progressing must release the ball to start his dribble before
    his second step.

    The first step occurs when a foot, or both feet, touch the floor
    after gaining control of the ball.

    (Emphasis mine.)

    The rules note that a player’s first step occurs after gaining control of the ball. In
    other words, a player is allowed to collect the ball in his hands as he takes one step,
    and follow up with two more full strides. Harden’s incredible driving and finishing
    ability comes as a result of his understanding of what’s allowed in this regard, as
    well as his mastery of timing and spacing those three steps. Observe:


    All of the above are strange plays that may invoke a momentary doubt, but are
    nonetheless legal according to the contemporary writing and interpretation of the
    traveling rule. Look at the first play in the clip above. At the 0:07 mark, Harden
    gathers his dribble facing two defenders at what is essentially the top of the key.
    His foot is on the ground, and yet because he is only now formally collecting his
    dribble, he’s privileged to two additional steps to cut through the heart of the
    Bucks’ defense. That’s where Ekpe Udoh’s positioning creates a bit of a problem;
    the Milwaukee big man is smart to expect Harden to go to his left, but
    overcompensates for that possibility and allows Harden to split the defense. From
    there, Harden simply takes two huge strides — one to get him inside the free-
    throw line and another that brings him deep into the lane for a double-clutch finish.

    By delaying his gather until...CONTINUE READING AT THE POINT FORWARD

    Houston Rockets vs. Indiana Pacers -- game preview

    The Rockets are still looking to snap a their losing streak, which now stands at five
    games. Tonight they take on the Pacers in Indianapolis.


    Remember when the Rockets were 21-14? Seems like an eternity ago. Well, since
    then the good guys have given up a safety and a field goal. The problem is that you
    can't win by one in terms of overall wins. Well you can, but you can't. Next analogy.

    We've got to ask ourselves: were those 10 wins in 12 games because the team was
    playing poor competition (East teams mostly) or was it that the Rockets were
    peaking and shooting out of their minds?

    I'd say a little of both, but that's a cop out. I guess I'm worried that it's the first one,
    but if the second fact is true that's also bad news. The Rockets have hung around in
    four of the five losses. They have just been coming out of the gates slowly for both
    halves. It seems they play well for about five or six minutes in the first quarter, then
    start sliding, especially when McHale goes to the bench. Then out of the half when
    the starters have to set the tone, turnovers or missed open shots are dooming the
    good guys.

    So tonight's opponent is the Indiana Pacers, a team that was at one point 10-11 and
    looking lost without Danny Granger. Then they got an admittedly easy stretch of
    schedule and during this 14-6 stretch they've beaten Memphis, Miami, and the
    Knicks.

    The Pacers have the number one defense and are the best rebounding team in the
    league. They are incredibly long and will force contested jump shots and will alter
    shots around the rim.

    Oh, and the Pacers are 15-3 at home.

    If this game doesn't frighten you, you're already dead.

    Point Guard: Jeremy Lin vs. George Hill
    Yes, today George Hill is better than Jeremy Lin. I understand that Lin played well
    in the fourth quarter against Dallas. But, Dallas played Collison and Mike James at
    the point during that time. Neither one is considered a great defender. Hill is
    absolutely a good defender and will contribute plenty on offense. He deserves the
    advantage. He's also long and tall.
    Advantage: Pacers

    Shooting Guard: James Harden vs. Lance Stephenson
    And thus begins and ends the Rockets advantage tonight. On the one hand, it's
    scary to think that four out of five starters and their bench are better than the
    Rockets' versions. On the other hand it's exciting to see how the Rockets will play
    when they are expected to lose. Tonight is a ripe time for players to outplay their
    counterparts and help swing the game.
    Advantage: Rockets

    Small Forward: Chandler Parsons vs. Paul George
    Speaking of playing better...CONTINUE READING AT THE DREAM SHAKE




    Pacers
    Mike Wells @MikeWellsNBA
    Jared Wade @8pts9secs
    Tim Donahue @TimDonahue8p9s
    Tom Lewis @indycornrows


    Rockets
    Jonathan Feigen @Jonathan_Feigen
    The Dream Shake @DreamShakeSBN
    ClutchFans.net @clutchfans
    RedNinetyFour @RedNinetyFour
    Last edited by avoidingtheclowns; 01-18-2013, 06:44 PM.
    This is the darkest timeline.

  • #2
    Re: 1/18/2013 Game Thread #41: Pacers Vs. Rockets

    Go Pacers. =)

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: 1/18/2013 Game Thread #41: Pacers Vs. Rockets

      Much as I (and anyone who reads it) would love for Rob Mahoney to write for 8p9s, that's actually SI's Point Forward. (We asked Rob to write for us, but since he had actual talent, somebody was willing to give him actual money, as opposed to just sending him good thoughts everyday.)

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: 1/18/2013 Game Thread #41: Pacers Vs. Rockets

        I hope we don't get Delfinoed.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: 1/18/2013 Game Thread #41: Pacers Vs. Rockets

          George vs Harden ... I've been looking forward to this game for a while

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: 1/18/2013 Game Thread #41: Pacers Vs. Rockets

            Originally posted by LoneGranger33 View Post
            I hope we don't get Delfinoed.
            Parsons is the one we should worry about they guy can shoot like crazy.
            @WhatTheFFacts: Studies show that sarcasm enhances the ability of the human mind to solve complex problems!

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: 1/18/2013 Game Thread #41: Pacers Vs. Rockets

              Parsons is damn good. Better than I thought he'd be. Lin, too.

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: 1/18/2013 Game Thread #41: Pacers Vs. Rockets

                What are the odds that PG guards Harden tonight? I think he can, but I worry he will have three fouls in the 1st quarter. Harden gets fouled at an astronomical rate with his semi-signature scoop layup. Hopefully, Lance, Hill and George have watched a lot of tape on it.
                "There is a time to play and a time to win. It is what you do during winning time that differentiates the average players from stars."

                ~Ahmad Rashad~

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: 1/18/2013 Game Thread #41: Pacers Vs. Rockets

                  @1070Bruno: Haven't seen Gerald Green warming up yet, so looks like the stomach bug got him. Look for 3-guard rotation tonight.


                  I'm not mad about that either.
                  @WhatTheFFacts: Studies show that sarcasm enhances the ability of the human mind to solve complex problems!

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: 1/18/2013 Game Thread #41: Pacers Vs. Rockets

                    Mr. Boyle has also tweeted that Gerald Green will miss the game.

                    https://twitter.com/Mark_J_Boyle/sta...22171135971328

                    Employee #25 looks like he's unavailable. Food poisoning? Told him to stay out of my kitchen.
                    Take me out to the black, tell 'em I ain't coming back. Burn the land and boil the sea, you can't take the sky from me.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: 1/18/2013 Game Thread #41: Pacers Vs. Rockets

                      Damn Roy
                      @WhatTheFFacts: Studies show that sarcasm enhances the ability of the human mind to solve complex problems!

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: 1/18/2013 Game Thread #41: Pacers Vs. Rockets

                        Our 3 is falling tonight
                        Originally posted by IrishPacer
                        Empty vessels make the most noise.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: 1/18/2013 Game Thread #41: Pacers Vs. Rockets

                          Laaaaaaaaaaaance
                          Originally posted by IrishPacer
                          Empty vessels make the most noise.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: 1/18/2013 Game Thread #41: Pacers Vs. Rockets

                            Ha! Houston player runs right over Bob Kravitz and knocks him over.

                            Croshere: KRAVITZ GOES DOWN! And Nobody helped him up, I notice.
                            This space for rent.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Paul is on FIRE!

                              Comment

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