FICKS THE KNICKS
-VS-
Game Time Start: 8:00 PM ET
Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
Officials: S. Foster, J. Goble, B. Kennedy, L. Wood
Television:
Radio: WFNI 1070 AM / WEPN 98.7 FM
Media Notes: Indiana Notes, New York Notes
NBA Feeds:
*NBA Audio League Pass (available free to NBA All-Access members)
*NBA League Pass Broadband (subscription req'd)
*NBA League Pass Broadband (subscription req'd)
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
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PACERS Danny Granger - left knee surgery (out) KNICKS No injuries to report |
Jared Wade: Indiana Wins Easily, Buries New York in a 3-1 Series Hole It’s 3-1 and the Pacers just embarrassed the Knicks in Indiana. This is a 1990s’ fan dream. What’s most remarkable about this team — other than its best-in-the-world defense — is that it really doesn’t need to rely on anyone to score. David West has been an shot- making no show the past two games, but it has not mattered. Instead of him getting his normal number of points, George Hill just ups his scoring load and D.J. Augustin has another nice night off the bench. It stands out even more next to the Knicks, which need Carmelo and J.R. Smith to put up points so badly. When you fill a roster with so many old people and non-scorers, that’s just what happens. The Pacers, on the other hand, haven’t sacrificed an ability to score to create this defense. Neither Hill nor Roy Hibbert is someone who is going to score a ton of points every night, but Games 3 and 4 have showed that they are more than capable of going on an outburst. As for the actual break down of Indiana’s Game 4, it was all kicked off by another great start. They were getting buckets right out of the gate and New York was not. It was 11-3 less than five minutes in, and the Knicks were in disarray, missing the same midrange looks they have been settling for all series. The Pacers, when they got a shot up, were successful. But they turned the ball over too much — way too much — to turn this into a laugher early. Instead, they did something more impressive: Maintain a 10-ish-point lead for the entire game. They never had any prolonged stretch of total drought, scoring baskets at a fairly regular clip throughout. And they kept New York frustrated and out of sorts. Carmelo Anthony hit a shot every so often that made you think that the Knicks would be roaring back, but it never happened. The slow-and-steady tortoise just maintained the lead. Hill was huge in the third. This can’t be overstated. The offense didn’t look great otherwise and the Knicks were getting points more easily. They still shot the same 35% that, I guess, is just the rate that they make shots against this Pacers’ defense now, but they got to the line and took 10 of their 20 shots within five feet of the rim. Meanwhile, Indiana shot no better, hitting just 7-of-19 shots (36.8%). In all, Hill made 5 of his team’s 7 third-quarter field goals while scoring 14 of its 19 points. Without him — the hometown kid who was committed to getting to the bucket while looking as determined to score as I’ve ever seen him — the Pacers may have surrendered a good portion of that lead. That was a 19-point quarter that at other times in this year, when no individual has stepped up, may have been a 12-point quarter. And, then, if the Knicks had entered the fourth quarter down just 4 instead of down 11, who knows what happens? Maybe Carmelo takes over and these teams are headed back to New York knotted up? But that didn’t happen. George Hill didn’t let it...CONTINUE READING AT 8p9s |
Tom Ziller: J.R. Smith had a dream Smith is shooting as frequently as ever in the 2013 NBA Playoffs. He's also missing as frequently as ever. J.R. Smith has had one helluva weird season. He won the Sixth Man of the Year award and now he's shooting the Knicks right out of the postseason. After Tuesday night's disaster in Indianapolis, Smith is 18-64 in the second round. 28 percent. But he's not letting the misses cut into his confidence. On Tuesday, Smith used 38 percent of the Knicks' possessions while on the court. That came out to 26 possessions (shots and turnovers) in 31 minutes. That's crazy! (Carmelo Anthony used 28 in 40 minutes.) Smith's trigger finger has been getting looser as the season has gone on. Excepting an explosion over a few games early in the season, Smith is now shooting more than he has all year. His efficiency indicates that he should probably consider dialing it back significantly. Here's a chart! Each point along the way shows Smith's shots per 36 minutes, or True Shooting percentage, for the season to date. Smith is now at his highest point of the season for shooting frequency. The same cannot be said for his shooting efficiency, though he's also not the worst he's been all year. (He had a couple of rough troughs, the latest of which corresponded with that incredible spike in frequency. That lag between increased efficiency and increased frequency is pretty hilarious.) Shot creation is valuable at some level, but it's hard to make the case that Smith is creating value for the Knicks by firing up shot after shot. On the one hand, previous Knicks playoff teams really could have used a J.R. -- let us not forget Jared Jeffries' crunch time possessions. On the other, Smith's efficiency is bad and worsening, and he's increasing his already spectacularly high shooting frequency. It makes no sense. To us, that is. It makes perfect sense to J.R. Smith. |
Paul Flannery: Paul George, Roy Hibbert and the Indiana Pacers are happening After a decade in limbo, the Pacers are here. Paul George is a 23-year-old guilt-free pleasure. He’s a spectacular open-court player who has put in the work to become a multi-faceted scorer, yet he doesn’t let that define him. Blessed with an abundance of natural talent, he plays like defense like a young Scottie Pippen*, and comes across as a genuinely good dude who cares about winning first and foremost. *That was coach Frank Vogel’s comparison earlier this year when the Pacers made it through Boston. Pippen’s an all-timer and he shouldn’t be name-dropped with just anyone, but George has the tools and is already recognized as one of the game’s top perimeter defenders so it’s not that outlandish a statement. George’s one sin this season was trying too hard to replace Danny Granger, who missed most of the year with a knee injury. Once George grew comfortable in his new role he turned into a legitimate All-Star performer in just his third season. His shooting has suffered a bit in the postseason, but he’s made up for it by becoming a better playmaker and concentrating on defense. In other words, George is mastering the art of contributing when he’s not scoring. There is almost nothing not to like about him and if he played in a major media market he’d be approaching supernova status. Roy Hibbert is the occasionally awkward force of nature in the middle of Indiana’s vaunted defense. Like Marc Gasol in Memphis, he impacts the game by forcing teams into not doing the things they want to do. He’s become adept at giving just enough ground on drives and using his long reach to turns layups into bricks without committing fouls. His offensive game is rudimentary with lots of put-backs and tips augmented by an old- school sweeping hook shot and a stationary "jumper." After a difficult regular season, he’s back to making almost 50 percent of his shots. Like George, he struggled early with the added weight of expectations; Hibbert's were brought on by a new contract. He’s since realized what he can do and what he can’t, which puts him ahead of the curve. He’s also goofy enough to consider wearing a monocle to a podium appearance. Rounding out the core is David West, a no-nonsense veteran who exudes toughness the way Charles Oakley used to own it. He’s more skilled than Oak and not quite as rough around the edges, but no one takes liberties when West is on the court. He’s the grown- up conscience of the locker room who counseled both George and Hibbert through their struggles while putting together one of his finest all-around seasons. The introductions are necessary because the Pacers stand one game away from a trip to the conference finals for the first time in almost a decade after beating the Knicks 93-82 in Game 4 Tuesday night. They existed in near-anonymity and rarely appeared on national television during the regular season. Their first-round series with the Hawks was an afterthought, the very definition of the NBA TV series. That they are often conventionally boring and lack the starpower of teams like New York and Miami has put them further on the league’s back burner. But this is happening and they are for real...CONTINUE READING AT SB NATION |
Lang Whitaker: Online Gold - The Reggie Miller Show Last night on “Inside the NBA,” we saw a brief clip of an appearance Charles Barkley once made on a program called “The Reggie Miller Show.” The guys on “Inside” used this as a jumping off point to pick on Chuck, but the clip got me curious about “The Reggie Miller Show.” I started googling and found there was not a lot of information about this program on the internet. Buried in a 1991 Sports Illustrated profile of Miller, I found this... Miller’s newfound popularity in Indianapolis comes, in part, from a weekly bit on WFBQ-95 FM during morning drive time that is one of the highest-rated radio shows in the country in its time slot and for its market size. And there also is the Reggie Miller Show, which is entering its third season and possibly moving soon from cable TV to the Fox network. About once a week after the NBA season starts, Miller will skitter down a wrought-iron spiral staircase, greet 200 woofing teenagers and tip off a half-hour program that deals with everything from sex to drugs to pick-and-rolls. Celebrity guests have ranged from Larry Bird to the New Kids on the Block, but the show also examines tough issues, with Miller asking questions and working his knee-high audience with the authority of an Oprah or a Phil. The story also notes that Miller was interested in doing the show because it served an altruistic purpose... At times, the show can be moving. A 16-year-old girl once told how she had slugged down five beers at lunch and then crashed her car into a sedan with a family of four, killing the mother. The image of her crying as she told her story stayed with Miller for weeks. “If that helped one person in the audience or at home, then that’s one less person I have to worry about—because I worry about them,” he says. “The show is for them; it’s not for me. The kids come to learn the topic. And to see all of them out there looking up at the stage and paying attention and raising their hands, asking questions, I like that.” This sounds like a truly interesting show, and it’s too bad the show does not exist online. Wait, what? Oh right, I didn’t try actually searching YouTube for this show. Because then I did, and look what turned up: REGGIE MILLER SHOW 1. That’s right, there’s an entire episode of “The Reggie Miller Show” on YouTube. If you’ve ever wanted to see Reggie Miller and Conan O’Brien play charades, this is the show for you! Aside from VHS tracking issues — something you digital kids out there might not be familiar with — the show’s in good shape (complete with local ads!). The show is announced by famous “Saturday Night Live” emcee Don Pardo, and house band Alligator Brothers keep things moving throughout. As I mentioned earlier, Reggie’s guest on this episode is his future Turner co-worker Conan O’Brien, who is introduced replete with marching bagpipes. Their discussion touches on everything from the attractiveness of late night talk show hosts to Conan’s workout routine. BTW, my favorite moment might be when a kid from the audience asks Conan, “Why would you come all the way out here and see Reggie’s show?” (Conan’s response, “Well, that’s a terrible question.”). |
Pacers Mike Wells @MikeWellsNBA Jared Wade @8pts9secs Tim Donahue @TimDonahue8p9s Tom Lewis @indycornrows |
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