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ESPN: Pacers' trolling takes its toll on fans

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  • #1

    ESPN: Pacers' trolling takes its toll on fans

    Thoughts?

    http://espn.go.com/nba/playoffs/2014...akes-toll-fans

    INDIANAPOLIS -- This is how maddening and frustrating the Indiana Pacers are: Wednesday night in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals, I desperately wanted Chris Bosh's last-second, baseline 3-pointer to fall. I wanted this series and this season over.

    These schizophrenic Pacers are torture.

    A Pacers logo adorns the welcome mat at my front door. An autographed Reggie Miller jersey greets visitors as they enter my Los Angeles apartment. I've loved the Pacers for 40-plus years. I've loved rooting against the Heat for four years.


    The Pacers are playing sloppy and blaming everyone but themselves.
    I'm irate Bosh's shot skidded off the front of the rim. I'm mad LeBron James drove to his right, directly into Roy Hibbert's help-side defense, forcing a kickout to Bosh. I'm cynical of the officiating that tagged James with his fifth foul less than four minutes into the third quarter after Lance Stephenson lassoed and swam past the NBA's ruling king for a loose ball.

    I'm afraid Wednesday's victory is going to prolong the denial, the false belief that these Pacers are some sort of rival to Miami, a legitimate threat to win a championship.

    But I'm also afraid the Pacers are going to win Games 6 and 7 and advance to the NBA Finals. This, too, would be a tragedy, because I have not remotely enjoyed the journey. I've spent the past two months hate-watching my favorite team, wondering why Roy Hibbert is soft, Paul George is immature, Lance Stephenson is a troll, Frank Vogel commands no respect, and George Hill is an NBA starter.

    What's the point of winning 56 games, securing the No. 1 seed in the East, and making it to the final four if it creates zero joy, if it inspires little championship swagger?

    For three years it looked as if the Pacers were building toward something big and unforgettable. We were the little-market team that could get it done for about $67 million per year. And now it feels like we were all delusional. This isn't a championship roster. This is the ninth-best team in the West. This is a team with no superstar and no leadership.


    Brian Spurlock/USA TODAY Sports
    Unfortunately, Pacers fans know that they can't rely on Paul George to put in another outstanding performance in the next game.
    Oh, I know. Paul George scored 31 points in the second half Wednesday night. He was Reggie Miller. Not really. George feasted on Dwyane Wade, Mario Chalmers, Norris Cole, Ray Allen and LeBron's other fill-ins. Foul trouble limited LeBron's minutes and kept him off George until the final two minutes of the fourth quarter. LeBron couldn't put out George's fire. It was too late.

    Game 5 did not tell us anything new about Paul George. He's an occasionally dominant player. He still can't pass. He's still childish. His complaints about officiating after Game 4 were embarrassing, an indication of a troubling lack of self-awareness and basketball IQ. Do not misread George's performance in Game 5. He took full advantage of the sloppy officiating that hampered LeBron James. Give George a cookie. Don't place your championship dreams in his questionable hands.

    SportsNation: Will Pacers come back?
    SportsNationWho will go on to win the Eastern Conference finals? Is the Pacers' Paul George a legitimate superstar? Vote! ยป

    There's little need to spend much time correcting the narrative on Hibbert. We know who and what he is. He's clumsy, slow, emotionally awkward and unreliable. He plays hard only when the Pacers feed him candy in the first quarter. He thinks he's the poor man's 40-year-old Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Hibbert is the poor man's 35-year-old Dikembe Mutombo. Hibbert posted good numbers Wednesday night (10 and 13) because Indiana's first-quarter offense featured him. If you have to feed a bad offensive player to get him to rebound and play defense, that's a recipe for trouble. Hibbert is trouble.

    What level of trouble is Lance Stephenson? On Wednesday night, he looked like a Ron Artest-Stephen Jackson-Jamaal Tinsley Molotov cocktail. He trolled the Heat and the cameras in Game 5. He blew in LeBron's ear. He chest-bumped Wade to the floor. Stephenson interfered with Erik Spoelstra's huddle. Stephenson is burning money. He has the biggest heart on the Pacers' roster and the least amount of self-control. Only a fool would give him a big contract. Signing Stephenson will be a sign of weakness by some NBA franchise.

    He's not Dennis Rodman. You don't get 18 rebounds and once-in-a-generation defensive energy when you tolerate Stephenson's antics. You get 12 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and a lucky victory on a night LeBron scores 7 points because of bad officiating. If you can get Stephenson AND those same three refs, Lance is a great free-agent acquisition. If it's just Lance backed by a new $10 million salary, be prepared for him to troll his own team.

    The main reason I wanted Bosh's shot to fall is because I want Frank Vogel fired.

    The Pacers don't respect him. They don't listen to him. Vogel is weak. His all-positive-reinforcement coaching style spares the rod and spoils his children.

    [+] EnlargeFrank Vogel
    Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images
    Frank Vogel's style of coaching isn't working for the Pacers when they really need it.
    The Pacers did not play a smart game Wednesday night. They did not play with a desperate energy. The game turned when the refs let Stephenson manhandle LeBron at midcourt early in the third quarter. Miami led by eight points when James picked up his fifth foul. Miami was in control. Once LeBron went to the bench, the Pacers gained some heart and energy.

    If you re-watch the first half, the Pacers were content to give the game away without putting up a fight. David West failed to even make a play on a 50-50 ball right at his feet. When Indiana's second unit came in, it completely abandoned the inside-out game plan, ignoring Luis Scola's matchup advantage over Shane Battier. There was a four-minute stretch at the end of the first quarter and the beginning of the second when the Pacers jacked up six shots from beyond 21 feet. Their lead shrank from eight to two.

    West has a matchup advantage over everyone except James. West took three shots in the first half. You could tell by his lackadaisical effort that West is annoyed by the beginning-of-game pampering of Hibbert.

    All of it is a poor reflection on Vogel. The players love him because he doesn't hold them accountable. How else do you explain George and West complaining about the officiating after Game 4? That reflects on Vogel, too. What was said in the postgame locker room after Game 4 that veteran players would have the audacity to blame the refs after the sloppy ballhandling display turned in by the Pacers?

    "We blew it!" should've been loudly ringing in the ears of George and West. Instead, they blamed the refs.

    The Pacers have been living a delusional lie for three years. You can't beat the Heat without a legitimate point guard. You can't beat the Heat with an offensive strategy built around pleasing a 7-footer who averages 10 points and shoots 44 percent from the field. You can't beat the Heat by trolling LeBron James.

    I want this to end now. I want Mark Jackson to coach the team next year. I want Lance Stephenson gone before he embarrasses the franchise. And I want a new point guard.
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Re: ESPN: Pacers' trolling takes its toll on fans

    I saw who it was written by and stopped reading.

    Comment

    • #3
      Re: ESPN: Pacers' trolling takes its toll on fans

      whitlock is garbage that is my thoughts, isn't this the guy that despite being from indiana has taken pot shots at us given every opportunity he can get since the colts booted his buddy jeff george out the door?

      Comment

      • #4
        Re: ESPN: Pacers' trolling takes its toll on fans

        Last season, just before the trade deadline, Jason Whitlock was calling for the team to be blown up around Paul George.

        Not even two weeks later, he was singing their praises.

        **** him.
        "Nobody wants to play against Tyler Hansbrough NO BODY!" ~ Frank Vogel

        "And David put his hand in the bag and took out a stone and slung it. And it struck the Philistine on the head and he fell to the ground. Amen. "

        Comment

        • #5
          Re: ESPN: Pacers' trolling takes its toll on fans

          I'm sure JMV will bring Twitlock on later to discuss this article.

          Comment

          • #6
            Re: ESPN: Pacers' trolling takes its toll on fans

            It's just sad to me that Lance's bizarre antics are getting most of the attention instead of Paul George's great performance. If PG didn't play out of his mind and will his team to win, I think a lot of fans would be wanting to see Lance on the first plane out of Indianapolis.

            Comment

            • #7
              Re: ESPN: Pacers' trolling takes its toll on fans

              He's not a fan, if a fan like that is done with the team then good, we don't need people like that.

              Comment

              • #8
                Re: ESPN: Pacers' trolling takes its toll on fans

                So he loves the Pacers but thinks it's a tragedy if they end up going to the finals? What?

                Comment

                • #9
                  Re: ESPN: Pacers' trolling takes its toll on fans

                  There's been a lot of crazy stuff written about the Pacers since the Allstar break, but this one is by far the most ignorant. I can't believe ESPN even put this article up on their website. I really do feel dumber for having read it.

                  Comment

                  • #10
                    Re: ESPN: Pacers' trolling takes its toll on fans

                    There is no way this guy should ever call himself a Pacersfan.
                    2012 PD ABA Fantasy Keeper League Champion, sports.ws

                    2011 PD ABA Fantasy Keeper League Champion, sports.ws

                    2006 PD ABA Fantasy League runner up, sports.ws

                    Comment

                    • #11
                      Re: ESPN: Pacers' trolling takes its toll on fans

                      I dunno, I'm enjoying the journey at least - in the way one would enjoy a roller coaster ride, I suppose

                      I suspect it's partly to do with expectations. In my view the Pacers are a relatively young team that is way ahead of schedule. I mean if you look at the ages of our main guys, we're closer to the Wizards' age than say the Heat's. So running into roadblocks this year isn't terribly upsetting to me, other than being disappointed in the these-guys-aren't-ready-after-all way.

                      Not going to lie and suggest there are easy answers out there, but simply letting these guys grow another year isn't the worse option either. Sure, there are troubling questions that needs to be mulled over - questions on Hibbert, Stephenson, and how the heck are we going to eventually find a replacement for West - but those don't necessarily need to be answered right away next season.

                      So IMO it's time to be patient again. No more talk of the #1 seed and beating Miami before the season starts. Just try and enjoy the ride. We'll see who these guys really are.

                      Comment

                      • #12
                        Re: ESPN: Pacers' trolling takes its toll on fans

                        Originally posted by Handoverfist View Post
                        It's just sad to me that Lance's bizarre antics are getting most of the attention instead of Paul George's great performance. If PG didn't play out of his mind and will his team to win, I think a lot of fans would be wanting to see Lance on the first plane out of Indianapolis.
                        Don't count on me beying one of those fans. Lance was good in getting James in foul trouble and bringing back some energy to the team.
                        2012 PD ABA Fantasy Keeper League Champion, sports.ws

                        2011 PD ABA Fantasy Keeper League Champion, sports.ws

                        2006 PD ABA Fantasy League runner up, sports.ws

                        Comment

                        • #13
                          Re: ESPN: Pacers' trolling takes its toll on fans

                          I love how he spends the entire article simultaneously complaining about the players complaining about the refs in game 4 and then actually complaining about the refs in game 5.

                          So the refs couldn't have possibly been one of the factors in Miami winning game 4 but the refs were THE factor in Indiana winning game 5. Right?

                          Comment

                          • #14
                            Re: ESPN: Pacers' trolling takes its toll on fans

                            He's going to be upset if we make the Finals? Um, what?

                            I'm going to be ecstatic if we win these next two games. I don't care how mad I've been at the team and how many times I've *****ed and moaned

                            I do love how when LeBron gets in foul trouble, that's the reason we won, but down in South Beach when we weren't allowed to breath on a Heat player, that's completely on us and our fault
                            Super Bowl XLI Champions
                            2000 Eastern Conference Champions




                            Comment

                            • #15
                              Re: ESPN: Pacers' trolling takes its toll on fans

                              Originally posted by CRASH View Post
                              Thoughts?

                              http://espn.go.com/nba/playoffs/2014...akes-toll-fans

                              INDIANAPOLIS -- This is how maddening and frustrating the Indiana Pacers are: Wednesday night in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals, I desperately wanted Chris Bosh's last-second, baseline 3-pointer to fall. I wanted this series and this season over.

                              These schizophrenic Pacers are torture.

                              A Pacers logo adorns the welcome mat at my front door. An autographed Reggie Miller jersey greets visitors as they enter my Los Angeles apartment. I've loved the Pacers for 40-plus years. I've loved rooting against the Heat for four years.


                              The Pacers are playing sloppy and blaming everyone but themselves.
                              I'm irate Bosh's shot skidded off the front of the rim. I'm mad LeBron James drove to his right, directly into Roy Hibbert's help-side defense, forcing a kickout to Bosh. I'm cynical of the officiating that tagged James with his fifth foul less than four minutes into the third quarter after Lance Stephenson lassoed and swam past the NBA's ruling king for a loose ball.

                              I'm afraid Wednesday's victory is going to prolong the denial, the false belief that these Pacers are some sort of rival to Miami, a legitimate threat to win a championship.

                              But I'm also afraid the Pacers are going to win Games 6 and 7 and advance to the NBA Finals. This, too, would be a tragedy, because I have not remotely enjoyed the journey. I've spent the past two months hate-watching my favorite team, wondering why Roy Hibbert is soft, Paul George is immature, Lance Stephenson is a troll, Frank Vogel commands no respect, and George Hill is an NBA starter.

                              What's the point of winning 56 games, securing the No. 1 seed in the East, and making it to the final four if it creates zero joy, if it inspires little championship swagger?

                              For three years it looked as if the Pacers were building toward something big and unforgettable. We were the little-market team that could get it done for about $67 million per year. And now it feels like we were all delusional. This isn't a championship roster. This is the ninth-best team in the West. This is a team with no superstar and no leadership.


                              Brian Spurlock/USA TODAY Sports
                              Unfortunately, Pacers fans know that they can't rely on Paul George to put in another outstanding performance in the next game.
                              Oh, I know. Paul George scored 31 points in the second half Wednesday night. He was Reggie Miller. Not really. George feasted on Dwyane Wade, Mario Chalmers, Norris Cole, Ray Allen and LeBron's other fill-ins. Foul trouble limited LeBron's minutes and kept him off George until the final two minutes of the fourth quarter. LeBron couldn't put out George's fire. It was too late.

                              Game 5 did not tell us anything new about Paul George. He's an occasionally dominant player. He still can't pass. He's still childish. His complaints about officiating after Game 4 were embarrassing, an indication of a troubling lack of self-awareness and basketball IQ. Do not misread George's performance in Game 5. He took full advantage of the sloppy officiating that hampered LeBron James. Give George a cookie. Don't place your championship dreams in his questionable hands.

                              SportsNation: Will Pacers come back?
                              SportsNationWho will go on to win the Eastern Conference finals? Is the Pacers' Paul George a legitimate superstar? Vote! ยป

                              There's little need to spend much time correcting the narrative on Hibbert. We know who and what he is. He's clumsy, slow, emotionally awkward and unreliable. He plays hard only when the Pacers feed him candy in the first quarter. He thinks he's the poor man's 40-year-old Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Hibbert is the poor man's 35-year-old Dikembe Mutombo. Hibbert posted good numbers Wednesday night (10 and 13) because Indiana's first-quarter offense featured him. If you have to feed a bad offensive player to get him to rebound and play defense, that's a recipe for trouble. Hibbert is trouble.

                              What level of trouble is Lance Stephenson? On Wednesday night, he looked like a Ron Artest-Stephen Jackson-Jamaal Tinsley Molotov cocktail. He trolled the Heat and the cameras in Game 5. He blew in LeBron's ear. He chest-bumped Wade to the floor. Stephenson interfered with Erik Spoelstra's huddle. Stephenson is burning money. He has the biggest heart on the Pacers' roster and the least amount of self-control. Only a fool would give him a big contract. Signing Stephenson will be a sign of weakness by some NBA franchise.

                              He's not Dennis Rodman. You don't get 18 rebounds and once-in-a-generation defensive energy when you tolerate Stephenson's antics. You get 12 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and a lucky victory on a night LeBron scores 7 points because of bad officiating. If you can get Stephenson AND those same three refs, Lance is a great free-agent acquisition. If it's just Lance backed by a new $10 million salary, be prepared for him to troll his own team.

                              The main reason I wanted Bosh's shot to fall is because I want Frank Vogel fired.

                              The Pacers don't respect him. They don't listen to him. Vogel is weak. His all-positive-reinforcement coaching style spares the rod and spoils his children.

                              [+] EnlargeFrank Vogel
                              Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images
                              Frank Vogel's style of coaching isn't working for the Pacers when they really need it.
                              The Pacers did not play a smart game Wednesday night. They did not play with a desperate energy. The game turned when the refs let Stephenson manhandle LeBron at midcourt early in the third quarter. Miami led by eight points when James picked up his fifth foul. Miami was in control. Once LeBron went to the bench, the Pacers gained some heart and energy.

                              If you re-watch the first half, the Pacers were content to give the game away without putting up a fight. David West failed to even make a play on a 50-50 ball right at his feet. When Indiana's second unit came in, it completely abandoned the inside-out game plan, ignoring Luis Scola's matchup advantage over Shane Battier. There was a four-minute stretch at the end of the first quarter and the beginning of the second when the Pacers jacked up six shots from beyond 21 feet. Their lead shrank from eight to two.

                              West has a matchup advantage over everyone except James. West took three shots in the first half. You could tell by his lackadaisical effort that West is annoyed by the beginning-of-game pampering of Hibbert.

                              All of it is a poor reflection on Vogel. The players love him because he doesn't hold them accountable. How else do you explain George and West complaining about the officiating after Game 4? That reflects on Vogel, too. What was said in the postgame locker room after Game 4 that veteran players would have the audacity to blame the refs after the sloppy ballhandling display turned in by the Pacers?

                              "We blew it!" should've been loudly ringing in the ears of George and West. Instead, they blamed the refs.

                              The Pacers have been living a delusional lie for three years. You can't beat the Heat without a legitimate point guard. You can't beat the Heat with an offensive strategy built around pleasing a 7-footer who averages 10 points and shoots 44 percent from the field. You can't beat the Heat by trolling LeBron James.

                              I want this to end now. I want Mark Jackson to coach the team next year. I want Lance Stephenson gone before he embarrasses the franchise. And I want a new point guard.
                              Alrighty Then.

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