WITNESS THIS!
-VS-
Game Time Start: 3:30 PM EST
Where: The Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
Officials: M. McCutchen, M. Callahan, B. Kennedy, D. Guthrie
Media Notes: Indiana Notes, Miami Notes
Television:
Local Radio: WIBC 93.1 FM
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Pacers None to report Heat Chris Bosh - Lower Abdominal Strain (out indefinitely) |
Jared Wade: Defending the Heat’s Pick-and-Roll and Flummoxing Dwyane Wade I’m not sure when the pick-and-roll was invented, but it was probably about three weeks after James Naismith hung a peach basket on a pole. It is among the most basic offensive actions a team can run and it has been a staple play of virtually every NBA team since the days of Bob Cousy. The reason: if run properly, it inevitably creates an advantage, at least temporarily, for the offense. There are many ways to defend the pick-and-roll. None of them work. Again, the offense always gets an advantage and while different defensive strategies can limit that edge in various ways, vulnerabilities remain. So the goal for the two defenders involved in the play is to react to the screen and then recover quickly enough to ensure that both offensive players are corralled into areas where they can do the least damage. In recent years, the prevailing defensive philosophy used against the pick-and-roll has been to blitz the ball handler and force him to give the ball up. I can’t say exactly when or why this became the norm, but it probably has to do with players like LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Derrick Rose and Russell Westbrook being so adept at going by big men in zero second flat and splitting any soft double teams. Players in the 1980s weren’t doing it like they can. Regardless of why, things done changed. Tom Thibodeau is the leader of the new school. As an assistant in Boston and now as a head coach in Chicago, he has implemented this “swarm the pick-and-roll” strategy to help his teams play some of the best defense the sport has ever seen. It is the anti- thesis of passively reacting to what the offensive team wants to accomplish in the pick- and-roll. The defense becomes the aggressor, swarming the man with the ball and rotating help defenders to stop the roll man from catching a pass and scoring at the rim. Throughout the first three games on their series against the Heat, the Pacers have not been doing this. They have instead done the exact opposite. As the ball-handler (usually LeBron or Wade and sometimes Mario Chalmers) comes off the screen, the big man does not run at him hard. He is barely even showing at all actually. He is just hanging back and maintaining a pool-cue-length distance in between himself and the guy with the ball. This accomplishes two things that fundamentally alter how the rest of the play will likely transpire. First, it makes it much harder for the ball-handler — no matter how fast and crafty he is as a penetrator — from getting all the way to the rim. The big man hanging back is essentially adopting a free safety mentality in which he won’t allow anyone to get past him. Of course, the penetrator can just try to go over or around, but especially when the defender is Roy Hibbert … good luck with that. He is 7’2″ and has been in a shot- blocking zone for weeks now. The other key difference with this strategy...CONTINUE READING AT 8p9s |
3-on-3 preview: Heat-Pacers, Game 4 In another installment of the Heat Index's 3-on-3 series, our writers give their takes on the storylines before Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals (ABC, 3:30 ET). 1. Fact or Fiction: LeBron is right, Game 4 is a must-win for the Heat. Tom Haberstroh: Fiction. The "must-win" meme is the worst thing to happen in sports analysis since the basketball adaptation of the "closer" term. That may be a bit strong, but our casual acceptance that a non-elimination game is a "must-win" has gotten a bit out of control. If the Heat lose Sunday, they still have potentially two games remaining at home. This isn't do-or-die. Yet. Michael Wallace: Fiction. I know the point LeBron was trying to make, but I think in a literal fashion, when it comes to this situation, it's not true. Elimination games are must-win games. Neither team's season would end based on the outcome of Game 4. I actually believe this game is bigger for the Pacers' psyche. The Heat can't go in thinking this series is over if they don't win Sunday. Even if they're down 3-1, there's still a game in Miami on Tuesday. Which means there's still a chance to start a rally. Brian Windhorst: Fact. I think it is rather obvious that getting down 3-1 without Chris Bosh and with the Pacers getting more confident by the minute is not a recipe for victory. The difference between 3-1 and 2-2 obviously is vast, especially because it would give the Heat back the home-court advantage. The Heat players have a lot on the line here: reputations and futures and legacies. Way more than the Pacers. 2. Fact or Fiction: D-Wade came off worse than Spoelstra in Game 3. Haberstroh: Fact. And that's a remarkable achievement by Wade considering that Heat fans were calling for Spoelstra's pink slip after the Pacers went up 7-0 during the Dexter Pittman Experiment of Game 3. And then sprinkle in the fact that Spoelstra had a heated argument with the team's most beloved star. And still, there's no question that Wade came off worse in Game 3. That's how awful Wade was in Thursday's game. Wallace: Fact. I asked Dwyane on Saturday if he felt he made a mistake by showing his frustrations in such a public fashion during that timeout blowup with Spoelstra. He said it was just the byproduct of a heated discussion during an intense time in the game. At the end of the day, I truly believe Dwyane was much madder with himself than anyone on that Heat bench. His body just wasn't cooperating. He lashed out. He looked bad doing it. Everyone insists it's behind them now. Windhorst: Fact. Spoelstra's Dexter Pittman experience and revolving door of subs was not exactly awe-inspiring. But Wade came off as petulant because of the way he was playing, especially his hard-to-explain effort level. Combined with his inexcusable flagrant foul in Game 2, Wade's attitude so far in this series has been has been poor. Including snapping at his coach at a crucial part of the game. 3. Fact or Fiction: The Heat should still be favored in this series. Haberstroh: Fiction. In light of the Wade injury stuff, I've moved from toss-up to slight nod to the Pacers. I still think the Heat have a good chance of turning this around and beating the Pacers, but I don't find it to be a likely scenario anymore. Not with Bosh out. Not with Wade playing on one leg. I don't think this is an X's-and-O's problem as much as it is a physical one. Does Wade still have the burst in his step to be himself? I'm not sure. If he doesn't, it becomes a 1.5-on-8 ordeal. Wallace: Fiction. Call me crazy, but I consider it a 50-50 series right now. Yes, the Pacers have a 2-1 series lead. But I've seen the Heat rally from a 2-0 deficit in the Finals to beat Dallas in 2006. And I've seen Miami hold a 2-1 series lead over the Mavs last season in the Finals and squander it. I've always said the Heat seem to respond to adversity far better than prosperity. But without Chris Bosh available and with Wade ailing a bit, nothing less than their A-game will beat Indy. Windhorst: Fact. If they split in Indiana, which is still possible, then they will have done exactly what was expected of them and they will have control of the series. Because this is still within reach, they are not yet desperate. They lose Game 4, of course, then they become a heavy underdog. In short, it's a big game. |
John Bennett: A Look at Roy Hibbert's Career Night |
Eric Maroun: How Indiana Got Its Swagger Back So that happened, huh? I’d like to congratulate the Indiana Pacers on stealing a road playoff game against one of the best home teams in the NBA. It wasn’t pretty by any means and it seemed like both teams were giving the game away throughout the final couple minutes. However, a win is a win in the playoffs and even the poor play by Indiana down the stretch doesn’t change the fact that the series is now evened up at one game apiece. Prior to Game3 of the Pacers-Heat series, my friend John who came to the game with me asked who I thought would win. My political answer was either Indiana close or Miami big. I simply did not see Miami winning a close game on the road, and I certainlycould not fathom a reality where Indiana blew out the Heat. A little over three hours after John asked me for my prediction, the Pacers had routed the Heat 94-75, and all of the sudden they find themselves up 2-1 in this series. Some random thoughts from the game:
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Pacers Mike Wells @MikeWellsNBA Jared Wade @8pts9secs Tim Donahue @TimDonahue8p9s Tom Lewis @indycornrows Ian Levy @HickoryHigh |
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