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The Rules of Pacers Digest

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Whether your are a long standing forum member or whether you have just registered today, it's a good idea to read and review the rules below so that you have a very good idea of what to expect when you come to Pacers Digest.

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Below are the rules of Pacers Digest. After you have read them, you will have a very good sense of where we are coming from, what we expect, what we don't want to see, and how we react to things.

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 ___________"

"I can't wait to hear something from PosterX when he/she sees that **insert a given incident or current event that will have probably upset or disappointed PosterX here**"

"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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Insider request: Are Pacers better than the Heat?

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  • Insider request: Are Pacers better than the Heat?

    http://m.espn.go.com/nba/story?storyId=9946076


    please and thank you

  • #2
    Re: Insider request: Are Pacers better than the Heat?

    We'll find out.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Insider request: Are Pacers better than the Heat?

      Originally posted by PaulGeorgeHill View Post
      .
      By Tom Haberstroh
      Consider your message received, Roy Hibbert.

      On Wednesday night, the Indiana center took to Twitter and declared that he's made it his goal to win NBA Defensive Player of the Year this season. He also called his shot that Paul George will win MVP this season. But Hibbert probably didn't need to embark on a campaign trail to get our attention. Truth is, his Pacers are playing loud enough to let their game speak for itself.

      It's impossible to ignore that the Indiana Pacers sit atop the NBA standings with a big, fat 5-0 record, the only team that's still undefeated this season. They've trounced their opponents by 11.0 points per game on average, which actually understates how dominant they've been this season since they play at a snail's pace. And to drive home the point, they just put a beatdown on the Chicago Bulls on national television.

      We see you, Indiana. After pushing the Miami Heat to the brink of elimination last postseason, the Pacers haven't just picked up where they've left off. By all indications, they've gotten better. Which brings us to this question: Are they better than Miami -- like, right now?

      It's a fair proposition given their astounding growth in the early going and Miami's ho-hum efforts so far. Should Miami be concerned? Here are three reasons the answer is yes.

      Hibbert's Dikembe Mutombo act

      The Pacers have blitzed to a 5-0 record by continuing to suffocate opponents on the defensive end. Although they haven't blown off any doors with their offense, the defense has allowed an NBA-best 85.6 points per 100 possessions. And in the middle of it all, quite literally, stands Hibbert, who already gave the Heat a host of problems in the playoffs. After finishing 10th in last season's Defensive Player of the Year vote despite anchoring the top defense in the land, the 7-foot-3 behemoth has managed to pack on muscle in the offseason without sacrificing agility. Hibbert has blocked a baffling 5.2 shots per game so far this season, marking the most rejections he's ever averaged across any five-game stretch of his career.

      LeBron James and Roy Hibbert
      Issac Baldizon/Getty Images
      These days Hibbert is blocking shots like another G-Town alumnus -- Dikembe Mutumbo.
      And thanks to SportVU 3-D player-tracking technology, we can dig deeper into Hibbert's defensive numbers beyond his gaudy block totals. There we find that Hibbert isn't merely cherry-picking his blocked shots, he's altering a ton of others as well. It's a tiny sample size, but it hints at Hibbert's extraordinary basket protection that opponents are shooting just 28.9 percent when Hibbert is within five feet of the rim and the shooter. Seen another way, if you're taking a layup with Hibbert nearby, the odds of it going in are lower than a typical heave from beyond the 3-point line. Think about that.

      But what's most impressive about Hibbert's current reign is that he's owning the paint without letting fouls get in the way. This is particularly startling once you consider his track record in this department. His rookie foul rate of 7.7 times per 36 minutes back in 2007-08 still goes down as the highest whistle rate of any player since 2004-05 (min. 1,000 minutes played). Eight seasons later, no one's topped it.

      Safe to say he's a different player these days. He's cut his foul rate by more than half since that rookie campaign, earning a foul call a career-low 3.4 times every 36 minutes. Protecting the rim without fouling may be the most valuable quality for a big man, and so far, Hibbert appears to have mastered that skill probably better than anyone else. Not bad for a guy who couldn't take three steps without getting called for a foul. If he keeps this torrid pace up, he won't just win the Defensive Player of the Year award; it'll be renamed in his honor.

      George MVP?

      Make no mistake about it, Hibbert has competition for the defensive hardware -- and he won't need to look far to find company. After receiving a max extension in the offseason, George certainly hasn't lost interest on that side of the floor. He remains a two-way beast on the wing with an overall game that perhaps only LeBron James can match. At just 22 years old, George was the youngest player voted in the top 10 of the Defensive Player of the Year vote last season. (He finished eighth, two spots ahead of Hibbert.)

      LeBron James and Paul George
      Brian Spurlock/USA TODAY Sports
      Paul George is emerging as LeBron James' one true rival in the East.
      George appears to be just getting started. Using his length to lock down the opposing perimeter scorer, George has been the perfect first line of defense in front of Hibbert's safety net. Consider this: When Hibbert and George have played together so far this season, opponents have scored just 75.1 points per 100 possessions in 141 minutes -- the lowest rate for any duo in the league, according to NBA.com data. That output is probably around what we'd expect if a team sneaked a sixth player on the defensive end.

      Of course, the Pacers' defensive numbers should regress to the mean a bit. After all, five games does not a season make. The question is whether we can say the same about George's explosive start on offense. George has basically morphed into Kevin Durant there, blending efficiency with high-volume shooting from just about everywhere. Most impressive is that he's shooting 44 percent on 7.2 attempts per game from deep, helping to boost his true shooting percentage to a scorching 62.6 percent.

      But is it sustainable? When George absorbed the primary scoring responsibilities with Danny Granger out last season, he consequently watched his true shooting percentage tumble from 55.5 percent in 2011-12 to 53.1 percent in 2012-13. And that follows what we know about the usage-efficiency trade-off effect. But this season, George is defying the general laws of the game; George has managed to raise his efficiency level while also watching his usage rate soar to a career-high 29.2 percent. That's tough to do.

      Although it's certainly possible that George's improved jumper isn't a mirage, the smart money is that George will descend back to Earth at some point as the season progresses. On a per-game basis, he's now averaging 25.8 points, 8.2 rebounds and 4.0 assists along with a 27.2 PER. That's enough to get tossed into the MVP discussion and further legitimize his standing as James' true rival in the East.

      The real difference-maker

      The ascensions of Hibbert and George should make life easier against the Heat; they aren't interested in matching the Heat in sheer star power. That's a fool's errand. In reality, it was Indiana's anemic bench that needed the biggest overhaul this season. And so far, so good.

      Thanks to newcomers Luis Scola, C.J. Watson and the surprising Donald Sloan, the Pacers haven't missed a step going to their bench even though George Hill has missed three starts with a bothersome hip. The Pacers have outscored opponents by a margin of 4.4 points every 48 minutes this season when they've gone to their reserve core. In the postseason against the Heat? Indy's bench got pummeled by 21.8 points per 48 minutes by Miami, according to NBA.com data. D.J. Augustin, Sam Young and Gerald Green were borderline unplayable last season, and the Pacers promptly cut ties over the summer.

      Luis Scola
      Michael Hickey/Getty Images
      Luis Scola's arrival has given Indiana's roster depth and aggressiveness.
      Propelled by a smash-mouth defensive mentality, the Pacers could look at the 2003-04 Detroit Pistons, who knocked off the more glamorous Los Angeles Lakers squad that featured four future Hall of Famers. It's worth noting that the Pistons stumbled upon some luck by facing a Lakers team that essentially played without Karl Malone, who had a bad knee. Like all championship hopefuls, the Pacers likely would need some good fortune on their side to overcome the Heat, although they already received some of that last postseason with Dwyane Wade's knee limitations.

      But to say that the Pacers lack a superstar like that title-winning Pistons team would undercut what George has been doing this season. With George and Hibbert chasing hardware and the revamped bench unit showing the early returns, the Pacers have every reason to feel like Miami's equal these days. Although it remains to be seen whether they can ultimately top the defending champs come playoff time about six months from now, the Pacers have certainly shored up their most pressing concerns. And these days, it's easy to see why the Heat might be the ones concerned. Indiana's message is sent, loud and clear.
      Last edited by able; 11-09-2013, 08:13 AM. Reason: make sure there is a source/referral (A)

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Insider request: Are Pacers better than the Heat?

        What a difference a year makes. One year ago we could barely even get on national TV. Now they're talking about us as potential favorites in the East. TNT had a scripted sub-segment about us last night even though we weren't playing a game that night. We've already had 1 ESPN game 5 games in. We are #1 in Stein's power rankings. Home game attendance appears to have skyrocketed.

        This is pretty awesome. Regardless of how far we get in the postseason (and I have very high expectations for this squad), I'm going to make sure and enjoy every last tiny bit of this season. Exposure and team quality at this level don't come around very often...

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Insider request: Are Pacers better than the Heat?

          Originally posted by Hicks View Post
          We'll find out.
          In June.

          Both of these teams are far, far beyond making any sort of statements to each other in borderline-meaningless regular season contests.

          The heat are the NBA's best team until someone eliminates them. Period.

          It wasn't about being the team everyone loved, it was about beating the teams everyone else loved.

          Division Champions 1955, 1956, 1988, 1989, 1990, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
          Conference Champions 1955, 1956, 1988, 2005
          NBA Champions 1989, 1990, 2004

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Insider request: Are Pacers better than the Heat?

            Originally posted by Kstat View Post
            The heat are the NBA's best team until someone eliminates them. Period.
            Last year was last year. The Heat was last year's best team. This isn't boxing where they hold a belt until someone takes it away. The NBA's best team this year is yet to be identified.
            The poster "pacertom" since this forum began (and before!). I changed my name here to "Slick Pinkham" in honor of the imaginary player That Bobby "Slick" Leonard picked late in the 1971 ABA draft (true story!).

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Insider request: Are Pacers better than the Heat?

              Here's a image capture of the article just in case people need to know what stock images were used.

              http://i.imgur.com/UKBKc75.jpg

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Insider request: Are Pacers better than the Heat?

                We'll have to wait to see if the whole "Heat are just waiting for the playoffs" talk is true.


                Carmel HS Class of 2011

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Insider request: Are Pacers better than the Heat?

                  you know what's nice? THIS http://espn.go.com/nba/powerrankings

                  When's the last time you saw a power ranking with Indiana at number 1? I don't care that it's early in the season, **** still has me pumed!

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Insider request: Are Pacers better than the Heat?

                    Originally posted by Kstat View Post

                    The heat are the NBA's best team until someone eliminates them. Period.
                    Good soundbite, but it's obvious that's not always true. Just because you win the championship one year, doesn't make you the best team the next year.
                    Last edited by Will Galen; 11-09-2013, 07:43 AM.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Insider request: Are Pacers better than the Heat?

                      But Kstat had a point.
                      LeBron and the Heat coasted during early regular season last year, and than boom they have the winning streak.

                      The Heat might be still in sleep mode and they can still dominate in the playoffs.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Insider request: Are Pacers better than the Heat?

                        Originally posted by Will Galen View Post
                        Good soundbite, but it's obvious that's not always true. Just because you win the championship one year, doesn't make you the best team the next year.
                        No, you win or lose that title in the playoffs.

                        Until then, you get the benefit of the doubt, no matter what you do in the regular season.

                        The "championship belt" exists. It's the respect you earn as the 2-time reigning champion. You can't win or lose it until elimination time.

                        It wasn't about being the team everyone loved, it was about beating the teams everyone else loved.

                        Division Champions 1955, 1956, 1988, 1989, 1990, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
                        Conference Champions 1955, 1956, 1988, 2005
                        NBA Champions 1989, 1990, 2004

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Insider request: Are Pacers better than the Heat?

                          Heat are the Champs until proven otherwise.

                          Anywho, I don't really buy that the Heat just cruise. These guys definitely go out and try to win. Things aren't as desperate, and like every other team they go through their struggles, but they definitely aren't coasting. Plus, While I think Chicago and Pacers are probably desperate for homecourt advantage, there is no way that the Heat want to give that up. Homecourt is huge, and frankly I think the Heat would have lost to the Spurs if they didn't have homecourt advantage.

                          That's something Heat want, and will try to pursue.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Insider request: Are Pacers better than the Heat?

                            Originally posted by Kstat View Post
                            In June.

                            Both of these teams are far, far beyond making any sort of statements to each other in borderline-meaningless regular season contests.

                            The heat are the NBA's best team until someone eliminates them. Period.
                            Careful saying "Period.".

                            But I agree. Until we knock them off in the post season, they are the champs and will remain that. I don't think anyone else can stop the Heat including Chicago unless DRose returns to form which might not happen this year or ever.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Insider request: Are Pacers better than the Heat?

                              Originally posted by Kstat View Post
                              The heat are the NBA's best team until someone eliminates them. Period.
                              The above is the statement I took exception to. It's not true.

                              If the heat win the title this year, that means you are saying the Heat would be the BEST team next year too.

                              That's nonsense! For example what if Lebron, Wade, and Bosh all go to a different team next year and Miami starts to rebuild. Saying they are the best team would be silly.

                              If you want to say they are the champion until someone eliminates them, that's fine I'll buy that statement, but to say they are the best team . . .no!

                              Comment

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