Re: Let's do post-game threads again.. Pacers win!
I didn't get to watch the first half, save the last few minutes before halftime as the lead evaporated, but here's what I saw.
THE PACERS WON A CLOSE GAME!!
The fouling and defense was maddening, but the offense seemed a little better executed tonight compared to the Toronto game. I think these things will improve as the guys get used to a rotation and consistency.
Paul George has the sweetest jumper on this team. I really hope he grows and learns and develops into what the best he can be.
Roy Hibbert needs to spend this offseason eating Wheaties and working out with Hansbrough. The man is 7'2" and has plenty of skill, but he's just not strong enough to dominate like he should. Hans, on the other hand, has muscle to spare. I love watching him go for a rebound because you just know nothing is gonna stand in his way. Tyler needs to rub off on Roy, and give the Big Fella a little mean streak.
DC is well on his way to becoming an All Star point guard. 22pts/9ast/4rbs/4st from DC tonight is a darn good performance. Plus, only 3 turnovers tonight. If he can keep this up, he can lead this team to a lot of wins.
Danny hasn't had his best statistical games under Vogel, but I don't think he's playing poorly. What I really like is that he seems (to me anyways) to be attacking the rim a little more. He should spend the offseason with McRoberts and learn how FINISH at the rim. Danny's a strong enough guy, but he goes to the rack like he's afraid of something. Throw it down, Danny!
Josh and Tyler were....wait for it.....irrelevant tonight. I didn't feel like either one of them played exceptionally well, and like someone said earlier in this thread (Sookie, maybe?) had one of them played better, this game would've been much easier.
I don't want to overlook AJ Price. He didn't have some monster game or do anything special, but I think he deserves credit for simply not being TJ Ford. When Price comes in, I have as much confidence in him as anyone to make sound decisions and score a few points. Compared to TJ, whose mission in life is to find a new way to lose in every game, AJ is a breath of fresh air.
One thing that I think we can all agree on, is that we like Vogel's increased focus on getting Roy good looks close to the basket, and the increased PnR/PnPs that we see DC running. What I think we need to realize is that these changes are probably the reasons we've seen Danny's numbers drop. We all wanted Danny to get some help, and Vogel seems to think that's a good idea. Now that Danny is getting help, we're wondering why his numbers are down, but it's pretty obvious. He had 23 pts tonight, on the strength of a solid 4th Q that included a big 3pt shot and an assist on a big 3pt shot, but look at the rest of the team. 22 from DC, 13 from Hans, Roy, and George, 15 from Dun...this is a good thing, folks. As the team adjusts to some of the new wrinkles and emphases, Danny will adjust and his numbers will level out.
All in all, this team is better than barely beating the Cavs, but there are a lot of factors that went into this game. That's not saying that if they play like this against the Celtics that they won't get destroyed, but I think there are legitimate reasons for not blowing out the Cavs. They need to play better, especially on defense, and I think they will. With each passing game, you can see a little more confidence, IMO. Against Toronto, Roy had his groove. Tonight, DC played great. In the next game, maybe Paul George explodes for 30 pts. The big thing is I feel they're actually learning to win. With JOB, it was like we'd just hope to hang on. Tonight's game was won because Vogel put the onus on the players and they rose to the occasion with big shots (DC), big defensive play (Roy), and confident, smart play from their leader (Danny).
I didn't get to watch the first half, save the last few minutes before halftime as the lead evaporated, but here's what I saw.
THE PACERS WON A CLOSE GAME!!
The fouling and defense was maddening, but the offense seemed a little better executed tonight compared to the Toronto game. I think these things will improve as the guys get used to a rotation and consistency.
Paul George has the sweetest jumper on this team. I really hope he grows and learns and develops into what the best he can be.
Roy Hibbert needs to spend this offseason eating Wheaties and working out with Hansbrough. The man is 7'2" and has plenty of skill, but he's just not strong enough to dominate like he should. Hans, on the other hand, has muscle to spare. I love watching him go for a rebound because you just know nothing is gonna stand in his way. Tyler needs to rub off on Roy, and give the Big Fella a little mean streak.
DC is well on his way to becoming an All Star point guard. 22pts/9ast/4rbs/4st from DC tonight is a darn good performance. Plus, only 3 turnovers tonight. If he can keep this up, he can lead this team to a lot of wins.
Danny hasn't had his best statistical games under Vogel, but I don't think he's playing poorly. What I really like is that he seems (to me anyways) to be attacking the rim a little more. He should spend the offseason with McRoberts and learn how FINISH at the rim. Danny's a strong enough guy, but he goes to the rack like he's afraid of something. Throw it down, Danny!
Josh and Tyler were....wait for it.....irrelevant tonight. I didn't feel like either one of them played exceptionally well, and like someone said earlier in this thread (Sookie, maybe?) had one of them played better, this game would've been much easier.
I don't want to overlook AJ Price. He didn't have some monster game or do anything special, but I think he deserves credit for simply not being TJ Ford. When Price comes in, I have as much confidence in him as anyone to make sound decisions and score a few points. Compared to TJ, whose mission in life is to find a new way to lose in every game, AJ is a breath of fresh air.
One thing that I think we can all agree on, is that we like Vogel's increased focus on getting Roy good looks close to the basket, and the increased PnR/PnPs that we see DC running. What I think we need to realize is that these changes are probably the reasons we've seen Danny's numbers drop. We all wanted Danny to get some help, and Vogel seems to think that's a good idea. Now that Danny is getting help, we're wondering why his numbers are down, but it's pretty obvious. He had 23 pts tonight, on the strength of a solid 4th Q that included a big 3pt shot and an assist on a big 3pt shot, but look at the rest of the team. 22 from DC, 13 from Hans, Roy, and George, 15 from Dun...this is a good thing, folks. As the team adjusts to some of the new wrinkles and emphases, Danny will adjust and his numbers will level out.
All in all, this team is better than barely beating the Cavs, but there are a lot of factors that went into this game. That's not saying that if they play like this against the Celtics that they won't get destroyed, but I think there are legitimate reasons for not blowing out the Cavs. They need to play better, especially on defense, and I think they will. With each passing game, you can see a little more confidence, IMO. Against Toronto, Roy had his groove. Tonight, DC played great. In the next game, maybe Paul George explodes for 30 pts. The big thing is I feel they're actually learning to win. With JOB, it was like we'd just hope to hang on. Tonight's game was won because Vogel put the onus on the players and they rose to the occasion with big shots (DC), big defensive play (Roy), and confident, smart play from their leader (Danny).
Comment