Who do you want in the 1st round of the Playoffs?

[CableKC]

It looks like the Pacers will likely play the Magic or the Hawks in the 1st round.

Who would you want to play and why?

Keeping in mind that Horford will likely return for the Playoffs......I'd rather the Pacers face the Magic in the 1st round. Although the Magic have a dominant Big Man and take and hit more 3pt shots than the rest of the League.....I think that they are too one-dimensional and beatable in a 7 game series. I don't think that they can keep up the 3pt shooting. I can even go as far as taking the same approach as we took against the Thunder.....shutdown the rest of the 3pt shooters while letting Dwight beat you ( I even think that Peck or Hicks even suggested this in one of the recent Magic/Pacers games ). Although Ryan Anderson has proved to be someone that West can't really guard.....can we go more Small Ball and have Granger guard him at the 4 spot with Hibbert/Amundson/Fesenko ( I really hope that we use him in this series ) PURELY to guard Dwight?

I'm more concerned that the Hawks athleticism and don't think that we matchup with them very well.

Thoughts anyone?

[Will Galen]

Re: Who do you want in the 1st round of the Playoffs?

I really don't care who we play. We will be a load for anyone. I just want to play the best four teams out there.

[Stuckey7370]

Re: Who do you want in the 1st round of the Playoffs?

I'd rather not see the Pacers slipped to "5th" and have to play Boston in the first round or slip down to 6th and lose home court advantage.

[Justin Tyme]

Re: Who do you want in the 1st round of the Playoffs?

Whichever team the Pacers can beat to get into the 2nd round.

[joew8302]

Re: Who do you want in the 1st round of the Playoffs?

I will take my chances with the Magic. All they want to do is play through Howard and chuck threes. The Hawks are much more complete, especially with guys like Smith and Johnson who always kill us.

[Pingu]

Re: Who do you want in the 1st round of the Playoffs?

The Bobcats.

[Anthem]

Re: Who do you want in the 1st round of the Playoffs?

Whichever team the Pacers can beat to get into the 2nd round.

Thanks, that's helpful.

I think the question being asked is "which team do the Pacers have the best chance of beating and getting into the 2nd round?"

I wish "Philadelphia" was an option.

[KingGeorge]

Re: Who do you want in the 1st round of the Playoffs?

can we go more Small Ball and have Granger guard him at the 4 spot with Hibbert/Amundson/Fesenko ( I really hope that we use him in this series ) PURELY to guard Dwight?

That is a really good idea. Granger would give Anderson problems on the perimeter, and he really isn't a threat in the post. Anderson is a below average rebounder as well, so it wouldn't hurt us there either. It would also give Granger an advantage on the offensive side of the ball. A lineup of Collison/Hill/George/Granger/Hibbert would really give the Magic problems, even more since they lost Hedo. This would allow West to match up with Glen Davis off the bench, who has given us trouble this year. I doubt we would do this, but I think it could be successful.

[CableKC]

Re: Who do you want in the 1st round of the Playoffs?

That is a really good idea. Granger would give Anderson problems on the perimeter, and he really isn't a threat in the post. Anderson is a below average rebounder as well, so it wouldn't hurt us there either. It would also give Granger an advantage on the offensive side of the ball. A lineup of Collison/Hill/George/Granger/Hibbert would really give the Magic problems, even more since they lost Hedo. This would allow West to match up with Glen Davis off the bench, who has given us trouble this year. I doubt we would do this, but I think it could be successful.

Actively guarding Anderson....who has always seem to light it up against the Pacers....would necessitate having Hibbert/Amundson/Fesenko guarding Dwight by themselves.....but I am okay with that. But this begs the question...what is the best way to play against the Magic? What Teams have had the most success against the Magic and have beaten them? I think the Hawks has...but what have they done and what do they have that can hold the Magic "at bay"?

Is it having Horford/Zaza defending Dwight...and then having Josh Smith/Marvin Williams defend against Anderson?

[croz24]

Re: Who do you want in the 1st round of the Playoffs?

Well Orlando pretty much owns us, so no thanks to them. Atlanta gives us fits as well even with half a team missing, so no thanks there. I'd try to do whatever it takes to face the 76ers in round 1.

[Hicks]

Re: Who do you want in the 1st round of the Playoffs?

If it's between New York, Philly, Boston, Atlanta, and Orlando...

Well, it's tempting to say Orlando because of how they live and die by the 3 and how they seem to be imploding, but once the playoffs are here, the post-season can potentially (temporarily) right the ship and focus them on just winning games for that shorter amount of time, and they are still dangerous with Dwight and how he gives them great looks from 3 (making them more likely to hit them than us). So...

I'd have to say Philly would be my first choice, as it probably is for everyone else. The other four concern me more for different reasons, and it's hard for me to rank those four in terms of my concerns matching up with them in the 1st round.

With Boston you have a super-experienced team with 4 guys who can still kill you in various ways and play great together (and Doc has them getting screens that are brutal with our super-sized starters trying to run around them), yet I still sense that they're just not that good anymore.

With New York, there's a reason they're still a .500 team, yet they're also still pretty damn loaded with talent to where it's scary to think about trying to stop them, and Chandler bails their D out BIG time.

I never keep tabs on Atlanta, but clearly they seem to be a bad matchup for us, and Horford may or may not be back in time for the first round. They're not that great, yet they can give us fits.

Then we're back to Orlando, whom I've already discussed.

Honestly, it's close to a four-way toss up to me, but I'll say I'd take New York ahead of the others simply because they win a little less often. And I feel like it's a stretch for me to try to pull them from this group at all.

By this line of thinking, I'd say Atlanta after that for the same reason (Boston and Orlando tend to win more consistently than them, albeit lately ORL has slid).

And with Orl and Bos, it's pick your poison.

So while it's all pretty close after #1:

1) Philly
2) New York
3) Atlanta
T-4) Boston / Orlando

[rel]

Re: Who do you want in the 1st round of the Playoffs?

I'm thinking selfishly, but I'd love to play Atlanta first round. I live there right now and it would let me go to games 3 and 4 :P

[picasso]

Re: Who do you want in the 1st round of the Playoffs?

**** this pussy ****. The BULLS lol.
Honestly its gonna be a hell of a ride.

[CableKC]

Re: Who do you want in the 1st round of the Playoffs?

Well Orlando pretty much owns us, so no thanks to them. Atlanta gives us fits as well even with half a team missing, so no thanks there. I'd try to do whatever it takes to face the 76ers in round 1.

The only reason why I didn't include the Sixers is because I don't think that we will play them in the 1st round.....their schedule isn't in their favor ( as Seth has pointed out....they have 7 road games left ) and since they aren't that good on the road...I don't see them turning it around anytime soon to win the Atlantic or win enough games to overcome the Hawks, Magic, Celtics or the Pacers.

[Eleazar]

Re: Who do you want in the 1st round of the Playoffs?

Everything I say is under the assumption that everyone is playing their best basketball.

When I look at Atlanta and Orlando I think we end up matching up better against Orlando. They have Dwight as an advantage, but that is about it. If Roy is playing as well as he is capable of that isn't a huge advantage. Atlanta on the other hand has someone at almost every position that is just as good are better than what we have, assuming Horford is back and not playing like crap. Truthfully I think our biggest problem with Orlando is Reddick, as well as Admundson has played playing against Reddick makes you wish we still had Rush because George still struggles staying with guys running through screens.