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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"

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"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

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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:

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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.

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If I copy and paste an article from the Indianapolis Star website, I would post something like this:

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Author's Name
Indianapolis Star

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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.

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Rule #10

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game strategy / game-to-game adjustments thread

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  • game strategy / game-to-game adjustments thread

    Please, no ref discussions, no discussions about lack of respect from the media, or choking, lobbying the league office, or star power favored by Stern- there are 5 threads filled with this.

    some thoughts to ponder:

    1) How do we deal with the Heat fronting the post? We never seem to make them pay for that.
    2) How do we deal with the hard traps that bogged down our offense late in the 1st Q and all 2nd Q in game 2 and much of game 1?
    3) How do we get better looks for Danny and Paul to get them going?
    4) Should we keep countering their small lineup with one of our own, as we did in the 2nd half of game 2?

    I don't have all the answers, but I would rather read about strategy/ideas rather than the discussions we have been having.
    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!).

  • #2
    Re: game strategy / game-to-game adjustments thread

    It seems to me that the fronting the post is something we can definitely take advantage of, but it will require some better point guard play. It is hard to pass over the top when the PG is stationary. We need to set some cross-screens to allow some dribble penetration and a better angle for the post-entry feed. Collison is probably better-equipped tom make this pass than Hill, though neither excel at it. Nobody else passes well enough off the dribble to get it done, though, IMO.
    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


    • #3
      Re: game strategy / game-to-game adjustments thread

      thanks for this post! I've been looking at reading some game strategy instead of all the other threads going on lately - hopefully we can get some good answers going here as I'm more of a lurker than a poster.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: game strategy / game-to-game adjustments thread

        As to pressuring the PG and keeping us from getting the play set before there are only 10 seconds are left on the shot clock, this is reminding me of how Pippen and Harper made life miserable for Mark Jackson.

        As I recall, a few midcourt teeth-rattling screens set by Dale Davis loosened things up a little.

        Maybe David West can fill that role.
        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


        • #5
          Re: game strategy / game-to-game adjustments thread

          If they front the post, then that immediately leaves them out of position to defend the drive, as the big man that is being fronted should be able to easily seal off his man from the basket. So the player who normally throws the post entry pass, should instead drive and try to use the big man as a screener to seal off both defenders. Then the only one left who can defend is the weak side help. Which typically means wide open corner 3 or an easy layup depending on if the Weak Side defender will leave his man. Boom Baby.

          The Pacers just arent good enough to execute this type of stuff on a consistent basis though.
          You can't get champagne from a garden hose.

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: game strategy / game-to-game adjustments thread

            It's where I wish we were better at moving without the ball to create better angles. We still spend too much time standing around and waiting for the ball to come from the handler instead of going to look for it.
            BillS

            A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
            Or throw in a first-round pick and flip it for a max-level point guard...

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: game strategy / game-to-game adjustments thread

              i'd like to see more of the two-man game that danny and david do. best shooter and low post player together.

              the low post fronting will be a problem. MIA has good quickness and recovers well to the basket. a lob inside has to be high enough to clear the fronter [?] and quick enough to get there before the help arrives. small margin for error there.

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: game strategy / game-to-game adjustments thread

                Since we are a deeper team and have the ability to throw fresh bodies at the Heat, I would like to see us pressure the ball handler full court on every possession. When Lebron is playing point, I'd like to see Dahntay inserted with his fresh legs to make Lebron work all the way up and down the court for 4 or 5 possessions in a row (with the caveat that once he hits half court, space may need to be given to make sure he doesn't just drive by). Our two point guards are going to play less than 30 minutes each for the game, so they should be fresh enough to pressure Chalmers or Cole full court.

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                • #9
                  Re: game strategy / game-to-game adjustments thread

                  One of the keys is our big men must push the defender out from the basket as far as he can. The passer must get below the foul line extended. You also want to flash another player to the top of the key to pass the ball into the post if the corner pass isn't available. Would love to have either Roy or David flash to the top of the key and throw it in to the other from the top.

                  Also the guard, small forward has to be willing to penetrate the baseline.

                  I do expect the Heat to continue fronting.

                  Quick player and ball movement is needed to beat the Heat's defense. and shot selection is key.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: game strategy / game-to-game adjustments thread

                    The second pass is what kills a quick helping defense.

                    Lob to Roy and he then quickly hits a cutter or a spot-up shooter, left alone by the man helping out? Roy is a better passer than 90% of big men so that is in principle an way to attack with a relatively strong asset.
                    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


                    • #11
                      Re: game strategy / game-to-game adjustments thread

                      Originally posted by Slick Pinkham View Post
                      Please, no ref discussions, no discussions about lack of respect from the media, or choking, lobbying the league office, or star power favored by Stern- there are 5 threads filled with this.

                      some thoughts to ponder:

                      2) How do we deal with the hard traps that bogged down our offense late in the 1st Q and all 2nd Q in game 2 and much of game 1?
                      i think this will improve as the series goes on. One of the Pacer weakness is the inexperience of the young players. When a team does something new, they don't always know how to deal with it. But the young players are easily coached. They want to do what frank vogel tells them to do. The film study of the traps and discussion of how to react should take care of most problems there. There are only so many ways the Heat can trap. As the young guys learn what to do, they problems with the traps should go away. Unless the Heat find a weakness in the Pacer lineup. or a plan that the Pacers just cannot solve. But absent something like that, things should be better as the series goes on.


                      Be interesting to see which coach panic first and starts to use the end of his bench because nothing else is working. Saw some of that in game 2, the Heat were looking at guys that probably shouldn't play. They went 10 guys deep with lots of 10 min playing times. That starting to look like a coach in search of a miracle.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: game strategy / game-to-game adjustments thread

                        Quote:-----------
                        The Heat — as they always do — showed hard and trapped the ball handler on high screens, but in addition to that, they came up with a way to also trap West as he caught the ball after setting a screen. The Heat were trapping twice in a row and relying on their perimeter defenders’ speed to rotate out of these traps. The strategy was extremely effective.
                        ----------------
                        http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-tr...-pick-and-pops

                        It is a very good article appeared in the other thread. I thought it is appropriate to add into the discussion here.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: game strategy / game-to-game adjustments thread

                          I think you have all hit mostly on what the starters must do.

                          Key to me, tonight, is Darren Collison. I called him the unsung hero of Tuesday's game. He was quietly efficient and hitting key mid-range jumpers in transition. I don't think the Heat bench have the quickness or skill to keep him from getting past the perimeter. His efficiency in the mid-range game and ability to see open players if he starts drawing defenders as a result will be key to some tight stretches of this game.

                          Also, Hill has to play a lot better overall than he did on Tuesday.

                          So, yeah. PGs. You know what you're probably going to get out of Hibbert, Granger, West, George by now. PGs still a ?.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: game strategy / game-to-game adjustments thread

                            Just out of curiosity, why are so many focused on getting PG going offensively? Let him focus on defense and he has actually hit a couple 3s already this series, I don't see any reason to force feed him the ball. His defense needs to fuel his offense and only he can control that.


                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: game strategy / game-to-game adjustments thread

                              Originally posted by graphic-er View Post
                              If they front the post, then that immediately leaves them out of position to defend the drive, as the big man that is being fronted should be able to easily seal off his man from the basket. So the player who normally throws the post entry pass, should instead drive and try to use the big man as a screener to seal off both defenders. Then the only one left who can defend is the weak side help. Which typically means wide open corner 3 or an easy layup depending on if the Weak Side defender will leave his man. Boom Baby.

                              The Pacers just arent good enough to execute this type of stuff on a consistent basis though.
                              Collison can make this play if we give him the opportunity, Danny can do it occassionally too, as well as Hill. We just don't have a guy like Lebron who could do it every time.


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