HERE BEFORE
AND NOW ONCE MORE
WE'RE BOUNCING
ROUND THE ROOM
AND NOW ONCE MORE
WE'RE BOUNCING
ROUND THE ROOM
-VS-
Game Time Start: 8:30 PM ET
Where: AmericanAirlines Arena, Miami, FL
Officials: M. McCutchen, T. Brothers, J. Phillips, Z. Zarba
Television:
Radio: WFNI 1070 AM / WAXY 790 AM, WRTO 98.3 FM
Media Notes: Indiana Notes, Miami Notes
NBA Feeds: NBA Audio League Pass (available free to NBA All-Access members)
REMINDER: Per PD policy, please do not share a link to, describe how to search for, request a link to, or request a PM about streaming video of a NBA game that is not coming directly through the NBA. Not even in a "wink-wink, nudge-nudge, know-what-I-mean" round-about sort of way. Thank you
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PACERS Danny Granger - left knee surgery (out) HEAT No injuries to report |
Jared Wade: Pacers Eliminate Knicks, Lance Stephenson Grows Immortal Game 6 was one of the best games in Pacers’ history. Sure, they won and played well, but moreover, I can’t remember the last time this team was so fun to watch. Usually, when they are at their best, the other team falls apart and they win by a landslide. See the Hawks series, or the regular season wins over the Heat. Indiana starts making shots, clamps down on defense and gets front-running. Then they bury the opponent 16-feet under, just for good measure. But Game 6 wasn’t the one-sided affair I’ve grown accustomed to seeing when the Pacers are playing high-level defense and also making shots. The Knicks were equally impressive. Well. Not “equally.” One team lost the game by seven points, and that team wasn’t the Pacers. But the Knicks were every bit the Joe Frazier to Muhammad Ali in the second half. One team was just a little bit better and did just enough things more correctly than the other. But the puncher wasn’t going nowhere, especially in the third quarter when New York hit 6-of-7 threes and out-scored Indiana 34-26 to set up this instant classic. It’s been 36 hours since this game ended. (The link we make the grades with was broken.) By now, you already know how this went down or you don’t care. The biggest takeaway is obvious. Lance Stephenson did his thing. He did your thing. And my thing. And the Pope’s thing. And Yogi Bear’s thing. He was everything to everybody. The Bulls should probably build a statue of him outside of the United Center. That good. Otherwise, it was just a really well played game — a first for this series — that was won by the better team. Because the better team played like the better team down the stretch. The Pacers were magnificent in the fourth quarter, parrying Chris Copeland threes while not letting anyone else on the Knicks get hot. In total, the Knicks made just 6- of-18 shots in the fourth. Two were Copeland treys; another was a J.R. Smith trey. The other three makes all came in the paint, but those weren’t easy to come by. Indiana only allowed New York to shoot 3-for-7 in the paint in the final quarter. On the other end, the Pacers just got it done, hitting 8-for-11 two-pointers (and 0- for-6 from deep) while getting to the line 15 times and not once turning the ball over. That’s the “smash mouth” offense that Frank Vogel has been talking about for years now. All in all, it was entertaining It was effective. It was “What We Do.” They protected the rim, forced jumpers and pounded the paint. Oddly, it almost wasn’t enough...CONTINUE READING AT 8p9s |
Jay Ramos: A comprehensive preview of the Eastern Conference Finals From Roy Hibbert's defense to David West's ability in the post, Miami has a lot to prepare for. But so do the Pacers. Let's take a look at some of the key tactical elements to keep an eye on in this series. Once we are done sensationalizing the comments of Indiana Pacers coach Frank Vogel, we can proceed to talk about the actual basketball to be played in the Eastern Conference Finals. Ready? Good. What we have is a series that is sure to challenge both teams more than they have been challenged this postseason, and from an entertainment standpoint, it's cool that there seems to be some authentic friction between the two. The Miami Heat lost two of three games to the Pacers in the regular season, but the Heat defeated Indiana in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals last postseason. Here are some of the main factors to keep an eye on. ROY HIBBERT, CHRIS BOSH, AND THE BATTLE FOR SPACE The Heat have went through Larry Sanders and Joakim Noah so far this postseason, and in Hibbert, Miami faces another rim protecting monster. But the good news is the Heat have the perfect antidote for Hibbert's desire to deter anything close to the rim: Chris Bosh. More specifically, Chris Bosh's outside shot. Hibbert is a load to deal with. Indiana's defense features sharp rotations, and Hibbert can be a disruptive presence for Miami's wings, who live at the rim. Let's look at some cuts from the Heat's Jan. 8 loss at Indiana to see how Bosh and Hibbert interact in the game. Exhibit A In one snapshot, here is an example of the types of shots Bosh will get all series. On this play, Mario Chalmers cuts backdoor on the right wing, drawing a step from Hibbert, who will never be too far out. Bosh drains it. Exhibit B In the next play, we see Hibbert active in his duties as the Pacer center. LeBron James has the ball above the arc to begin the play, which evolves into a cross screen for a Dwyane Wade post-up on the right block. After Bosh screens for Wade to receive the post entry pass, this is what we see. In the weird shape like thing in the picture, we see Hibbert and Bosh. Things are very simple for the Pacer defense at this point. Wade will post up, and Hibbert is in position to swat the ball into the stands with George Hill ready to drop down and help on Bosh if anything happens. But not so fast. Bosh slips outside to the corner, and Hibbert stays in the paint to help on Wade. He's not necessarily making the wrong decision, but he's picking his poison. David West, overlapping Hibbert in the picture, is now responsible for closing out on Bosh when Wade makes the right play and passes out. But it's too late. This is a splash. No need to cite the percentages, Bosh is one of the best mid-range shooters in the world, and for a big man, he's off the charts. These days, this long 2-pointer might be a corner 3-pointer, so Indiana could end up with more headaches here. Bosh is shooting 3-pointers liberally this postseason, and is 7-of-15 from beyond the arc through two rounds. In this case, I don't see any possible adjustment for Indiana to make. Hibbert is a great defender, but he probably can't consistently stick with Bosh on the dribble-drive, and he's better suited to stay close to the rim to deter Wade and James plays inside. Indiana will have to just hope Bosh isn't consistently knocking these down. THE THREAT OF DAVID WEST It's interesting that Paul George gets a lot of credit for budding into a really good player, and is spoken of as the player team's need to prepare for. I think the player Miami most needs to prepare for...CONTINUE READING AT HOT HOT HOOPS |
Jack Winter: Dwyane Wade He is a Changin' Time is a far more personal concept than we care to admit. A sense of control is of chief importance to us, and the ticking of clocks and turning of calendars is the aspect of life in which we lack it most. And that’s scary, not just because time means age means inevitable change, but because that amalgam forces us to step outside specific zones from which we’ve found comfort for so long. Years pass and, suddenly, everything’s different – home isn’t home and friends aren’t friends, and as you begrudgingly accept those major shifts in your life it’s necessary to assess the most fundamental means behind them. Are you still you? And the answer to that seemingly simple question is the most important factor of not only your newly realized future, but your newly assumed present, too. Does Dwyane Wade understand that reality? Even on a game-by-game basis, it’s tough to tell. But that’s the problem – that any deviation exists at all. Once we experience that initial about-face, when we finally swallow the certain change that comes with a sun that always sets, we must force ourselves to remember it every day. How else to make progress? An eye on the past can be well-served as a magnifier to best observe current and coming experience, but it must be utilized with careful prejudice. Too often aging players forget that, and play mostly as a version in line with their younger, better selves. Wade’s done an admirable and impressive thing by ceding the reigns in Miami to LeBron James while remaining a destructive two-way force. Though he’s a shell of the historically dominant player that posted a 30.5 PER in 2009, he still might be basketball’s best shooting guard… …when healthy. But Wade isn’t right now. He’s shown in the past how quickly he can flip the proverbial switch given effective treatment to his balky knees. The Pacers, for instance, remember all too well Wade’s transformative play in games 4, 5 and 6 of last year’s Eastern Conference Semifinals. That final performance against Indiana – a 41 point (17 -25 FGs), 10 rebound masterpiece – was Wade like we haven’t seen him since, ball- controlling, slicing and dicing like it was 2006. But even May 2012 was a different time, when the Heat were a different team and Wade was a different player. He hasn’t scored as many points in a game since because Miami hasn’t asked him to and he may not be capable. That’s no knock, either, just the logical progression of a still-great player now playing on the b-side of a fantastic career...CONTINUE READING AT HARDWOOD PAROXYSM |
Ian Levy: Playoff Shot Selection All season long I’ve been tracking shot selection for players and teams using the metric Expected Points Per Shot (XPPS). If you’re unfamiliar with XPPS, here are the basics: Shots from different locations are provide different value. For example, a layup has higher chance of being made than a long two-pointer, and a three-pointer earns an extra point. We refer to these different values as the expected value of a shot. XPPS looks at all the shots a player or team takes and boils that down to one average expected value per shot. Free throw attempts are included as well, so from here on out when I refer to shot attempts, I’m referring to true shot attempts (field goals and trips to the free throw line). In the end, more shots at the rim, free throws and three-pointers means a higher XPPS. More long two-pointers sends the number in the other direction. Over the past two weeks we’ve gone back and reviewed regular season numbers for both players and teams. Today I wanted to look at how each team’s shot selection has changed from the regular season to the playoffs. The graph below includes three pieces of information. Each team’s regular season XPPS is graphed on the vertical axis. Their playoff XPPS is graphed on the horizontal axis. The third piece of information I’ve included is the change in actual points per shot from regular season to the playoffs. This number is represented by the color of each mark. The first thing you’ll notice is that almost every team’s actual points per shot has decreased dramatically in the playoffs. The two exceptions are the Memphis Grizzlies and Golden State Warriors. The Warriors’ increase in efficiency came on almost the exact same quality of shots, meaning they just made slightly more of them then they did in the regular season. The Grizzlies however, have significantly improved their shot selection in the playoffs. The biggest difference has been their free throw rate. In the regular season their ratio of FTA/FGA was 0.261. In the playoffs so far it’s been 0.390. Even though their FT% has slightly declined in the playoffs, simply using more offensive possessions at the free throw line has greatly improved their offensive efficiency. In the regular season the Grizzlies averaged 16.5 made free throws per game, in the playoffs that number has soared to 23.4. Two other teams that have significantly improved their shot selection in the playoffs are the Miami Heat and the Indiana Pacers. Again this increase in expected efficiency is almost all about getting to the free throw line. In the regular season their FTA/FGA ratios were 0.297 and 0.293, respectively. So far in the playoffs those marks are 0.369 and 0.383. As these two teams head to the Eastern Conference Finals controlling this variable is going to have a huge impact on the series. Not only has it been the driving force behind each team’s offensive efficiency in the playoffs, but both teams are relatively thin in the front court. Consistent foul trouble on either side will really impact rotations and could throw both teams off offensively and defensively. On the other end of the spectrum...CONTINUE READING AT HICKORY HIGH |
Pacers Mike Wells @MikeWellsNBA Jared Wade @8pts9secs Tim Donahue @TimDonahue8p9s Tom Lewis @indycornrows Miss Bumptious @missbumptious |
Heat Brian Windhorst @windhorstESPN Tom Haberstroh @tomhaberstroh Ira Winderman @iraheatbeat Joseph Goodman @miamiheraldheat Surya Fernandez @SuryaHeatNBA |
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