SB Nation User Blog: spstevenson

IC Cold Links: Recaps Of Indiana's Loss To Boston; Watson Asks For Consistent Offensive Style

spstevenson — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 13:12:33 -0000

More photos » by Elise Amendola - AP

Luther Head tries to create some offensive magic in the middle of the paint during the Pacers' loss to Boston Tuesday.

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Let's jump right into the links that recap the Pacers' 103-94 loss to Boston on Tuesday:

AP Story
NBA.com Recap/Box Score
Photo Gallery
The Pacers.com Inside the Game recaps Tuesday's loss in Boston, while noting that the blue and gold has dropped 15 of 19 games since jumping out to a 5-3 start this season. The post also gives a quote from coach Jim O'Brien trying to find something positive in the recent struggles: "I think the positive thing is we're in games against Orlando on the road, San Antonio on the road, the Celtics on the road without Danny Granger. I tend to take that as a positive."
Mike Wells recaps the game for the Indy Star, noting that the Pacers failed on both ends of the court in crunch time against the Celtics. The story also contains an interesting tidbit from new starting point guard Earl Watson. The pg notes that the change in offensive style in the fourth quarter isn't helping the team. Watson said: "Every game is different, but sometimes in the fourth quarter you can overanalyze things. I think we need to just play and continue to do the things we did in the first three quarters instead of trying to change the style of play."
In his notebook dump, Wells also fills us in on Ray Allen's pursuit for breaking Pacers legend Reggie Miller's 3-point record, an update on Jeff Foster's injury and the latest on Marquis Daniels.
Wells also posted a blog update asking fans to list their trade ideas and theories on who the Pacers could bring in before the trade deadline.
Eight Points, Nine Seconds previewed the Pacers-Celts matchup here.
If you need a Boston perspective on last night's loss, here are some sources: CelticsBlog, ESPN Boston, The Patriot Ledger and Bob Ryan of the Boston Globe.

Video highlights after the jump.

Celtics 103, Pacers 94: Indiana Blows Seventh Double-Digit Lead Of Season In Loss To Boston

spstevenson — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 02:56:08 -0000

More photos » by Elise Amendola - AP

Ahh, got to love the shots of Indiana Pacers players, such as Solomon Jones here, reaching frantically to stay in reach of a loose ball. This is the seventh time a picture of this kind has been metaphorically linked to the Pacers being just out of reach of holding a double-digit lead and gaining a loss this season.

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There's something about playing the Boston Celtics that brings out a tenacious, ball-hungry and shot-making Indiana Pacers team. And then, there's something about a fourth quarter that always brings out the true identity of the blue and gold.

After cruising to a 15-point halftime lead behind the spirited play of Earl Watson and Troy Murphy, the Pacers figured out another way to throw away a double-digit lead for the seventh time this season. Playing against one of the league's best, the Pacers turned the ball over (seven of the team's 19 TO's occurred in the fourth) coupled with a three-minute shooting slump that allowed Paul Pierce and the Celtics to stage a comeback 103-94 victory and hand the Pacers their fourth straight loss.

It was just another game where the Pacers jumped out to a big lead. Watson and Murphy helped lead the offense early as Murphy was dropping a slick-looking stroke from the outside, and even dropped a few moves in the post en route to his 24 points and season-high 18 boards. Watson, who started at the point for the third straight game, looked like he had all but locked up hearing his name in the starting unit after his stellar first half. All of his 18 points came in the half that helped extend a Pacers' 28-21 first-quarter lead to a 15-point advantage by halftime.

But even the most casual Pacers observer could see the second half unfold before it happened. With the Celtics trailing 66-54 in the third, the green rolled out 13 straight points (with Ray Allen dropping nine of them) to take the team's first lead of the game with 4:45 left in the third quarter.

Boston, playing without star Kevin Garnett who missed the game with a right thigh bruise, was led by Pierce's fourth-quarter outburst of seven straight unanswered points in three minutes to take the game from an 86-86 tie with 6:41 remaining to help put the game out of reach.

Another blown lead. Another loss. Take from this one what you want. At least the team didn't get blown to smithereens in the confines of one of the best teams in the league. But it was another case of not having enough firepower down the stretch. After Luther Head dropped the first two points of the fourth quarter, only Troy Murphy had anything going down the stretch. Murph was the only Pacer to score from the nine-minute mark to the three-minute point. Per usual, the Pacers have plenty of weapons in the first half, but those weapons start shooting blanks in crunchtime. Maybe it's a case of youth, inexperience and lack of talent, but the Pacers will continue to drop big leads until problems like this are fixed. And that's not even mentioning the team's defense in the fourth. Moving on...

Check out the jump for more notes about the loss and add your thoughts on the game.

Earl Watson is not letting go of his starting position, and Luther Head is gaining steam to be his consistent backup. Watson played 36 minutes tonight as he led the team from the point by shooting 6-of-13 from the field, grabbing seven rebounds, dishing six assists and finishing with 18 points (all of which came in the first half). Minus the five turnovers and his play in the final two minutes (one missed 3-pointer, two fouls and a botched pass), Watson continues to impress. Head used his 17 minutes to add seven points. As for T.J. Ford..
...the former starting pg made it known in the Indianapolis Star this morning that he was obviously unhappy about how his season has played out, but that he accepts whatever role is dealt to him. On Tuesday, Ford was given even a more limited portion of playing time. Ford had six points and two turnovers in 12 minutes, and even that seemed like too much playing time. With Watson playing well enough (although it's still obviously not on par with Rajon Rondo's of the league) and Head creeping into the rotation, Ford's role could get murkier and murkier. Nothing like a good point guard controversy to keep things interesting during a bad season. Nothing wrong with some drama.
Pierce finished with 21 points, going 12 for 13 from the free throw line. Kendrick Perkins scored 19 points to go with eight rebounds, and Rasheed Wallace finished with nine points and 13 rebounds.
The back-to-back games hurt Mike Dunleavy, who might have been bothered by his knee tonight after playing 30 extensive minutes against the Bucks on Monday. He only mustered 19 minutes of play and his six points aren't going to be making any highlight reels. Tyler Hansbrough, another player who still must be watched in back-to-back situations, was also only on the court for 19 minutes. He grabbed five boards and put in two points.
The loss drops the Pacers to a 9-18 record, ranking them 13th in the Eastern Conference along with the fifth-worst record in the NBA. Indiana has an extended break over the X-mas holiday. The team returns to action on Saturday against Atlanta.

IC Cold Links: Watson, Jones Given Vote Of Confidence By Coach

spstevenson — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 18:51:35 -0000

More photos » by Delcia Lopez - AP

T.J. Ford goes for the layup in the Pacers loss to the Spurs on Saturday. Ford was replaced in the starting lineup by Earl Watson.

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Earl Watson and Dahntay Jones were handed starting jobs against the Spurs on Saturday as a gesture for how well the two have played off the bench. It was also made to give the Pacers a chance at an upset in San Antonio. It almost worked.

After taking over the spots of T.J. Ford and Brandon Rush, the new starting backcourt were asked to do what they do best -- bring energy and defensive toughness to the starting unit. Although the two didn't produce glamorous offensive stats (and Ford finished the fourth quarter on the court), the duo helped the starting unit keep up with the Spurs' starters, only being outscored by two points. It was a far cry from the 100-54 lashing that the starters gave up to Memphis on Friday.

Coach Jim O'Brien explained his reasoning to the Indy Star before the game: "Earl deserves a look. We're trying to change some things up. He has the best plus-minus on the team. We're starting Dahntay because we want to start the game with as much defensive toughness as we can. [Watson] deserves a very, very solid look because the difference he makes off the bench is a dramatic one. Now he's playing against the other team's second unit. We understand that. We'll see how he does in the starting lineup."

Ford and Rush both benefited from playing against the Spurs' second string, while also playing with slashers and passers such as Mike Dunleavy and Tyler Hansbrough on the bench. In the Pacers' 100-99 loss, Watson had three points on 1-for-5 shooting and five assists, while Ford tossed in 14 points with five assists. Jones scored three points on free throws, while Rush went 4-for-8 for nine points in 28 minutes.

The ultimate stat, however, is that this lineup was able to come within one point of taking down the Spurs in San Antonio. After the shellacking that took place in Memphis, something needed to happen to spice up this team. We'll get a chance to see if JOB sticks with his new starting backcourt when the blue and gold return home to play the Bucks on Monday.

Check out the jump for more links.

Box Score
AP Story
NBA.com Recap
The Pacers Inside the Game post recaps the highlights and stats of the Pacers loss in San Antonio. T.J. Ford gave the following quote after the game about his potential game-winning basket: "You're going to make some and you're going to miss some. The coaches and my teammates have the belief that I can get that shot off. I got it up...I had the opportunity...but it just fell short."
Jeff Rabjohns reported from Texas about the Pacers missing a big opportunity to topple one of the league's best franchises.
In his Indy Star notebook, Rabjohns tackles Roy Hibbert's big game against Tim Duncan, local star George Hill's play with the Spurs, and Jeff Foster's return to Texas.
The San Antonio News-Express recaps the game from the Spurs' perspective. Also, check out the massive game thread over at SB Nation's Pounding the Rock.
Jared Wade offers up an interview about the Pacers for Project Spurs as a preview for Saturday's game. You can check out the first couple of questions at Eight Points, Nine Seconds.
Troy Murphy is being linked to some trade rumors featured here on Cleveland.com.
Fox Sports' Charley Rosen conducts an analysis of the Pacers' roster after their loss to the Grizzlies. Final analysis: good guys, bad team.
The New York Post follows Jonathan Bender's triumphant return to the NBA with the Knicks. Bender had nine points, two rebounds and one blocked shot in helping New York's second unit overcome a huge deficit.

IC Cold Links: Hansbrough Gets Hometown Crowd In Memphis

spstevenson — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 14:57:07 -0000

More photos » by Lance Murphey - AP

Mike Dunleavy, O.J. Mayo and Tyler Hansbrough chase down a loose ball during the Pacers' loss Friday. Hansbrough had a large following in the FedEx Forum as nearly 1,500 fans from Poplar Bluff attended the game.

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It wasn't exactly no place like home, but Indiana Pacers rookie Tyler Hansbrough was as close as he is going to get last night.

In the Pacers 107-94 loss to the Grizzlies Friday, Hansbrough played to a crowd of his hometown faithful who made the trip from Poplar Bluff, Missouri, to the confines of the FedEx Forum in Memphis. Jeff Rabjohns of the IndyStar estimated that nearly 1,500 people from the small town crowded the arena to get a look at their favorite son. It's a 2 1/2 hour drive from Poplar Bluff to Memphis.

Here's Hansbrough after the game: "It's exciting to see everybody from my hometown coming out supporting me. It means a lot. There are people out there I haven't seen in a while."

Hansbrough played 22 minutes, went 4-of-13 from the field for 14 points and four rebounds. Check out more links after the jump.

AP Story
NBA.com Recap/Box Score
Photo Gallery
The Pacers Inside The Game looks into how the Pacers blew a first-half lead by managing only five points in a 10-minute span that allowed Memphis to take control of the game.
Indianapolis Star reporter Jeff Rabjohns recaps the game by focusing on the exploits of local legends Zach Randolph and Mike Conley against their hometown team. It was linked before the jump, but Rabjohns' notebook has a lot of good stuff about news surrounding last night's game.
Rabjohns took over the Pacers Insider blog and reported on Mike Dunleavy and Troy Murphy struggling from beyond the arc in last night's game.
Andrew Perna of Real GM looks into the blue and gold's recent success without star Danny Granger in the lineup.
Eight Points, Nine Seconds previewed yesterday's matchup against the Grizz, while Always Miller Time sets us up nicely for today's tilt with the Spurs.

IC Cold Links: Reserves Lead Pacers To Another Victory With Big Second, Fourth Quarters

spstevenson — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 05:12:32 -0000

More photos » by Evan Vucci - AP

Brandon Rush attacks the basket during the Pacers thrilla-in-Washington win Saturday evening.

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The Indiana Pacers bench players are crushing teams. They are on a seven-game winning streak and should be heading toward a spot in April's NBA playoffs.

But, after toppling the Wizards with a 49-29 advantage off the bench, the Pacers are still only 8-13 after escaping out of Washington with a nail-biting finish for the blue and gold's second straight win. While the bench attempts to the lead the team to victories, the starters pulls the team in the other direction. The bench continues to outplay the starters. As Mike Wells wrote in his notebook today, the second unit scored 49 points, 17 assists and nine rebounds against the Wiz. In the past three games, the bench consisting of Mike Dunleavy, Tyler Hansbrough, Luther Head, Earl Watson and Jeff Foster have combined for 136 points, 55 rebounds and 34 assists, and have outscored its past seven bench opponents, 293-196.

There are four prominent reasons that the starters continue to get outplayed by the team's bench guys: 1) The starters are playing the opposing team's starters, a definite disadvantage for a starting unit playing without its all-star Danny Granger; 2) T.J. Ford is still starting, a definite disadvantage for any unit that the point guard inhabits, at least until he finally lives up to his billing as a leader and provides some much-needed stability at his roster spot. Until then, he continues to disappoint (including another team-high -13 in the +/- stat department last night which bumps his season total to another team high, -123);

3) The starters are on the bench in the fourth quarter. Last night, Hansbrough, Dunleavy (the free-throw savior with 0.1 seconds remaining) and Watson were killers in the final minutes; and 4) There's this thing called defense and the starters aren't playing it. The starting unit gave up 76 points in the first and third quarters combined. The Pacers gave up less in the second and fourth quarters combined (37 points) than the team did in just one of the other two periods. Obviously, these quarters are played with a mix of both units, but the tone of the quarter is set in the first few minutes and can be maintained for the remaining minutes of the stazna. The bench is setting a good tone in their quarters.

Coach Jim O'Brien on his team's spirited bench play: "I think that they know they are important and we have confidence in them to succeed. Generally you're playing against the other team's bench and I think they're hungry. Earl has done a good job."

The starters, and bench, will have a big challenge come Monday when the team visits the Magic. Watson moved from the bench unit to the starting point guard spot at the start of the second half during Saturday's win. It will be interesting to see if Watson's move is permanent and whether any other changes will occur before Monday's game. Check out the jump for more links.

Box Score
Photo Gallery
AP Story
NBA.com Recap
The Inside the Game report from Pacers.com gives us some good quotables from after last night's crazy finish. Here's coach Jim O'Brien: "It was one for the ages. A great win for us to be able to get that and scratch out everything we did at the end ... I'm real proud of our guys. To scratch out a back-to-back on the road says a lot about the toughness our guys are starting to develop. We feel very lucky to get out of here with a W."
Mike Wells writes about Dunleavy's dedication in the gym during his rehabilitation which helped lead him to casually dropping the two game-winning free throws. Dunleavy told Wells, "Forget thinking about it in the driveway as a kid, I was thinking about that scenario lying in the hospital bed. It's all you think about, being able to have a chance to win it at the end." Wells also noted that Dunleavy played three minutes past his 24-minute restriction. O'Brien said there was "no way" he would take Dunleavy out of the game in the final two minutes because of the limit. Stick that in your pipe and smoke it you medical bastards.
In his Pacers Insider post, Wells talks more about Dunleavy, some tidbits on Ford's amazing performance (including a 1-of-9 fourth-quarter shooting display), and more on Troy Murphy's change in his offensive approach.
Wells also reported in his notebook that Dahntay Jones, who left the game midway through the fourth quarter, reported that he had a sore hip and shoulder after the game. Jones said he was "sore, but I'll be fine."
Always Miller Time gives a take on the fun win for Pacers fans.
Wizards fans apparently didn't find the last call to be...well, fair. The Washington Examiner decided that it was a call that would "be debated until the end of eternity". Nothing like a flair for the dramatic. The Washington Post puts the blame more squarely on the Wizards for blowing their lead in their final two minutes. Also, a recap from the Washington Times.
Sports Illustrated's Ian Thomsen has an interesting read about his recent discussions with the commish, David Stern, about the future of the league including a more lenient zone defense, legalized gambling on the NBA and the potential lockout.

Pacers 114, Wizards 113: Whirlwind Finish Ends As Mike Dunleavy's Free Throws Ice Victory

spstevenson — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 03:58:48 -0000

More photos » by Evan Vucci - AP

Mike Dunleavy ties the game with one-tenths of a second remaining after being fouled on an in-bounds play. His second free throw gave the Pacers a 114-113 victory.

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Don't believe the text messages or the e-mail alerts. Don't believe the scoreboards on your cell phones.

When the hoards of e-alerts went circling around cyberspace that the Indiana Pacers had seemingly dropped a one-point loss to the Wizards Saturday, fans who believed the initial warning were in for a special treat -- a Pacers win.

In a finale that brought back memories of last year's miraculous finish against the Cavs, it took several replays, a controversial foul and two Mike Dunleavy free throws with 0.1 seconds remaining for the Pacers to nab a 114-113 win in Washington. The win was the team's second in a row and snapped a six-game losing streak on the road.

Are we ready to recap this? Take a deep breath because here we go right into the thick of things in the final seconds. Gilbert Arenas clanks two free throws with 6.6 seconds left in the game and the Wiz up, 113-112. On the rebound, the Pacers are forced to make something happen quickly as the team has no timeouts hanging around in coach Jim O'Brien's pocket, so T.J. Ford decides it's his game to win/lose.

The guard takes it coast-to-coast, flings up a layup that sails beyond the goal, but Washington's Brandon Haywood decides he'd like to keep this game going and tips the ball out-of-bounds with 0.0 seconds on the clock. This is when all those alerts hit the airwaves. Game over. Pacers lose.

But, occasionally there's a deity out there that feels sorry about The Brawl and sends some luck toward Indy. After a referee review, it's determined there are actually 0.5 seconds left in the game. The Pacers pull out a page from their past and lob the ball to Dunleavy in the paint, hoping to draw the foul or luck into an easy bucket. Dun's does what he does best -- draws the foul on Haywood. Wizards fans boo. Pacers fans cheer. After another review to make sure that the foul occurred in regulation, Dunleavy stepped to the line and drained two free throws with 0.1 left on the clock and iced the win.

Wizards fans boo (particularly a nutjob behind the scorer's table). Pacers fans cheer. A new batch of alerts are sent out. The end.

That's a lot of junk that happened in just six seconds, but this game was chalk-full of fun material. Check out the jump for more about the other 47 minutes, 54 seconds of this one.

T.J. Ford wanted to be the goat of this game, really, really badly. The starting point guard (well, of the first half...Ford was demoted for Earl Watson at the start of the third quarter) had only two assists (eight less than Watson), two turnovers and 6-of-16 shooting from the field heading into the final minutes. Read our game thread and you can see the gang readying with fire-lit torches and heading to Conseco to rid themselves of the point guard monster. And it got worse before it got better. With just under two minutes remaining in the game and the Pacers down four with the ball, Ford circumvented the entire perimeter of the court for an isolated pick-and-roll situation with Troy Murphy. Ford then lobbed the ball to the post to the rolling Murphy. The problem? Murph was still setting the pick. The turnover then led to an Earl Boykins jumper (which was made as Ford tried to recover defensively on the weakside), sending the Pacers back six and into a timeout, their last of the game which would effect the finale and yada, yada ,yada...the Pacers miraculously win the game. Needless to say, this stretch of time resulted hair-pulling, tongue-lashing at Ford from my couch. But, we won, so until next time.
Troy Murphy had a heck of a game, unloading 28 points and grabbing 12 rebounds in 39 minutes. Even more impressive was Mike Dunleavy's line of 24 points, five assists, three steals and two game-winning free throws in 26 minutes. It'll be great to get Mike out there for another 10 minutes per game. His cutting, quick-release shots and leadership are top of the pops right now. Jim O'Brien said after the game: ""Troy (Murphy) was terrific but Michael (Dunleavy)'s line, for not having played many games, was terrific. Those two clutch foul shots didn't even move the net. It says a lot for him."
According to Pacers.com, Indiana's bench outscored its seventh straight opponent. The blue and gold's second unit toppled the Wiz's bench, 49-29.
Rookie Tyler Hansbrough was clutch in the fourth quarter tonight and may have cemented his role of being on-the-court during crunch-time moments.He scored twice down the stretch in the final minutes and dropped 13 of his 19 points in the fourth while playing like a controlled madman in the post.
Dahntay Jones left the game midway through the fourth quarter when he landed hard on a dunk attempt. The Pacers said he was diagnosed with a right shoulder contusion. In his place, JOB implemented a version of last year's Jarrett Jack-T.J. Ford backcourt with a Earl Watson-T.J. Ford lineup. I gotta say, I feel much more at ease watching games with Ford at the two-guard spot and Watson controlling the ball.
What a difference a quarter makes. After giving up 38 first-quarter points to the Wizards, the Pacers defense made a late-appearance and held the home team to just 14 points in the second, allowing the blue and gold to garner a 66-52 halftime advantage. The bad news, of course, was that the Pacers blew that lead by giving up 38 points again the third quarter.
Gilbert Arenas torched the Pacers for his first triple-double (22 points, 11 assists, 10 rebounds) in 5 years.
Dunleavy crushed a half-court heave at the end of the first quarter to keep the Pacers within two at the end of the first period. The shot helped swing the momentum heading into the Pacers' critical second quarter.

IC Cold Links: Hansbrough, Dunleavy Will See More Minutes

spstevenson — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 05:07:28 -0000

More photos » by Ron Hoskins - NBAE via Getty Images

Tyler Hansbrough blows by the Nets during the Pacers first win in, like, forever.

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Rookie Tyler Hansbrough and veteran Mike Dunleavy nearly have the official green light. Right now, it's still at a cautionary yellow, but that could soon change as well.

After both were restricted for several weeks with limited minutes of under 20 per game, Friday's victory against the Nets brought to light that the Indiana Pacers medical staff has made the decision to decrease the minute restriction and allow for more playing time. Mike Wells reported in his notebook today that both players now have a ceiling of 24 minutes per contest. Dunleavy is recovering from a knee injury, while Hansbrough is still rehabilitating his injured shin.

Maybe it wasn't just having more minutes, but Hansbrough took full advantage of the increased amount of time he spent on the court Friday. The rook dropped 21 points and three steals, while Dunleavy compiled 15 points off the bench. Coach Jim O'Brien on Hansbrough: "He was playing as well as anybody on the team (tonight). We're fortunate he got kicked up another four minutes. His intensity on the court was something we needed."

Hopefully we'll continue to see these minute restrictions go by the way-side through the month of December. We'll see tonight if the minute restriction is any different for Dunleavy and Hansbrough during the second game of a back-to-back. Not only does the lessening of the minute restriction help in games, but hopefully both can contribute and participate more in practice situations as well.

More links after the jump, but before we link it up, here's Hansbrough's reaction to his great game and the team's struggles of late: "I felt good and it felt good to get a win tonight," Hansbrough said. "This win does not erase the losses that we had, but it sure helps out. It's very frustrating to lose but I have to keep working and we have to keep working on our game to get better. We showed up tonight, played hard and won. We see what can happen when you keep pushing and helping each other out. It was a good win and we want it to carry over to tomorrow."

Box Score
Photo Gallery
AP Story
NBA.com Recap
The Pacers.com Inside the Game where the Stat of the Night was represented by the Pacers holding the Nets to 4-of-20 shooting in the fourth quarter, including 12 misses in a row to start the quarter. Wam, bam, thank ma'am. Other interesting stat was this one -- starters scoring: Nets 68, Pacers 60. Hey, it's an improvement. We can live with that as long as the bench keeps playing the way it does. With Dunleavy's minute restriction starting to increase, we may see him in the starting lineup sooner rather than later.
Mike Wells notes that it was the happiest of birthdays for the Pacers big man yesterday as Roy "Hungry Hungry" Hibbert went on a feeding frenzy for 20 points, nine rebounds and three blocks. Wells quoted Hibbert, who sank an uncharacteristic 3-pointer late in the game, about his apparently uncanny and lethal ability at draining 3's with the shot clock winding down. "In practice sometimes I win shooting H-O-R-S-E, so I feel I can shoot from out there," Hibbert said about his first 3-pointer of the season.
In his Pacers Insider post, Wells writes that even though Friday's victory was over the league-worst Nets, well, sometimes a win is just win.
Examiner's John Oehser provides his recap from the game, and Josh Dhani of Always Miller Time also add his two cents worth here.
Get the Nets perspective of the game from Nets Are Scorching and The Star-Ledger.
If you're in the Muncie area or spending a day visiting the confines of my alma mater's Journalism Building next week, you'll be able to catch the Pacers Fan Van at Ball State University on Tuesday. Students, faculty and staff at BSU can show their ID for a free t-shirt as the blue and gold arrive on campus to promote College Night. Check out more info at the BSU Daily News.
Preview for tonight's matchup against the Wiz.

Starters Continue To Get Outplayed, Outscored During Losing Streak

spstevenson — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 13:06:07 -0000

More photos » by Darron Cummings - AP

Tyler Hansbrough and the rest of the bench has been keeping the Pacers in games, while the starters have been helping the team add up losses.

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They are the players that set the tone. From start to finish, the players who get their names called under the bright lights and rip off their warm-ups first are there for a reason. To compete and get the team off to a good start.

For the Indiana Pacers, the starting lineup is not getting the job done.

In the six-game losing streak, which increased last night after a 102-91 loss to the Blazers, the starters have been outscored 443-314, an average deficit of 21.5 per game. Seven players have cycled in and out of the starting gig during those six games. The culprits? Let's see the lineup: Danny Granger (five games), T.J. Ford (6), Dahntay Jones (4), Brandon Rush (3), Troy Murphy (6), Roy Hibbert (4) and Jeff Foster (2). The starters were outscored 72-51 last night, and it didn't help that the unit gave up the tied game that the bench climbed back for midway through the fourth. As Tom pointed out during his recap, Brandon Roy probably would have destroyed the bench just as well as he pummeled the starters down the stretch. but the starters were there when the possible win waved bye-bye.

With each game, it's taken an unsung bench player to keep the Pacers within striking distance and keep hope alive. It was rookies Tyler Hansbrough and A.J. Price last night. On other nights, Earl Watson and Mike Dunleavy have stepped up.

Coach Jim O'Brien commended his second unit after Thursday's loss: "I thought they played with a great deal of energy and gave us good tempo. I thought A.J. (Price) did a real good job for us. He's played at a very high level in practice and he's a very mature user of the pick and roll and he's a guy that can shoot the three off the pick and roll."

It's very difficult, as we've seen, to win in the NBA when your starters are treated by opponents like a JV squad and your bench is spending all of its energy trying to claw back into a hopeless game. For the starters, a possible quick cure is arriving at Conseco "Reggie Miller" Fieldhouse on Friday -- the Nets. More links after the jump.

AP Story
Box Score
Photo Gallery
NBA.com Recap
Pacers.com dishes out the quotes and +/- in the latest Inside the Game edition. We'll let guard Dahntay Jones explain this one: "We had a problem with the pick and roll and did not defend very well against it. Couldn't stop it. We've go to learn to finish the ball game a little better. So it's back to the drawing board and get this thing turned around. Losing is not fun." Jones scored a team-high 19 points, but only put two through the hoop in the final 18 minutes of play.
Mike Wells recaps the game as he notes that the Pacers are definitely one All-Star short of competing with the likes of Brandon Roy and the Blazers.
IndyStar columnist Bob Kravitz says that Danny Granger's injury has given the greenlight for Brandon Rush and that we'll know now if he's a bust or not. Kravitz extended his streak of mentioning Shawne Williams in a Pacers-related column to a career-high 25 consecutive pieces.
John Oehser covered the game for his Examiner page.
Here are some previews to the Blazers-Pacers matchup that were posted yesterday: Eight Points, Nine Seconds and Always Miller Time.
Wells posted on his Pacers Insider page about the great game for rookie A.J. Price.
SB Nation's Blazers Edge had the game covered from the enemy's perspective. Rip City Project also chimed in with a recap and Jason Quick covered the game for The Oregonian.
And as the Pacers continue to increase their chances of getting lucky in the lottery, check out the recap of John Wall's performance against UConn last night. Oh yeah, we're already there.

Pacers Return Home As Granger Receives MRI Today In Indy

spstevenson — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 14:44:53 -0000

More photos » by Lori Shepler - AP

Earl Watson and the other Pacers role players will have to step it up again as Danny Granger could miss some game time while healing latest injury.

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When somebody tries to define what a "bad" road trip means, they will look at the Indiana Pacers first trip to the West Coast during the 09-10 season. Disaster may be a better description.

Bad losses, season lows on offense and defense, players that disappeared like farts in the wind and another bite by the injury bug has left this Pacers team in shambles as it heads back to Indianapolis today. After dropping an 88-72 defeat to the Clippers on Saturday, Indiana has now lost nine of its past 10 games. Coupled with the loss of Danny Granger and things are looking bleak in Indy. There isn't much to hang your hat on here.

Nobody was sure after the game what the extent of Granger's injury could mean for the immediate future. The star went lame in the opening minute of the third quarter and fell to the ground before being carried off the floor. The injury was diagnosed as a re-aggravation of his bruised right heel, an injury that has plagued him all season long. Mike Wells reported that Granger is expected to get an MRI today and that he left the arena last night with a walking boot on his right foot.

Asked about the injury, coach Jim O'Brien said that Granger was "a key guy". Thanks, Jim. The blue and gold have three days off until they play a Greg Oden-less Portland on Wednesday. Granger, who has only been playing in games and not practicing for several weeks as he tries to rest the heel, would presumably be smart to take some time off to get this thing fixed. At this point, the team is in such disarray that him playing on a bum heel and not getting any better doesn't make much sense. Hopefully we'll learn more today or Monday.

Check out the jump for more links.

AP Story
Box Score
Photo Gallery
NBA.com Recap
Mike Wells recaps the game as he notes that the Pacers are frustrated and unsure about what's going on with this team after a terrible Western road trip.
In the Wells notebook article, fans learn that coach Jim O'Brien is concerned with team's offensive struggles. Are we sure that "concerned" is the right word? Terrified? Perturbed? Appalled? Here's what JOB told Wells before Saturday's season-low 72-point game: "We have a lack of recognizing that when we move we're hard to guard. The fact that we don't move all the time is not good. We're so successful in a movement. When we stand and run set plays, we struggle. It's the same pattern that we had last year. It's trying to figure out the rotation with the guys coming in and out the lineup."
The Pacers Inside The Game team must have had a difficult time trying to choose a Player of the Game for this one. The story features an ~~interesting~~ sickening Stat of the Night: "In back-to-back losses to the Jazz and Clippers, the Pacers were outrebounded 111-72 and outscored 34-3 on second-chance points."
Jared Wade of Eight Points, Nine Seconds is not a happy camper and he vented his frustration about the Pacers lack of offense in a recap of last night's game.
Wells' blog post gives us insight into who he would start as the Pacers coach: T.J. Ford, Dahntay Jones, Mike Dunleavy, Danny Granger and Roy Hibbert.
Always Miller Time sums up the Pacers week in a picture.
Clippers Blog and Clips Nation had the game covered from the Clippers perspective.
And your latest on Indianapolis-native Greg Oden's season-ending injury courtesy of ESPN.com.

Clippers 88, Pacers 72: Granger Leaves Game As Indiana Crumbles Late Without Star Guard

spstevenson — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 07:34:28 -0000

More photos » by Lori Shepler - AP

Danny Granger left Saturday's game at the beginning of the second half and did not return as the Pacers dropped another loss.

Browse more photos »

If only Jimmy Chitwood could have donned his Hickory High jersey and played the second half with the Indiana Pacers on Saturday night. The actor who played the Hoosiers icon sat courtside as the Pacers put on another disaster of a performance during the waning minutes in their final game of a Western road trip.

After trailing by only two points at halftime, star Danny Granger reinjured his bruised right heel at the start of the second half and although the blue and gold hung around until the fourth, the injury helped sealed the team's fate. Even Chitwood couldn't have stopped the ensuing collapse.

The Pacers committed 21 turnovers, made only 37.5 percent from the floor, produced a season-low point total and lost for the ninth time in their last 10 games as the Clippers steamrolled the blue and gold in the final seven minutes en route to a 88-72 Pacers loss. The young season reached another low point for the Pacers (6-12).

With 2:38 remaining in the third quarter, rookie Tyler Hansbrough's two free throws brought the Pacers within two as the Cips led 56-54. Indiana would remain in the game until midway through the fourth quarter when an Earl Watson layup brought the Paces within two again with 6:54 remaining in the game. Unfortunately, Indiana would score only four more points in the final seven minutes. Three crucial turnovers, including a 24-second violation, and several clankers off the basket showed some glaring holes in the Pacers offense down the stretch. Granger's playmaking ability was sorely missed as the team was left without anyone to take over the game.

While the Pacers' offense went comatose in the final minutes, the defense and rebounding was also to blame. All five Clippers starters scored in double figures. Marcus Camby also grabbed 17 rebounds, helping Los Angeles to a 58-34 rebounding advantage, including a 19-4 edge on the offensive end. Both totals were season highs for the Clippers.

Indiana finished its Western road trip with an unimpressive and disheartening 0-4 record. This game was really a downer in the fourth. Just read some of our fan's reactions on the game thread. This one was got ugly, quickly. Check out more after the jump, if you dare.

Before leaving the game with his injury, Granger made 4-of-12 shots for 11 points. He had a couple of nice, forceful drives in the first half, but he was mostly a nonfactor before the injury anyway. Clippers center Chris Kaman said the following about the Pacers star: "He was not playing well tonight," Kaman said of Granger. "He is a great player and does a great job for them, but we did a good job defensively. He was missing shots and then he got injured."
Troy Murphy came through with a team-high 37 minutes and team-high 13 points tonight. Yeah, that should tell you a lot about the game. Murph also grabbed a team-high nine boards.
Jeff Foster started in place of Roy Hibbert in this one, but he didn't stay on the court very long. Hibbert entered the game quickly with about eight minutes to go in the first quarter and Foster was limited to only 12 minutes. Hibbert bounced back from his past two bad performances on the road trip to score 12 points in the post. It was nice to see the team feed him the ball on the block after being neglected of late. It was Hibbert's first game in double-digits in the past nine games.
Where art thou, T.J. Ford? The starting point guard must be playing some of the worst ball that a starting NBA caliber point guard can play right now. Another listless performance left the team's leadership position at a season-low in this one. Ford had another goose egg in the points column, had two assists, two turnovers and four fouls in 18 minutes. Luckily, Earl Watson, who struggled shooting the ball, proved his worth again by dishing out nine of the team's 19 assists.
Mike Dunleavy and Hansbrough both exceeded their minute limits tonight as Dunleavy played 22 and the rookie totaled 20. Dunleavy scored 10 points off the bench.
The Pacers held the Clippers to shooting 34.9 percent from the field tonight. Indiana shot 37.9 percent from the court.
Eric Gordon, who is still struggling with injuries, started for the Clippers but scored a season-low six points on 2-for-7 shooting.