Alone at the top

The Pacers remained the NBA's lone undefeated team at 4-0 with a 99-91 victory at Detroit on Tuesday night.
Overall Impression
Any road win is always a good one. While the Pacers had a comfortable margin down the stretch, they had to earn this one. Pistons big men Andre Drummond, Josh Smith and Greg Monroe are athletic and can offer matchup problems with a lot of teams. Drummond is an adept shot blocker and Smith likes to shoot the 3-pointer, sometimes drawing a big man away from the basket. However, the Pacers didn't fall in love with the 3-pointer as much as the Pistons did, and maybe that was one of the differences in this win.
Likes

Roy Hibbert had seven more
blocked shots in Tuesday's win.

1) Sure Paul George continued to put up all-star numbers and make big shots. He had 31 points, 10 rebounds, four steals and four assists. But the play I liked the most came in the second half when on defense, he tipped the ball away, then went to the floor to save it from going out of bounds, tipping  it to Donald Sloan to start a fastbreak, who then passed to Luis Scola who was fouled. Scola missed the two free throws, but that's not the point here. The point is that an all-star player in the fourth game of a long season got on the floor to keep a loose ball alive. He didn't have to do it and no one would have thought less of him if he didn't. But he did and now we can think a little more highly of Mr. George. And yes, the best thing about those 31 points is they came on 12 of 18 shooting.
2) In the fourth quarter, it was nice to see Scola involved in the offensive flow of the game. Sure, he won't have the kind of career numbers he's had in the past partly because of fewer minutes and partly because he's not playing the Suns' run and gun style. But it was good to see him get a couple of key baskets and make a couple of good passes as well. He's going to be important to the team's long-term success.
3) We often measure a center's defensive ability by blocked shots. And if you want to measure Roy Hibbert's defensive prowess simply by that, then, hey, who's to argue? After four games he's got 21 blocks, for an average of just over five per game. But if you watch the games, just look at the number of possessions he changes for the opposing team by either altering shots, or just with his presence keeping the other team from thinking of driving down the lane. Hibbert's offense has been inconsistent early, but the defense is there every night and anyone who watches the game has to love that.
Dislikes
1) Yes, it's understood the bench was a bit short-handed with George Hill  still out forcing normal reserve point guard C.J. Watson into a starting role. But the reserves did not play with confidence or cohesiveness in the second quarter. Solomon Hill came in and made a couple of shots which was the one bright spot, but point guard Donald Sloan had trouble handling the ball and the one starter in during that time, Lance Stephenson, looked like was trying to to do a little too much at times. Maybe this will fix itself when Hill and hopefully someday Danny Granger return, but it was tough to watch a 15-point first quarter lead melt away in the second quarter. And Pacers coach Frank Vogel had to stay with that group probably a little longer than he wanted since the Pacers were on the first night of a back-to-back.
2) If the Pistons continue to launch 3-pointers at such an inaccurate rate, they may be hard to watch this season. They were 5-for-25 from the behind the arc Tuesday night. And furthermore, Smith and Brandon Jennings were a combined 11 of 36 from the field, including 2 for 12 from the 3-point line, while Drummond and Monroe combined to go 8 of 15. Maybe it was because Hibbert was keeping them from throwing the ball down inside, but you'd think the guys who make more shots than they miss should get more opportunities.
Second guesses
1) I didn't like that Vogel didn't call a timeout to set up a final play with 7.1 seconds remaining in the first half. At the time it was three-point deficit and it very well could have been the type of game where scoring on one possession could have been the difference. Former Pacers coach Larry Brown never missed an opportunity to stop and call a play in these situations. He had Reggie Miller and Rik Smits as primary weapons and it often led to a basket. And since Vogel has Paul George as a primary weapon here, and excellent second options like David West and Roy Hibbert, it's a good chance to set up a high percentage shot. As it was Tuesday night, George got to the free-throw line and dished off to Hibbert, who had to pivot away from a double team, causing him to get off a made shot just a tick after the buzzer sounded.
Next up
In their first real marquee matchup of the season, the Pacers play host to the Chicago Bulls at 7 p.m. on ESPN. The Bulls are just 1-2 to start off, but that's not really anything to look at this early in the season. The Bulls, with a healthy Derrick Rose, are one of the favorites in the Eastern Conference. The one thing of note is that Rose said in the preseason that he didn't see the Pacers as a serious contender to the make the NBA Finals this year. Just remember that Rose also didn't play any games against the Pacers last year. Also, the Bulls had Tuesday night off, and while it's still early in the season and not a huge factor, there's always a bit of an edge for the rested team on the these second nights of back-to-back games. It will be a good test for the Pacers, but I'd say if the Bulls lose, it will cause a bit more alarm for them then if the Pacers lose.