The Big Picture
The Pacers started this key five-game road trip in good fashion by hanging on against the Clippers. They led throughout the game and were up by 10 after three quarters. But even when they built the lead to as much as 74-60 midway through the third quarter, there was always the feeling that the Clippers would make a run because they are a good team and they are at home and they won't go down easily. They did just that and had a chance to tie it twice late, but Chris Paul missed two short jumpers. The Pacers used their size to keep the ball alive twice in the final 15 seconds, eventually leading to a free throw by Lance Stephenson and a two free throws by George Hill to expand the lead from two to the final five-point margin.
The Ups
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| David West's character has been key to the Pacers and his 24 points and 12 rebounds helped Sunday, too. |
1) The Pacers have strong character and it was tested in this game, but it certainly won out in the end. First, there was that ability to play defense all the way through every possession. The Pacers are used to doing this and lesser teams are pretty much worn out by it late in games and throw up bad shots. The Clippers though have enough veterans to know not to panic and even though Paul had those two good looks at the basket, the fact that they were short may have been a sign that he was just a bit tired because of the wear and tear from the whole game. The other part of the Pacers character showed on offense. When the Clippers were making their rally and making shots, the Pacers didn't take a bunch of bad shots. Sure, I would've like to have seen someone other than Lance Stephenson take that late 3-pointer. However, he was wide open, so it's hard to go crazy on that. Just finding a way to win on the road, no matter who does or doesn't do something, it's something that very good teams do.
2) If you watch Pacers regularly you know what Paul George is all about this season. The Clippers got to see that first hand as he scored 18 first half points. Then, when he got the ball in the second half, he was often double-teamed, something a bit unusual for small forwards in the league. George finished with 27 points and also had five assists. Clippers coach Doc Rivers didn't want to let George beat him, but the Pacers have enough weapons to still beat good teams when George warrants so much defensive attention. And yes, the Pacers have yet to lose when George scores 20 or more points.
3) Often sports fans will talk about baseball being a game of inches, but in the late stages Sunday afternoon, Pacers center Roy Hibbert showed basketball can be that kind of game, too. Hibbert's work ethic often shows up in the blocked shots, rebounds and sometimes the scoring categories. But all of those extra workouts he did this summer were apparent in the Pacers final possession when he had two chances at tip ins, then kept alive Stephenson's missed free throw that resulted in Hill hitting the final two free throws to clinch the game. Hibbert finished with 19 points and eight rebounds, but that was only part of his story in this game.
4) As for a good basketball game to watch, this was maybe the best of the young season. Each team had respect for the other, and each team also came ready to battle. Whether it was the Pacers' David West and the Clippers' Blake Griffin underneath, or even Vogel's defensive switch of putting George on a hot Jamal Crawford late in the game. This was as good of a regular season game as you'll find.
2) If you watch Pacers regularly you know what Paul George is all about this season. The Clippers got to see that first hand as he scored 18 first half points. Then, when he got the ball in the second half, he was often double-teamed, something a bit unusual for small forwards in the league. George finished with 27 points and also had five assists. Clippers coach Doc Rivers didn't want to let George beat him, but the Pacers have enough weapons to still beat good teams when George warrants so much defensive attention. And yes, the Pacers have yet to lose when George scores 20 or more points.
3) Often sports fans will talk about baseball being a game of inches, but in the late stages Sunday afternoon, Pacers center Roy Hibbert showed basketball can be that kind of game, too. Hibbert's work ethic often shows up in the blocked shots, rebounds and sometimes the scoring categories. But all of those extra workouts he did this summer were apparent in the Pacers final possession when he had two chances at tip ins, then kept alive Stephenson's missed free throw that resulted in Hill hitting the final two free throws to clinch the game. Hibbert finished with 19 points and eight rebounds, but that was only part of his story in this game.
4) As for a good basketball game to watch, this was maybe the best of the young season. Each team had respect for the other, and each team also came ready to battle. Whether it was the Pacers' David West and the Clippers' Blake Griffin underneath, or even Vogel's defensive switch of putting George on a hot Jamal Crawford late in the game. This was as good of a regular season game as you'll find.
5) It was maybe Vogel's best timeout of the year when he called one with 25.4 seconds left. There was some confusion because the Clippers, down two, were trying to decide on whether to foul or not, and then Hill was in trouble and flipped the ball back to Hibbert in the backcourt. Seeing his team in a bit of disarray, Vogel got the timeout and the Pacers inbounded the ball in the frontcourt for what turned out to be their final possession.
Downs
1) The Clippers lead the league in dunks and something the Pacers never did figure out Sunday afternoon was how to defend Paul's little alley-oop pass to center Andre Jordan, which resulted in at least three dunks. To be fair, if this were a playoff series, the Pacers, or any other respectable defensive team, would figure out how to jam that whole play, but to see it so many times in this game was quite annoying for Pacer fans and I'm sure for players and coaches, too.
2) This maybe isn't the fairest criticism because the Clippers' Crawford is one of the best sixth men in the league, but the fact is the Pacers bench was outscored 44-17. Crawford did get starters' minutes too, at almost 33 Sunday, so if you give his 20 points to the starters and Willie Green's two points to the bench, that's still a 26-17 advantage for the Clippers. The Pacers' bench wasn't awful in this game as the 3-pointers made by Orlando Johnson, Solomon Hill and C.J. Watson all were significant in the final score, but it's clear the Clippers' bench is stacked. If Danny Granger is ever healthy enough to play for the Pacers by even the second half of the season it will be an important addition to their bench. I read things from fans that are down on Granger right now, but if he can come back and be a player that demands a defense's respect, then maybe the Pacers bench will be on the same level as the Clippers. But right now, it's just not.
2) This maybe isn't the fairest criticism because the Clippers' Crawford is one of the best sixth men in the league, but the fact is the Pacers bench was outscored 44-17. Crawford did get starters' minutes too, at almost 33 Sunday, so if you give his 20 points to the starters and Willie Green's two points to the bench, that's still a 26-17 advantage for the Clippers. The Pacers' bench wasn't awful in this game as the 3-pointers made by Orlando Johnson, Solomon Hill and C.J. Watson all were significant in the final score, but it's clear the Clippers' bench is stacked. If Danny Granger is ever healthy enough to play for the Pacers by even the second half of the season it will be an important addition to their bench. I read things from fans that are down on Granger right now, but if he can come back and be a player that demands a defense's respect, then maybe the Pacers bench will be on the same level as the Clippers. But right now, it's just not.
Afterthoughts
No matter what happens on the rest of this road trip, this will be a big win. It was also important to win the first game of the trip to set the tone and keep the positive momentum rolling. But it's nice to see a team go against a tough road opponent that isn't satisfied unless it wins. No such thing as moral victories for this team. No more good showings against the league's best and being OK with that. It's all about winning and being the league's best.
No matter what happens on the rest of this road trip, this will be a big win. It was also important to win the first game of the trip to set the tone and keep the positive momentum rolling. But it's nice to see a team go against a tough road opponent that isn't satisfied unless it wins. No such thing as moral victories for this team. No more good showings against the league's best and being OK with that. It's all about winning and being the league's best.
Next Up
No rest here as the Trail Blazers, who were playing at the Lakers late Sunday night, are next up in a 10 p.m. game Monday night. They have LaMarcus Aldridge averaging 22.1 points and 9.6 rebounds, and point guard Damian Lillard averaging 19.9 points and 5.8 assists. But while the Blazers have some offensive skill for sure, opponents do shoot 45 percent against them and they are allowing 99 points a game. While they may play enough defense to win, it's certainly not their calling card either.
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