Forethoughts
It's not time to panic or jump off the bandwagon just because the Pacers have lost two in a row. After all, the Pacers were on a second night of a back-to-back while Charlotte had an extra day of rest and was playing at home. But for those of us who watch the Pacers pretty much every game, it's clear they are not right now the team they were for the first quarter of the season. The good news, is they have the final quarter of the season to figure things out.
After watching these last several games, it is clear what has happened to this team. They are no longer an every-possession-matters squad, on either the offensive or defensive end. Let's be clear here, too, that this is not something that a player makes a conscious decision about. It's not like Paul George or Roy Hibbert go down to the defensive end and say to themselves, I'm taking a possession off. Or it's not like Lance Stephenson crosses the half-court line and says I'm going to try to throw the craziest pass possible, or take the worst shot anyone can imagine. It's much more subtle than that.
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| Paul George didn't make this, or any other field goal attempt Wednesdsay, going 0 for 9 in the loss. |
Then there was George trying to make an entry pass into Hibbert in the first quarter. Instead of waiting a couple of extra seconds to let Hibbert get fully set and give him a good target, George threw it over his head and out of bounds.
Or there was the possession on defense where Hibbert didn't box out Bobcats center Al Jefferson who got an offensive rebound for an easy putback. Or in Tuesday's loss to Golden State, the Warriors got an offensive rebound on one possession and then had three players standing wide open outside the 3-point line.
Don't get me wrong here, I'm not saying get rid of the coach, trade the whole team this offseason because the championship hopes are over, because they are certainly not. What I am saying is that the Pacers need to get back to that every possession matters mentality on both ends of the court.
Just when did this start? Well, looking back I'm going to say it was that 124-100 loss at Phoenix back on Jan. 22. In the first 17 games of the season, when the Pacers went 16-1, they allowed 96 or more points in a game just twice. In the last 23 games, starting with the loss to Phoenix, the Pacers have allowed 96 or more points 15 times, going 15-8 overall in those 23 games and 10-5 when they allow 96 or more.
So, no, not a disaster, but not championship-level either. Often, most games come down to just a few possessions. You figure if you lose even by 10 points, if your team makes one more basket a quarter and the other team misses two shots that it made, then you win by two.
So, it doesn't matter which quarter those baskets or misses come in, they all count. And when (and I say 'when' because I believe they will get it back) the Pacers get that "all possessions count" mentality back, they'll stop flirting with losing, or losing, to some of these less than average teams.
With the Pacers being even with the Heat in the loss column, they need to get that mentality back starting Friday night in Houston.
The Big Plays
The Pacers were in the game, down just 41-38 with less than two minutes into the half. But the Bobcats scored the final six points of the half and then started the second half with an 8-2 run, so by the seven minute mark of the third quarter, they were up 55-40. The Bobcats lead was never less than 14 after that.
The Ups
Not many good things in this game, but Evan Turner did score 22 points, even though most of them came after the outcome was decided. He might have been in his comfort zone in this type of game, because the Sixers team he came from was in a similar situation a lot of nights. Hopefully though, this game will give him some confidence with his new teammates and also help his teammates and coaches know where he likes the ball and how he can take advantage of mismatches on offense.
The Downs
1) Sure, the stat lines don't always tell the whole truth, but Paul George did not make a shot from the field, going 0 for 9 and scoring just two points. For those you snoring at home, George has hit just 2 of his last 19 shots as he went 2 for 10 in the second half of Tuesday's loss. When George has shooting nights like this, and also turns the ball over five times like he did Wednesday, it's really hard for the Pacers to win.
2) I'm not going to put the whole blame on Hibbert for this one, partly because Al Jefferson a good player and has always been a tough matchup for him. But when Jefferson scores 34 and Hibbert just four, it doesn't bode well either. The Pacers, who as a general rule do not like to double team opponents players, should have given Hibbert some help in this one, especially when it was still a game in the second quarter. If Josh McRoberts or Michael-Kidd Gilchrist beats you, so be it. But they can't just let one guy, who's a good player, but a not great player, dominate a game like that.
Afterthoughts
Simply, put, let's hope this game serves as a wakeup call that the Pacers need.
Next Up
The Pacers continue a three-game road trip with a game at Houston Friday night in a 9:30 p.m. game on ESPN. The Pacers defeated Houston by a surprisingly easy margin of 114-81 back on Dec. 20 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The Rockets are led by James Harden at 24.4 points and 5.7 assists a game, center Dwight Howard at 19 points and 12.5 assists, forward Chandler Parsons at 16.6 points, point guard Jeremy Lin at 12.4 points, forward Terrence Jones at 11.8 points and 7.2 rebounds and guard Patrick Beverley at 9.9 points. The Rockets have gone 12-2 in recent games to improve their record to 42-19, third best in the West after beating Orlando 101-89 Wednesday.
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