Good win for the Nets. Need to improve overall though. Toronto same thing, lots of things to work on. Klay Thompson is really bothering Chris Paul to start this game.
And just like that the Clippers are in a world of trouble, the games in Golden State will be impossibly difficult to win.
What a fun game until the end. This shows the loophole with replay. That chris paul turnover was a clear GS foul and the ref gave the ball to LAC because he didn't want to call a foul but it was the reason the ball went out of bounds. That's the human experience to "let the players decide the game". They went to replay and there's no way to give the ball to LAC after that and they can't call the clear foul. Great win for GS. They had trouble closing another game even with the win which was a problem for them last year too. Gotta hit free throws. For LAC, gotta clean up the defense. The respect given to Klay and Curry means making extra rotations and they weren't reacting quick enough. Blake was dominating when he was in the game though, so look forward to having him not in trouble. Crawford should play better too.
First two games the road team won. So the playoffs have official started. I believe last year on the first weekend day all 4 home teams won.
Saturday was a home sweep. Sunday was a home sweep. Playoffs started Monday with the Bulls winning in Brooklyn.
Hawks starters can really spread IND out and as long as IND is losing individual battles, a path to the hoop is created. The Hawks bench, a little less successful at doing so
Hawks were among the leaders in made 3s Was reading this yesterday http://grantland.com/features/nba-playoffs-preview-2014/ Indiana Pacers (1) vs. Atlanta Hawks (8) 1. Will Some of This Series Be on NBA TV? Of course! The NBA should just acknowledge this sad reality with an ad campaign that parodies the hokey CBS ads for the Masters: “The Hawks on NBA TV in late April: a tradition that really doesn’t stand out so much.” 2. Do the Hawks Have Something Here? This would appear a whitewash on paper — the top-seeded defensive juggernaut against a sub-.500 team who backed into the playoffs only because the Knicks were slightly more terrible. But the Pacers have lost themselves over the last two months, minus an encouraging recent home win against Oklahoma City and other blips of competence. Only the Sixers, a glorified D-League team, have scored fewer points per possession since the All-Star break. Atlanta blew the Pacers away in Indiana just two weeks ago, and won both games in this series in which Pero Antic, the Hawks’ quirky Macedonian center, was available. (Lance Stephenson missed one of those two Atlanta wins.) The Hawks play heavy minutes with five capable 3-point shooters on the floor, an ultra-stretchy setup that would give any team problems. That has been especially so for the Pacers, who prefer to keep Roy Hibbert in the paint and start a power forward, David West, who isn’t the speediest dude anymore. Atlanta’s starting lineup outscored Indiana by 29 points in 29 minutes, a convincing victory over an admittedly tiny sample size. If the Pacers drop Hibbert back on pick-and-rolls as they normally do, that will leave Hibbert’s man wide open for a pick-and-pop 3-pointer — or force an uncomfortable rotation from another Hawk to Hibbert’s guy: You’ll note Hibbert is guarding Paul Millsap here. The Pacers have experimented with switching up their big-man defensive assignments, since Millsap is a better low-post player than Antic. But he’s also a good long-range shooter, and if the Pacers do swap assignments like this, expect Atlanta to adjust in kind. PREDICTION: Pacers in six
I think the Nets are, I think the Pacers would have just enough to get by Chicago. They play similar types of games, I think Washington would be a problem for Indiana though.
Yeah Yisman, if Horford was playing, Atlanta would probably be a worse matchup for IND. But the fact that their C can pull Hibbert away creates lanes. Of course that by itself isn't the answer but it's a good start. Millsap is quicker than Hibbert and Antic will shoot 3s, so will Millsap too. However, IND should have a rebounding advantage, a big one, and that should be enough to push them through to the next round.
It also brings up an interesting thought, this isn't the series for Hibbert. Lessen his minutes and allow Mahimi, who moves better on the perimeter, to get extended minutes. And also bring up Copeland and embrace the fact that Hibbert is slow. The other thing to do is to routinely pound the ball to Hibbert in the post offensively and just allow him to work. Indiana is choosing neither right now
This is a real problem Conrad Brunner @1070Bruno 3m Something is ailing PG. Has walked over to trainer twice, now heads to locker room as Turner checks @8pts9secs: Yikes. RT @IndyStarSports: #Pacers RT @bkravitz: Paul George heads to the locker room.
Not to repeat myself from last year, but they could really use Chris Copeland to stretch the floor right now
Gabe Mercado @gabemercado 2m Vogel’s refusal to use Copeland or Lavoy Allen is frustrating Use them. Scola and West are providing nothing right now. David Dearing @DD1070 5m What is the point of signing Copeland if you won't even play him in the situation where he is NEEDED out there? Kevin Pelton @kpelton 9m This situation is basically crying out for Chris Copeland. Scola hasn't given the Pacers anything. Jon Washburn @Twitch8p9s 12m I mean, surely Copeland can't be as bad as Turner defensively... Bart D. @Bart_CFN 1h Sprinkle in some Chris Copeland with a side of Lavoy Allen. RT@ScottStras: More Watson, More Mahimi
Hahaha good find. At the end of the third, you saw how much better Mahimi is on the perimeter than Scola or Hibbert
