Recent content by cheese

Tj's defense is a big problem against the OKC starters, but I admit it crossed my mind to go back to TJ ball when we weren't getting any stops anyway. There is a world where they just play McConnell and Ben 35 minutes and just try to win the game 142-140. I don't think it would work, but...

The great Caitlin Cooper pointed out a few stats about this. SGA was used as the screener once in 3.75 games in this series and used as the screener 7 times in the 4th qtr of game 4. The Pacers were unprepared and just let Nesmith switch onto him. Nesmith is a good, maybe great, on ball...

I am not that focused on the future while my team is playing in the finals, but I can't think of anything but Pacers today so I'll lay out my 2 cents. Ben can be an all star next year somewhere else or the 7th man on the Pacers. I really believe that. He believes that. The league probably...

On the series the Pacers are averaging 329 passes per game to OKC 222. Same story as the Cleveland series who only averaged 244 at an insane pace of play. This is the Jenny Boucek defense of trying to make the other team play iso.

Ben is almost a lock to play somewhere else next year, but last night cemented his legacy as a Pacer. Nesmith is clearly injured and we're getting more and more from Ben on offense so we barely notice.

His ankle isn't right, but normally Nesmith's thing is on the ball defending. He struggles, healthy or not, at doing anything else on defense. Pacers normally prefer to let Nembhard be the roamer/disrupter and Nesmith guard the best player, but Nesmith isn't healthy and Nembhard just put on a...

It's not for me, but I would take my kids if they ask me to. I'm surprised the number of adults who like it, but as others have mentioned Globetrotters and WWE are the same way.

Huge difference in effort and intensity in game 2 IMO. Hard to say whether that is just a product of a desperate team playing at home or what. OKC defense and rebounding competing for the ball at all times was impressive. Pacers defensive rotations were WAY slower than they have been all...

They were talking on the establish the run podcast about how bad Harrison's role was last year in terms of lack of designed easy catches for him. They played him in an exclusively downfield outside WR role and asked him to make contested catches all year. I actually think he played fine last...

The one thing you can count on is that KOC will throw in the red zone. That is one of the stickiest trends YoY. If he never had a season with lower than 30 using Darnold, Cousins, and worse, he probably won't with JJM.

Ya I have no idea how much of what happened in game 1 is sustainable, but if there is 1 thing to be concerned about for OKC, it's Chet. He was unplayable. Couldn't keep with the pace, couldn't guard anyone on the floor, made 0 impact on offense, didn't ORB or get back when his teammates...

The pacers had a game this year where the starting lineup jersey numbers totaled 6. Mathurin Haliburton Toppin Nembhard Bryant

Pacers winning game 7 in NY a 2nd straight year is the optimal outcome.

The teams that play Haliburton the best are the zone teams. The teams that play him 2nd best are the face guard him constantly, don't let him catch it, play 4v4 teams. The teams that play him OK are teams where his primary defender is elite at screen navigation and can stay on him. The teams...

I was going to type a bunch of words about that game, but this will do.