Can Indy recover?

After the Game 1 debacle (you know, the one in which Frank Vogel left the best shot-blocker in the league on the bench at the end of overtime), where do the Pacers go from here?

Paul George played better defense on Lebron than anyone I can remember, except on this one solitary play when he took a bad angle.

After a switch, George Hill was left trying to guard Lebron.  Not a fair fight.  

As Charles Barkley so eloquently says of Hibbert, West, and Tyler, "them boys ain't gon get any smaller".  He is correct, as per usual on basketball matters.  The Pacers did well on the offensive glass, using the 3 aforementioned strong men to get second chance points.  West killed Battier in the first half, but mostly disappeared down the stretch, including missing a pair of free throws and an open 8 foot jumper in overtime, either of which would have changed the outcome of the game.

There is no reason to think the Pacers won't be able to win the interior scoring battle again.  However, the Pacers did not do a great job on the defensive backboards; Hibbert and West COMBINED for 3 defensive rebounds in 81 minutes of action, the same number that Psycho T got in 12 minutes.  I have no idea how that is even possible.  Given the Pacers' proclivity for turning the ball over (not a problem they can fix, as there is no starting-caliber point guard on the roster--George Hill is an undersized 2 guard who can guard either position, but a point guard he is not), the defensive rebounding becomes that much more important because Miami is going to get so many more chances with the ball.  For Indiana to win, Vogel is going to need to play Hansbrough more; he should be getting some of Mahinmi's minutes.  There is no reason the Pacers can't play Hansbrough and West together for stretches, or Hansbrough and Hibbert.  Mahinmi brings nothing to the table offensively, and he isn't anything near Hibbert on the defensive end. Thus, Hansbrough's lack of shot blocking isn't much of a drop off, especially given how much more adept on the offensive end Hansbrough is compared with Mahinmi.

One of the other mistakes the Pacers made (besides taking out Roy) was allowing Sam Young to guard Lebron.  LBJ looked like a kid on Christmas morning; it was like he was playing NBA 2k13 and had taken the difficulty down from hall of fame to rookie.  When Paul George gets a rest, why not shift Stephenson over to Lebron?  He is a better defender than Sam Young and has enough size and speed to make it challenging for LBJ.  Every time Lebron was guarded by someone besides George, I kept thinking to myself that if Granger were healthy, the Pacers would win this series.  Granger is above average on both ends of the court, and can guard 2s/3s/4s.  Instead, the drop off from George to anyone else guarding Lebron is Niagara Falls-esque.  


As for Indy's turnover problem, as I said, it is not a problem that can be remedied, per se.  However, Indy can ease some of the pressure on its backcourt ball handlers by giving it to West more in the high post, where he has shown to be a capable passer.  It is hard to double in that area of the floor, and West has an advantage on any Miami defender 1 on 1 (except Lebron, but the Heat are clearly not interested in having him get banged on by West/Hansbrough).  Hibbert sets some solid screens; why not let West work in the high post and have Hibbert set off-ball screens to free up George and Hill (not to mention lay hits on LeBron and Wade)?

Lance Stephenson is also going to have to show up; the guy who dominated game 6 against the Knicks was not present in game 1 against Miami.  He showed his great rebounding prowess once again, but was ghastly from the field, and seemed disinclined to really take it to the rim, too often settling for jumpers (2-10 overall, 0-5 on 3s).  Stephenson is a decent passer with a solid handle, so I would suggest getting him some chances in the pick and roll game--again, why not get some hits on Wade and give Miami some looks it isn't used to seeing, while also getting Stephenson going?

On the Miami side, Spoelstra's decision to cut Mike Miller out of the rotation and play Ray Allen is looking worse and worse.  Ray Allen is a shell of himself; his jumper is no longer consistent, and he is a defensive liability.  Miller is an above average defender, and has point forward ability, meaning that if defenses close out too hard on him at the 3 point line, he can pump fake, drive, and find someone.

As I predicted, Chris Anderson was a difference maker. Birdman had 16 points, 3 blocks, and did not miss a single shot.

Truthfully, there is nothing to make me think he can't duplicate that performance or something similar in every game.  It wasn't like he went Nate Robinson and started hitting step back 3s; he just cut to the hoop, finished, ran the floor, and got offensive rebounds.  The Heat's best lineup is with Birdman at the 4, not Battier playing ineffectual, dirty minutes.

If you look closely in the above GIF, Lebron actually traveled on the game winner.  He took a step with his pivot foot, then a step with his other foot, and only then started dribbling.

What will happen in game 2?  I expect Indy to bounce back; they aren't afraid of Miami, and if they can cut their turnovers by 3-4 a game, they should win.  Their defense will always keep them close, and Paul George is emerging as a real superstar.