A couple of years ago, many Indiana Pacers fans were just about ready to give up on team president Larry Bird and his long-range plan. After Reggie Miller retired in the spring of 2005, the team found itself in a quagmire of spoiled personalities, ...
When the Miami Heat lost Game 2 of their series with the Indiana Pacers, fans and media that have always been quick to mock Chris Bosh's contributions suddenly changed course. Bosh miraculously transformed into a key cog in the Heat lineup whose ...
Hibbert Seeks Release From Jamaica, Wants to Play For Team USA - Pacers CenterAccording to the Jamaican Gleaner, Pacers center Roy Hibbert is seeking a release from the Jamaican team so he can pursue a chance to play for Team USA in the upcoming ...
Coming into the series, the Miami Heat were the clear cut favorites. The Indiana Pacers did not see it that way. Trailing 0-1 to the Miami Heat, the Indiana Pacers went into American Airlines Arena and came away with a win in Game 2, thus taking away homecourt advantage from the Miami Heat. Now the [...]
Suddenly the Indiana Pacers find themselves with home court advantage in a five-game series against the Miami Heat. Unlike heading into Game 1 in Miami, there appear to be more doubts on the Heat side of the equation than with the Pacers. A serious, sudden change, indeed.
Tonight the Pacers will enjoy a gold and raucous crowd at Bankers Life Fieldhouse looking for them to build on their win in Miami and take control of the Eastern Conference semifinal series. This Pacers team has never backed down from a challenge, but they usually respond better with their backs against the wall. Now they are on even footing
The 2012 NBA Playoffs schedule for Thursday, May 17 will feature two games. On May 16, the Boston Celtics and Oklahoma City Thunder each moved one step towards the next round with wins over their respective opponents. Which of these four teams playing on Thursday will win the next game of their respective series?
The New York Knicks are home watching the rest of the 2012 NBA Playoffs. But I can't help but wonder how the Knicks would do against the Heat right now. Without Chris Bosh, the Heat lost Game 2 of their playoff series with the Indiana Pacers. The Heat looked vulnerable for the first time in the postseason. The Knicks could beat the Heat if they played today. And there are three key areas that would give the Knicks the edge.
I've spent a lot of time at youth baseball games and a track meet the past couple of days and had several parents ask me if I thought the Indiana Pacers could actually beat the Miami Heat.
Well, yeah. The Pacers haven't actually played well in the first two games.
Yes, they competed, fought hard and had bursts of exceptional play, but overall there have been too many breakdowns and sloppy turnovers to consider the Pacers (or Heat for that matter) playing anywhere in the vicinity of well. The Pacers have become quite adept at winning ugly and grinding through poor play to give themselves a chance, a big
On Wednesday,Larry Bird, Indiana PacersPresident of Basketball Operations, was named as the NBA Executive of the Year. The award is voted on by other executives in the NBA. This honor adds to the legendary Hall-of-Fame status for Bird. With the announcement on Wednesday, Bird becomes the only person in history to ever be named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player, Head Coach of the Year, and Executive of the Year. Bird also coached the Indiana Pacers for three seasons, leading the Pacers to their only NBA Finals appearance in 2000, and winning Head Coach of the Year honors in 1998.
The fact that Bird was named Executive of the Year this season was no big surprise to people in and around the Indiana Pacers organization. Bird has coached-up, broken-down, and rebuilt an NBA franchise that was ruined by ”The Brawl” in Detroit in 2004. Bird put his efforts into withstanding the outcry from the local and national media, the fans, and the NBA itself, to revamp and restore the Indiana Pacers to a positive, prolific, and contending team.
Here he stands, the 2012 NBA Executive of the Year, with a rookie head coach who finished third in voting for Head Coach of the Year, and a fresh-faced franchise that finished with the third-best record in the Eastern Conference. In only their second NBA Playoff appearance since since 2005, Bird’s Pacers knocked off the Orlando Magicin five games, and have stolen home court advantage the Miami Heat.
Bird knows basketball…how to play it, how to coach it, and how to to manage it. The sky is the limit for this franchise.
Wed 5/16X
Bleacher Report
LeBron James & Dwyane Wade: Pacers Will Try to Tire Them out in Game 3
LeBron James & Dwyane Wade: Pacers Will Try to Tire Them out in Game 3
After playing a game-high 43 minutes (without resting the entire second half), LeBron missed two free throws with under a minute to go that would've given the Heat the lead. Marv Albert and Steve Kerr both commented that LeBron looked fatigued after missing those foul shots.
With 16 seconds to go, Wade surprisingly missed a layup that would have tied the game at 77. He just didn't seem to have the lift he normally does.
With Bosh out, LeBron is also asked to guard the Pacers' power forward on the defensive end of the court. That would be the punishing David West.
It's a lot more taxing being in there with bigger guys. [Defense] is the biggest difference. When you're on the perimeter, there's more space. The interior is more cramped and physical.
I wouldn't say 'concerned', but hopefully I can get a few minutes here, a few minutes there (to rest), especially in the playoffs. I understand that 40 minutes in the playoffs is different than 40 minutes in the regular season. It's just how it is.
It’s part of our strategy, it’s not our entire strategy. You look at those two guys play and the thought of actually doing anything that can fatigue them is a little bit comical. They’re almost super-human with their body types and athleticism and they just seem like they can play the game forever. We don’t want to overdo it but we definitely recognize that trying to guard David West is a physical drain. The challenge is he (James) does such a good job now of not letting David get the ball it’s tough to go at him without the risk of stagnating an offense.
Those two "super-humans" looked tired towards the end of Game 2. James even said how "taxing" it is, and he hopes he can get "a few minutes here, a few minutes there" of rest.
The Pacers would be wise to pound the ball inside when James is defending the low post. Make these guys work hard on the defensive end, and it could pay dividends again, late in the fourth quarter.
The longer this grueling series goes, the more the question will be asked: How big of a load can LeBron James and Dwyane Wade shoulder before their gas tank is on E?
In an ugly game two of their Eastern Conference Semifinal series, where neither team shot above 38% from the floor, the Indiana Pacersstole a road victory from the heavily-favored Miami Heat. The Pacers held the Heat to only 75 points, squeaking out the three-point victory. The loss was the first time in the last 13 home Playoff games that another Eastern Conference team had defeated the Heat in Miami. Including the Playoffs, Indiana has not lost a game on the road since March 31st.
During game two, both the Heat and the Pacers went on long stretches without scoring. Miami had no points from the floor in the last two minutes of the game. The Pacers did not hit a field goal in the last five minutes of the first quarter, and at one point, made only five out of 29 shot attempts.
Dwayne WadeandLeBron Jamesaccounted for 52 of Miami’s 75 points, but none of their other teammates scored more than five points in the game. James missed two key free throws in the last minute of the game, and was only 8-13 from the line. In the fourth quarter and in overtime this season, James is only 10-17 from the free throw line. Indiana was not too good with their free throws either, hitting only 19 of their 27 attempts, including two late misses by Paul George.David Westand Roy Hibbertboth missed a foul shot late in the fourth quarter, as well.
The series shifts to Indiana on Thursday, where the Pacers will attempt to hold on to home court advantage, and the Heat will attempt to not fall apart completely.
Wed 5/16X
Bleacher Report
Why the Indiana Pacers Will be Paul George's Team Next Year
Why the Indiana Pacers Will be Paul George's Team Next Year
As impressive as the Indiana Pacers' Paul George has been at times, there's no doubt at all that his best days are still ahead of him. The 22-year-old quickly earned a starting job in Frank Vogel's rotation, and he's proven to be one of the most versatile young wing players in the game.
His numbers don't jump out at you right away, but he improved his three-point efficiency to nearly 39 percent this season and scored over 12 points a game for a club that shares the ball and divides its shots pretty evenly.
But it would be entirely misleading to praise George on account of his shooting alone, just as misleading as it would be to classify him as just another guy who can dunk.
George initially wowed the Pacers with his defensive potential.
His length and quickness make him nuisance to perimeter shooters and a menace in passing lanes. Even if he never became an elite scorer, he could become one the league's most effective defenders.
Still, the Pacers need him to score. While this team has gotten by thus far on its combination of Danny Granger, Roy Hibbert and plenty of depth, Indiana's chances of contending for titles year after year depend upon having a reliable go-to option.
Granger has shown flashes of becoming that kind of player, but he's become a relatively one-dimensional (and less productive) jump-shooter over the last couple of years.
George is a better finisher around the hoop and has the ball-handling skills to make his way to the paint. More importantly, these skills will continue to improve in time. The second-year guard has only scratched the surface of his potential, and it wouldn't be at all shocking to see his scoring jump considerably over the next year or two.
Finally, there's something to be said for the maturity and poise the young man has shown—most recently in the second half of the Pacers' Game 2 against the Miami Heat.
After a slow start, George played an important role in the second half on both ends of the floor and proved he has the mental toughness to stay in a ballgame (via the Indianapolis Star'sBob Kravitz):
His growth was evident in the space of one 48-minute session. Twice, he got blocked from behind when he went up softly at the rim. Then, midway through the third quarter, George stole the ball, flew to the rim and threw it down with purpose.
A bit later, he scrambled and blocked one of his idols, LeBron James, near the rim.
The kid is a good listener and a quick learner.
He also just might have the kind of fortitude the Pacers will need as they evolve into a potential powerhouse.
Don't be surprised if Paul George is up to that challenge.
MIAMI (Reuters) - With All-Star Chris Bosh out indefinitely with an abdominal strain the question facing Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra was how his team would handle the loss of one-third of the "Big Three." The swift answer from Game Two of their best-of-seven second round playoff series with the Indiana Pacers was clear as Miami lost 78-75 and the Heat's third-leading scorer, after LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, had just five points. Bosh averaged 18 points and shared the team lead with 7.9 rebounds per game during the regular season and the Heat went 4-5 in the nine games he missed. ...
LeBron James and Dwyane Wade were not carrying ''Help Wanted'' signs around the Miami Heat practice floor on Wednesday. The mood was not grim, voices were not hushed and scowls were not prominent.
Indiana's mindset has not changed for several days. The Pacers were confident entering the series, confident after losing Game 1 to the Miami Heat and confident after winning Game 2.
Retired NBA superstar Larry Bird was named the NBA Executive of the Year on Wednesday, becoming the first to complete a treble sweep of top awards for players, coaches and front office leaders.
As painful as the Los Angeles Lakers embarrassing blowout 119-90 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder was Monday night for Lakers fans like me, it has actually been worse before.
Our friends from TiqIQ, are continuing their contest on their new Facebook application called TiqIQ CONNECT.
Using the app, you can check-in (in advance) to any Pacers game letting your friends know which games you are going to and where you will be sitting... if you're planning on going... or if you're just watching from home you can also update that status. TiqIQ Connect even provides a thumbnail seat view on your wall so friends can find you, or purchase a ticket near you.
RSVP to every Pacers playoff game, you'll be entered to win tickets to the Finals, should the Pacers advance, or opening night tickets next season, if they don't.
Without Chris Bosh, LeBron is being forced to take on a larger load. And not just figuratively. When he plays power forward, he will at times have to guard David West. Physically, this isn’t really a mismatch. Almost nothing is for LeBron. But West has spent the last decade figuring out hundreds of nuanced ways to exert his will on anyone who has the misfortune of trying to cover him in the lane. The man is simply and ox, and his strength and physicality are a burden for any NBA big man to put up, let alone someone like LeBron who is accustomed to the spacious perimeter.
“It’s definitely a lot more taxing wrestling with the bigger guys,” James said Tuesday before Game 2. “But I’m ready for the challenge.”
… With backup power forward Udonis Haslem playing only 12 minutes, James was asked to body up West on the block on several occasions. At 6-foot-8 and 260 pounds, James has the size to pull it off, but he’s also responsible for running the Heat’s offense and leading the fast break. In essence, James has to play like a big man on one end and like a point guard on the other.
Defensively, James says, is where he burns the most energy.
“That’s the biggest difference,” he said. “When you’re on the perimeter, there’s more space. In the interior it’s more cramped and physical than the perimeter. You have to prepare for it.”
The Pacers are also acutely aware of this potential advantage, that will likely swing even more their way the longer this series continues and the more LeBron has to play defense in the paint. Frank Vogel went on 1070 The Fan radio in Indiana this morning and discussed the topic.
“We definitely recognize that trying to guard David West is a physical drain,” said Vogel. “The challenge is that [LeBron] does such a good job not letting David get the ball that it’s tough to go at him without the risk of stagnating your offense.”
That’s the risk. You want to use this as an advantage but not take yourself out of what has gotten you this far: moving the ball around the offense and relying on no one player much more than the others.
Furthermore, Vogel has reservations that anything he does will have an effect. ”You look at those two guys play and the thought of actually doing anything that could fatigue them is a little bit comical,” said Vogel on 1070. “They’re almost superhuman with their body types and their athleticism. They just seem like they could play the game forever.”
It seems possible that Heat coach Erik Spoelstra might test out that theory. LeBron has now played 86 of a possible 96 minutes in the first two games. Wade’s minutes have been managed better as he has only played 78, which is only a tick above his career regular season average of 37 minutes per game.
LeBron would never admit that fatigue would impact his ability to win this series. He did note that “hopefully I can get a few minutes here, a few minutes there” to rest, but it certainly won’t be an excuse the team will use if it loses this series against the Pacers.
Still, looking at the two clips below, it’s hard to say that it isn’t having some effect.
No offense to Danny Granger, but I haven’t seen him blow by LeBron this easily many times during the regular season.
And here we see LeBron battling all over the half-court with West, who eventually puts James on his back near the “Dirk Zone.” West makes a good move and takes a shot quicker than LeBron was likely expecting, but it is odd to see James not even get off his feet to challenge the shot.
Ultimately, we probably won’t ever know whether or not fatigue and playing down low will affect LeBron in this series. But there is one thing I’m certain of: the mere idea of defending David West exhausts me.
The NBA announced on Wednesday that Indiana Pacers President of Basketball Operations Larry Bird was named the 2012 Executive of the Year thanks to the team's improved winning percentage and jump up the standings. That jump was fueled by the development of young players on the roster along with the pre-season acquisitions of David West, George Hill and Lou Amundson. All three played key roles throughout the season.
Bird capped off a strong year by adding playoff veteran and reserve scorere
The Heat’s second best player has shot like trash in this series. After shooting 8-for-22 last night, as noted by Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com, Dwayne Wade is now 4-for-19 (21%) on jump shots in two games against Indiana. While Frank Vogel has credited this to how well Paul George has been playing defense (which is mostly true), this isn’t just a second-round issue for Wade. Including the Knicks series, he is now 12-for-49 (25%) on jumpers during the playoffs. That is horrible and if he continues to shoot at that rate outside the paint, the Miami Heat have no chance to beat the Pacers. They really don’t.
Most onlookers would expect Wade to turn it around, however. And even if he can’t get out of his jump-shooting slump, he is such a dynamic and versatile scorer that he will find ways to put points on the board. He is still among the most lethal penetrators in league history, a Maserrati on the break and a fixture at the free-throw line. His individual talent to score remains the second-biggest concern for the Pacers (following, ya know, the talents of that other guy.)
Conversely, it really isn’t Wade that the Heat should be concerned about.
What they need to fix is the lack of production from their one-dimensional supporting cast. Because the rest of the team is shooting just as poorly as Wade. In 160 combined minutes during Game 2, the other eight players who entered the game other than James and Wade scored just 23 points on 9-for-34 FGs (26.5%). In Game 1, over 140 combined minutes, Miami players not named LeBron, Wade or Bosh scored 21 points on 7-for-21 (33%) shooting. And being even that useful required a 4-for-4, 9-point performance from Joel Antony, a career 2.7 point per game scorer.
Part of the Plan
For the Pacers, this is all going according to strategy. Frank Vogel was on 1070 The Fan radion in Indiana this morning and discussed how his team is focusing on taking away Miami’s role players.
“[We're] very focused on what those guys’ strengths are,” said Vogel. “All their role players are capable of much greater production than they put forth last night. But they are sort of limited in what can do. They’re either drivers or shooters or dunkers at the basket. But they’re not versatile, they’re not multi-weapon type of guys. So if you just dial in to taking away their one strength, they’re guys that can be limited.”
The number-one way to minimize the Heat’s bench is to take away their ability to shoot open three-point looks. There are very few ways any of them can hurt you other than by making triples. And it is something they do very well.
Throughout the regular season, Miami was the 9th best three-point shooting team. Oddly, however, they actually didn’t take that many. They were 23rd in the NBA in terms of threes per game (which was coincidentally just one spot below the Pacers). And strangely enough, Indiana had the same profile: a low-volume, high-accuracy three-point shooting team that knocked down 36.8% of its triples (good for 6th best).
So going into this second-round matchup, the reasonable expectation was to see two teams that won’t shoot that many threes but will make a high percentage of those they did put up.
Things have not played out that way, however.
Through two games, the Heat have shot 1-for-22 (4.5%) from three-point range. By comparison the Pacers have been sharpshooters, but their 7-for-32 (21.9%) success rate leaves a ton to be desired. We’re only talking about a two-game sample size so obviously that will skew the stats. And when you throw in factors like Danny Granger’s shooting slump (1-for-5 from deep in Game 1, 0-for-5 in Game 2) and Miami’s woeful bench shooting overall, the team-wide number become less shocking.
But there is another factor that makes the shooting woes of both teams curious: Miami and Indiana — two excellent defensive teams all year long — generally don’t defend the three-point line well. In the regular season, Miami was the NBA’s 4th best defense but only 26th when it comes to preventing teams from knocking down threes. They allowed opponents to shoot a potent 36.3% from deep.
The Pacers were somewhat of a mirror image. They were league’s 9th best defense in the regular season, allowing opponents to shoot 35.1% from behind the arc, which ranked them as the 17th best team in the league at preventing threes. (For reference, league average was giving up 34.9% and the Nuggets were the worst, giving up 38.3%.)
But even surrendering a worse-than-average percentage from three-point land, they both kept their opponents eFG% (which adjusts regular FG% to account for the fact that three-pointers are worth more than two-point shots) relatively low. The Pacers were the 7th-best team in terms of eFG% allowed due to their ability to keep teams’ overall FG% down to 43.5%. The Heat were nearly identical in this regard (eFG% against of 47.9% with a FG% against of 43.4%).
Changing the Defensive Priority
What we can infer here is that both Indiana and Miami generally practice a defensive strategy that prioritizes taking away high-percentage shots in the paint while allowing teams to take shoot long jumpers, including threes. You can’t stop everything, so allow teams to take long, contested shots and presume you will beat them unless they have a lights-out night.
If that is what each team has been doing in Games 1 and 2, it has worked. Nobody can hit the water from a boat. But that actually hasn’t been Indiana’s strategy against Miami.
Presumably, a good defensive team can adapt its play.
And that is exactly what the Pacers did in their first-round matchup with the Magic. It’s hard to compare Orlando’s full-season data to it’s playoff results considering that Dwight Howard has so much to do with everything that happened in the regular season. But the Pacers were able to keep the Magic from hurting them too badly from deep. In the series, Stan Van Gundy’s squad only shot 34.4% from behind the arc, which is respectable but well below the 37.7% they hit in the regular season. Again, the drop could have more to do with being Dwight-less, but it is a significant drop when you’re talking about 122 attempts.
Trying to replicate that success against Miami makes some sense against the Heat.
Obviously, goal one will continue to be keeping LeBron and Dwyane out of the paint. But at some point, you need to realize that they are unstoppable forces of nature who can only be contained not stopped. Meanwhile, the rest of their perimeter players are guys with limited skill sets who can, usually, make open shots. Mike Miller (who shot 45.3% from three this season) is the most dangerous followed by James Jones (40.4%), Mario Chalmers (38.9%) and to a lesser degree Shane Battier (33.9%) and Norris Cole (27.9%).
Outside of (very occasionally) Chalmers, none of those guys can hurt you with anything but an open jumper. So the sensible thing to do is try to keep them from taking uncontested threes while hoping you can make LeBron and Dwyane settle for mid-range jumpers or, better yet when it comes to Wade, threes. (He shot a horrific 26.8% from deep this season.)
With Bosh out and most of Miami’s non-Hall-of-Famers mired in shooting slumps, that becomes the most logical adjustment going forward: let James and a struggling Wade take as many shots as they want in the half-court while not letting anyone else get hot and limiting Miami’s transition points.
Here is how they did so in Game 2.
Exhibit A
This video doesn’t show it as well as Couper Moorhead explains it at NBA.com, but it is meant to show a key way the Pacers are limiting the looks: staying home on shooters — especially in the corner. This is something Indiana knows first-hand can burn them. One of the reasons they lost in overtime to Miami in April was because they over-helped on penetration and surrendered an corner three. Specifically, Granger kept a foot in the paint on a Wade drive and allowed him to kick it out to a wide-open James, who knocked down the triple to force overtime, where Indy lost.
What Indiana has been doing so far in the playoffs is the opposite. They are now making sure the strong-side help defender doesn’t lose track of the guy in the corner. He is “keeping zero feet in the paint” so to speak. Above (and highlighted in the screen capture below), you see West barely hedges as LeBron probes the defense with penetration. The result is that he remains close enough to Shane Battier to contest.
Some teams have elected to have that defender play with a foot in the lane just to prevent the drive, waiting until Miami hits a couple of triples to move out a couple of feet. But with the defense crowding shooters like this, any shot attempt has to be rushed. Even when Miami plays small and West is pulled out of the lane onto one of those shooters, West is doing a wonderful job closing ground and contesting any opportunity.
As you see below, even a driving LeBron doesn’t cause West to lose discipline.
Exhibit B
More of the same here. George Hill stays anchored to Mike Miller. Wade doesn’t get all that free in what is a pretty poorly run pick-and-roll, but you can tell Hill’s only concern here is Miller.
Exhibit C
You can see how Hill stays with Miller even better here. And this is in an instance where Wade is bearing down on Hibbert and Miller is way out on the wing. Still, with Hill’s length, he is able to cover ground quickly and get a good contest on Miller’s three.
Obviously, if the Pacers are to continue getting hands up on all of Miami’s role-playing shooters, they will have to first and foremost maintain the discipline. Choosing to stay grounded in open space when players like LeBron and Wade are driving at the basket is not easy. It goes against defensive instincts that have become ingrained since the earliest days of playing organized basketball. But the one good thing the Pacers have going for them is some “make up” room based on good genetics. Even when they’re a step slow, Hill, Granger and especially Paul George have the quickness and length to get out.
Exhibit D
This clips shows not so much great execution, but the mentality of a team that is prioritizing taking away the most efficient shot in the NBA: the corner three. Here, despite Chalmers catching beyond the arc on the wing, two Pacers defenders still run to the corner. Obviously, one of them blew the transition rotation and they should have communicated better. And you just as obviously want to cover the guy with the ball before worrying about the guy he might pass to, but it may be this emphasis on limiting open corner threes in particular that will help Indiana keep Miami from racking up the triples.
It certainly worked against Orlando. In five games, the Pacers only allowed the Magic to make 8-of-26 (30.8%) of their corner threes. In the regular season, Orlando made 41.3% of their triples from the corner.
Exhibit E
Check out Darren Collison at the 9-second mark in this video. He seems to forget that his key responsibility is checking Mario Chalmers behind the three-point line no matter where he is. So he momentarily stays in helpside underneath the hoop in case LeBron tries to drive right towards the baseline. Then he seems to remember that he needs to go track down Mario instead and sprints over. It was a good call. Chalmers later gets the pass behind the arc and attempts a three that was highly contest by Collison.
It is, perhaps, the strangest award the NBA hands out. The Executive of the Year award will go to Indiana Pacers boss Larry Bird this year , with his team seemingly in the midst of a rebuilding process and a good leap or two away from winning a championship. The honor rarely makes sense on the NBA's timetable, because unlike individual player awards, the Executive of the Year award is essentially a team honor; and it's a bit like handing a "Team of the Year" award to a group without the benefit of a championship to go off of.
This shouldn't take away from Bird's accomplishments, as his Pacers have wrested home court advantage away from the Miami Heat in the bustle of a season that saw Indiana grab the third seed in the East just two years removed from four seasons spent in the lottery. It just remains an odd recognition, considering the fact that NBA executives don't live on single-year plans. Unless they hire Larry Brown to coach.
Bird has done well, considering that one-year term. In January of last season he fired Pacer coach Jim O'Brien, and leaned on well-regarded but untested assistant Frank Vogel to make sense of Indiana's talented but inconsistent roster. Vogel flourished, winning 20 out of 38 games with a group that O'Brien went 17-27 with, leading to a run through the lockout season that resulted in a winning percentage that would have given the Pacers 53 wins had they played the full 82 game schedule.
Larry Bird is the first winner of the NBA MVP, Coach of the Year and Executive of the Year awards, earning the top front-office honor Wednesday, the Pacers announced.
NEW YORK (AP) Indiana Pacers president Larry Bird has been voted the NBA's Executive of the Year, becoming the first person to win that award, plus the league's MVP and Coach of the Year honors.
According to the Indianapolis Star, Bird received 88 total points in including 12 first-place votes from a panel of NBA team executives.
Bird, 55, becomes the first person in league history to win MVP, Coach of the Year and Executive of the Year.
Take that, Magic!
Bird predictably shared the praise with the entire organization (via Indy Star):
This is an honor for the Indiana Pacers, not an award for Larry Bird. Everyone in this franchise put in a lot of work and showed a lot of patience as we have tried to get this team to a level on and off the court the fans in Indiana can be proud of. You always believe, and hope, the players you get will fit into a plan and I’m very proud of what our guys and our coaches have accomplished so far this year.
The timing of this couldn’t have been any better. The Pacers are fresh off shocking the Miami Heat in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference battle to capture home-court advantage heading back to Indiana.
Bird’s fingerprints are all over his team’s success.
He drafted Danny Granger, Paul George and Roy Hibbert, all of whom are now starters. His trade to bring in George Hill brought some much-needed playoff experience to a young team.
Bird also made the shrewd David West signing, my vote for the most underrated pickup of the entire year.
Bird has been a member of the Pacers organization for quite some time now. He was head coach from 1997-2000, scooping up Coach of the Year during the 1997-1998 season. Bird accumulated a 147-67 record as the Pacers' coach.
After a three-year break from the team, he returned in 2003 as an executive to a team that has struggled mightily since his return.
That all changed when they defeated the Orlando Magic in the first round to advance in the postseason for the first time since the 2004-2005 campaign.
With a young nucleus already doing major damage in the playoffs, the sky is the limit for this Pacers team.
There is no doubt Bird is a worthy recipient of the award.
In one season, the Pacers leapfrogged from sneaking into the Eastern Conference playoffs for the first time in five years as an 8th seed with a losing record to the fifth best team in the NBA. Some of that is from natural improvement: Roy Hibbert, Paul George and Darren Collison all became much better players in a short time. But a lot of it is also the product of the most obvious reason: David West and George Hill are now on the roster.
For this — and perhaps just being a Pawn Star GM who made didn’t sign any free agents to bad contracts before the season — Larry Bird has been named 2011-12 NBA Executive of the Year. He certainly deserves the recognition. RC Buford of the Spurs is really the only other reasonable candidate.
In getting the award, Bird becomes the first person to win MVP, Coach of the Year and Executive of the Year honors. I’m not sure there is another person alive more befitting his nickname. Legend indeed.
Of course, it will be a classic Larry Bird move if he does walk away from the job after he is named the best in the business at it. Just seems like a nice, tidy way to end things. Even more classic Bird? This comment from Larry: “This is an honor for the Indiana Pacers, not an award for Larry Bird.”
Regardless of what happens in the offseason, Bird has certainly set up this home state franchise for long-term success.
Today the Indiana Pacers announced that Larry Bird has been named NBA Executive of the Year to add to his already impressive resume. If his resume wasn’t already stacked, Bird now is the first person in NBA history to win an MVP, Coach of the Year and now Executive of the Year. In the beginning of his [...]
As expected, the NBA plugged their nose and decided to let Dwyane Wade play in Game 3 instead of upgrading his flagrant foul against Darren Collison to a Flagrant 2. Makes sense, of course, that a forearm shove in the back of a player running full speed wasn't worthy of a Flagrant 2. Just a little, "oopsy" push among friends, right?
Yeah, right.
Kind of comical how the NBA can just slip out a ruling and not have to answer for it when anyone with no bias (not me) can see that your average NBA player would be punished to the full extent of
Pacers President of Basketball Operations Larry Bird was named the NBA's 2012 Executive of the Year. The award marks the first time in history that someone has won MVP, Coach of the Year, and Executive of the Year.
The NBA announced today that Dwayne Wade’s (a star) hockey hit on Darren Collison (non-star) will stick as a Flagrant 1. An upgrade to a Flagrant 2 would have resulted in a one game suspension. Now, the precident had been set earlier in the season when Jason Smith (a non-star) of the New Orleans Hornets [...]
Given what they had just accomplished, it was remarkable to see how quickly the Pacers' focus shifted. Immediately after stunning the Heat 78-75 in Game 2 on Tuesday in Miami, the players turned their attention to Game 3.
The Miami Heat may not need the full firepower of "The Big Three" to make their way to the 2012 NBA title, but the early returns suggest that they may miss Chris Bosh more than many pundits predicted. When Bosh went down with an abdominal strain during Game 1 of the Heat's second-round series with the Indiana Pacers, a common refrain was that LeBron James and Dwayne Wade would have little trouble holding off the Blue and Gold to advance to the Eastern Conference finals. ...
After finishing 0-9 shooting from the field to lose Game 1 to the Miami Heat, the Indiana Pacers stepped up the defensive intensity and were able to shake off some late-game free throw misses to take Game 2 78-75. This is a reality check for the Miami Heat and their fans. The Pacers may lack the star power of the Heat, but they won 42 games for a reason, and with Chris Bosh's injury, they have a chance at challenging the Heat's presumed series win.
After Chris Bosh's Game 1 abdominal strain changed the landscape of the Eastern Conference semifinals, the Indiana Pacers took advantage of their opportunity in Game 2, scratching out a 78-75 win over the Heat on Tuesday night. It wasn't pretty … Continue reading →
The Eastern Conference semifinal is between more than just the Miami Heat and the Indiana Pacers. It is a duel between two different ideologies.
There is the Heat's ideology—sign superstars and assemble a cast of role players that let the stars shine. Then there is the Pacers' ideology—build carefully through the draft with a very traditional Hoosier idea that the team is greater than the sum of its parts. It is the superstar vs. the team.
The team took Game 2, after a tough, physical, tempestuous 78-75 slug-fest. Now the series shifts to Indianapolis with the semifinal tied up at 1-1.
Naturally games like this create a plethora of storylines. Being your dutiful writer, I have compiled three for your consideration. If you're a good reader, I might just throw a bonus thought at the end because that's the generous thing to do.
Prior to Game 2, Indiana Pacers guard George Hill mentioned to Fox 59 that his team needed to get back to having fun and enjoy the game with one another as they have all season. In the second half of their win over the Miami Heat last night, the Pacers had all kinds of fun.
Dwyane Wade thought they were celebrating after the game, but no, the Pacers were just having fun. I've seen bigger "celebrations" from this crew
The Philadelphia 76ers have established themselves as a real potential threat to the Boston Celtics. So now that Sixers fans like myself can start to dream of another upset, this makes the other Eastern Conference semifinal more worthy of attention. Of course, the other conference semifinal was expected to be a coronation for the Miami Heat over the Indiana Pacers, before facing the Celtics in the finals.
Sweatin’ Bullets is a recurring feature in which I touch on general comments, theories and observations of the most recent game.
With Chris Bosh out indefinitely, we are all left to wonder who will fill the role of “third best player who is left out of Wade and Lebron’s press conference.”
“Ronny Turiaf starts for the Miami Heat.” The Pacers shouldn’t need any more bulletin board material than that.
Nobody ever wants to give Erick Spoelstra credit, but every player on the Miami Heat plays good defense and nothing comes easy for their opponents offensively. When Mike Miller seems like a good defender you know there is some good coaching going on.
Aggression. That’s what you want from George Hill and Darren Collison. When Hill is aggressive on offense and Collison comes in and brings his own offensive flair, it is just a reminder of what the Heat lack. Mario Chalmers does what is asked of him for the Heat, but there is no doubt that either Hill or Collison would start for Miami.
Lebron James makes Ronny Turiaf 439% better. This guy really is the MVP.
I realize that Lebron James has physical attributes like no one one else in the NBA, but if you think that James was just “blessed” with natural talents then ask yourself why Paul George has had such a small impact on the playoffs thus far.
Dahnaty Jones swag is in my top five favorite swags.
Cheap Hansbrough fouls are frustrating.
The terrible shooting an double-digit first half turnovers for the Pacers are just embarrassing. The Pacers did not show up ready to play competitive basketball with a great team. Luckily the Heat had no intentions of resembling a great team.
A playoff game should not be this hard to watch through nearly three quarters. It’s hard to tell if both defenses were working their butt off or if both offenses were just kind of doing whatever.
The Indiana Pacers flat out love the third quarter. Outscored the Heat 28-14 in this one.
Lebron takes flopping to a whole different level. It seems like he is willingly putting his body in danger despite very little contact.
Wade’s flagrant on Collison was pretty unnecessary, but at least the ball hit him directly in the face as it was happening.
Did anybody else wake up when Granger and Lebron got into it?
Marv Albert basically told the Miami Heat they don’t want to mess around with David West. They were correct.
TNT ran a segment called “Miller Time” in which they provided a very boring explanation of why Danny Granger actually has four fouls instead of the earlier claim of five. Sweatin’ Bullets may not be globally popular, but I think it is more riveting than “Miller Time.”
A jump ball against Lebron James is pretty much just a turnover.
I can’t stand all the haters that claim that the NBA just consists of a bunch of athletic people without much fundamentals or skills. I also hope none of those people watched this game. They don’t need any more fuel.
Niether of these teams really wanted to win this game.
At least the Heat haven’t taken Chris Bosh for granted the past two years or anything…
Let’s be honest, the Pacers won this game by default. Someone had to. Both teams had trouble executing, both teams missed shots, both teams forgot how to shoot free throws, but the team that played the hardest won.
The Heat look like a very different team without Chris Bosh. I would expect them to come out and play better in Game 3, but Wade and Lebron looked relatively human and the supporting cast looked abysmal.
In an ugly game 2, highlighted by tenacious defense and inefficient offense by both teams, the Pacers squeezed out a win, and homecourt advantage going forward. With the series tied 1-1 heading back to Indianapolis, the pressure is suddenly on the Miami Heat to get a quick win, and reestablish their home court advantage, or [...]
The Indiana Pacers shocked the Miami Heat on May 15, walking away with 78-75 win at the American Airlines Arena. With the win, the Pacers now have home court advantage for the remainder of the series, a position the Heat certainly didn't want to find themselves in.
The Indiana Pacers defeated the Miami Heat 78-75 in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals. The series is now tied 1-1, and headed back to Indiana on Thursday night. The Heat were without Chris Bosh, who is out indefinitely, with a lower abdominal strain. He was clearly missed as the Heat, as a team, struggled often. LeBron James led the Heat with 28 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists. He also set a Miami Heat playoff record, with 6 steals. Dwyane Wade had 24 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists. Both LeBron and Wade outscored the Pacers as a team 21-17 in the 4th quarter. However, it was not enough as both missed big shots down the stretch. Including 2 crucial missed free throws by LeBron with 54.3 seconds left that would have given his team the lead. “The game is not lost or won with two free throws,” James said. “But I definitely want to come through for my teammates. So I’ll get an opportunity again. I know I’ll be at the line again in that situation. Just go up and make em.” David West led the Pacers with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Danny Granger had a rough game, shooting 5-14 from the field, scoring just 11 points, and also fouled out late in the fourth. Paul George grabbed a double-double on 10 points and 11 rebounds, but it was his block on LeBron’s layup attempt with 1:22 left in the game that mattered the most.
The Big 3 has now become the Big 2, in Miami. Without Bosh, the Miami Heat are going to have to figure out a way to contain the Pacers big men, and also how to play more like a team instead of just hoping Wade and James will bail them out each game. Miami shot 35 percent, got outrebounded50-40 and besides James and Wade, no other Heat player scored more than five points. ”Chris was missed, no doubt about it,” Wade said. “But that’s not the reason we lost this ball game.” Miami shot 1-16 from 3-point range, and are now a miserable 1-22 on the series from downtown. Heat Head coach, Erik Spoelstra said, “Welcome to the playoffs, for us.”That’s how we’re viewing it. This series has started. They won on our home court. Now we have to collect ourselves, gather ourselves and get ready for Game 3. That’s all that matters right now.”
The whole game was a grind. Indiana scored 16 points in the first seven minutes of the first half, and then scored 17 in the next 17 minutes. And even after a drought like that, Miami’s lead was only 38-33 at halftime. Miami was 0-for-7 on shots that would have pushed its margin to double digits in the first half. “Welcome to Eastern Conference playoff basketball,” said Pacers coach Frank Vogel, a nod to the physical defense and high emotions throughout the game. With 9:53 left in the 4th quarter, Wade tried to create contact on a drive against Dahntay Jones, but there was no whistle. Clearly upset with the call, Wade went rumbling down the court and did his best Raffi Torres impression on Pacers guard Darren Collison. Wade was called for a flagrant-1 foul, and the Pacers lead ballooned to nine. Heat would go on to score the next six points, as tensions were certainly high. With 7:25 left in the game, Danny Granger and LeBron James got into a heated argument as they got tangled up down low. Technical fouls were called on both players, which also happened to be the only type of foul called on LeBron in this game. Surprisingly, in a game that saw 47 personal fouls, not one of them was called on LeBron.
The Miami Heat found themselves with the ball and down 3 on the last possession of the game, but Mario Chalmers came up short on a left-wing three pointer and just like that, the series was tied. Pacers now look to have the momentum, with the next two games on their home-court, and the Heat short-handed with no Bosh. It’s going to take a real effort from the Heat, as a team, to overcome the shortage of Bosh. No 2 players in the NBA can beat a whole team each night, and that’s exactly what the Heat are asking from Wade and LeBron at this point. After a Game 1 loss, the Pacers have now turned the tables, and have all the momentum on their side as they set to clash back home on Thursday night, and try to take a 2-1 advantage in the series.
Games Notes:
James’ six steals were a Heat playoff record.
Trying to exploit the size advantage with Bosh out, the Pacers gave C Roy Hibbert three shots in the first 1:11 of the game. He got three the rest of the game.
Wade is now 39-11 in home playoff games.
James will play his 100th playoff game Thursday.
James is now shooting 58% from the free throw line in one possession games with a minute or less remaining in the 4th quarter.
Don’t forget to follow and interact with me on twitter @windycityiggy
The Indiana Pacers got a huge win in Game 2 against the Miami Heat, evening the series 1-1 before heading to Banker’s Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis for Games 3 and 4.
The Heat played without Chris Bosh (out indefinitely with a lower abdominal strain), and as a result made changes to their starting lineup. Ronny Turiaf replaced Bosh in the starting lineup, although with no Bosh in the middle, the Heat had trouble matching up with Roy Hibbert and David West of the Pacers.
However, the Pacers got a lot of help from two veterans, David West and Leandro Barbosa, when they needed it the most.
With both Paul George and Danny Granger struggling shooting from the field (they combined to shoot 9-for-25), it was Barbosa who used his quickness to get by his defender to score baskets down the stretch, while West posted up against LeBron James to keep his team ahead of and close to the Heat.
West was also able to score baskets while being guarded by LeBron James and got to the free-throw line, which gave the Pacers free points, more so in the second half.
West scored 16 points while Barbosa put in eight points off the bench, although a good portion of his timely baskets came when the Pacers were having trouble getting past the Heat’s defense.
At the end of the day, the Pacers did not play perfectly but were able to leave Miami with a win, and it remains to be seen what will take place in Indianapolis. For the Miami Heat, the absence of Chris Bosh makes things hard, as both Turiaf and Joel Anthony are not scoring big men.
The Pacers would like to find a way to take advantage of that, and they need more from Roy Hibbert in Game 3 to put more pressure on the Heat’s frontcourt.
After the Pacers lost Game 1, they complained — although subtly so as not to get fined — about the officiating. In Game 2, Mario Chalmers casually mentioned (I’m not going to say “complained” … I wasn’t there to hear him talk) that he got hit on the elbow as he tried to hit the game-tying three on Miami’s last possession. ”I felt like I was fouled on the three that I shot but they didn’t call it. Darren got me for sure,” said Chalmers, according to ESPN. ”It is a shot I usually knock down,” added Chalmers, who shot 2-for-10 (and 0-for-4 from behind the arc) tonight.
To recap: teams that lose are consistently unhappy with outcome of game, including how it was officiated.
News at 11.
Looks like Mario is probably correct though based on the photo above. Tom Haberstroh has another photo, some video and a little more on this over at the Heat Index if you care (link above).
This little exchange by two guys who clearly weren’t going to fight each other happened around the 7-minute mark in the fourth quarter of tonight’s Pacers win over the Heat in Game 2. A little tangle up, a little exchange of unpleasantries, a little Brazilian dude running over to see what’s going on and a little bit of everyone calming down once David West came over. A non-event basically, but it came just two minutes after Dwyane Wade was whistled for a flagrant foul on Darren Collison while the game was ramping up in intensity. The Heat shot 5-for-14 (35.7%) from the field and 3-for-8 (37.5%) from the line following this little incident, for what that’s worth. The Pacers were 4-for-8 (50%) from the field and 5-for-10 (50%) from the line.
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