Indiana missed a chance to get a win. The defense missed their assignments on the Hawks final offensive play, allowing an easy basket. Wouldn't we see this a few days later with the Timberwolves?
1st Quarter
Sam Young can't cover Josh Smith, just a size mismatch. The Hawks were going to milk this, Pacers starting to double team and bring help, but this can't last long. West comes into the game playing aggressively after looking the opposite. But for all the good on offense, they are allowing Smith to either A: Smith scores on Young, (4-4 against him so far) or he finds a cutter when the double team comes.
2nd Quarter
The bench is getting out scored 21-6 at one point in the second. I know we aren't as deep as some think we are, but is it that hard to hope for one or two bench players to be productive? With the 1st unit back in the Pacers are starting to cut back into the lead, but it feels like the offense has to be perfect to keep in the game. The Pacers cut the gap late in the second quarter with transition baskets and an offense that passes the ball to create offense. On two of Hill's three first half 3-pointers, they came off a pass with no dribble. Simply, passes create points. One good thing defensively was Indiana started putting a double, or bigger men on Smith. Also, on the Hawks final play, the Pacers clogged the lane to make sure that Jeff Teague couldn't pass down low for an easy basket. This also allowed Hibbert to step out and put a hand in Teague's face to contest and make it a miss. Smart play to end the half and cut it to a one point deficit.
3rd Quarter
Lance Stephenson seems to be a decent from the arc, knocked down a long distant shot, creating turnovers, although the -3 +/- in the game isn't the most encouraging, but how much of that is on him?
Aside: Is it be, or does Devon Harris kinda look like Ludacris? Just a note, Hibbert needs to be more aggressive. Let's some plays get away from him by just not moving to the ball or basket sometime. Seems like he's leaving some points on the floor. Anyway back to the action. Watching this now, it looks like Indiana does better when they get out after missed shots. The tempo seems to favor them. Hill made three of his four 3-pointers in the game off passes. By my count, he missed the ones where he tried to create his own space. Small sample size, but it is easier to score off the pass (He also hit a long-two off as pass as well.) Watching this replay, it hard to see how the Pacers lost it when they play like this in the third quarter.
4th Quarter
Seems like every team trying tries to force the Pacers away from the top of the arc, but so far the Pacers are doing a good job at finding the open man.
But then everything fall apart, bad shots by Indiana followed by Atlanta taking smart threes spell trouble. Despite that, this was still a game the Pacers could of, should of found some baskets late. Anything good I said about Stephenson is gone as he picked bad times to launch bad shots. These mental errors down the stretch are brutal, while Kyle Kourver and the rest of the Hawks are picking their spot and creating space of screens and double screens. Teague would get a three with a minute left after the Pacers collapsed in the paint. Stephenson redeems himself a bit with a three after running underneath and out to the left side thanks to a set of trio of screens.
The Lou Williams escape through the congestions, not sure if West or Paul George was suppose to cover him, of there was suppose to be a switch, but no real excuses for a team that was suppose to be the second best in the East.
One thing to remember about this team is that with the exception of David West, no one on this team (Other than the injured Danny Granger, who is 29) is older than 27. This is a young team with seven new players. It will take time for this team to come together. Any maybe this team is still too young to expect consistency out of.
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