2016-2017 Indiana Pacers season (and the rest of the NBA)

[oldunclemark]

125-117 final..........

...They played like the needed this one very badly..

....for 3 quarters..we just played very badly..

 

we're the 7th seed and seriously close to 9th..and the golf course

[Bluefire4]

This was a big game tonight but I knew we would lose. This Denver team plays everyone hard and if your team isn't making shots than you are not winning. They put up too many points.

 

It will be interesting seeing just how healthy Durant is against this team in the first round. If they rely on jump shooting they may give the Nuggets a couple of games by shooting themselves out of it. Could be an interesting matchup.

[2006Coltsbestever]

This has been a very disappointing season. The worse in a while because of expectations. The year PG was injured I expected us to lose but we still almost made the Playoffs. We are a far cry from our 2013/2014 teams. We are just plain soft!

[21isSuperman]

On 2017-03-24 at 9:20 PM, 2006Coltsbestever said:

This has been a very disappointing season. The worse in a while because of expectations. The year PG was injured I expected us to lose but we still almost made the Playoffs. We are a far cry from our 2013/2014 teams. We are just plain soft!

Between all of the starters we lost from those 2013/2014 years, I think David West was the biggest one.  He brought toughness, leadership, demanded high effort, didn't allow the guys to take plays off or coast.  He could rebound, he could hit the jump shot.  Losing West really hurt and we haven't replaced most of what he brought to the team.  George Hill was a close second.

[2006Coltsbestever]

4 minutes ago, 21isSuperman said:

Between all of the starters we lost from those 2013/2014 years, I think David West was the biggest one.  He brought toughness, leadership, demanded high effort, didn't allow the guys to take plays off or coast.  He could rebound, he could hit the jump shot.  Losing West really hurt and we haven't replaced most of what he brought to the team.  George Hill was a close second.

Yeah losing West hurt badly. He is old now but when we had him he was still in his prime. He was a leader and clutch. An intimidator inside too. We had the team to beat Miami in 2013 and 2014 but just failed to get it done.

[oldunclemark]

On ‎3‎/‎24‎/‎2017 at 10:20 PM, 2006Coltsbestever said:

This has been a very disappointing season. The worse in a while because of expectations. The year PG was injured I expected us to lose but we still almost made the Playoffs. We are a far cry from our 2013/2014 teams. We are just plain soft!

   It looks bad. We are so .500.

..and we don't have that 'hard guy' like Supe said...

The most fire we've shown the last week has come from Aaron Brooks

 

We have a lot of skill but our energy level is consistently average...

That's where a David West would have helped.

...and its so disappointing because the Cavs are vulnerable

[2006Coltsbestever]

5 minutes ago, oldunclemark said:

   It looks bad. We are so .500.

..and we don't have that 'hard guy' like Supe said...

The most fire we've shown the last week has come from Aaron Brooks

 

We have a lot of skill but our energy level is consistently average...

That's where a David West would have helped.

...and its so disappointing because the Cavs are vulnerable

Yeah I know it's all opinion but if you put our 2013 team in the league now I think we could beat the Cavs. LeBron's Heat team was better in 2013 and we took them 7. Wizards blew the Cavs off the court last night in Cleveland. Having said that I still think the Cavs make out of the East but if Durant comes back I have the Warriors winning it all. The word on Durant is, he is making huge progress and may be back very soon. The Warriors are just being cautious with him and can win Regular Season games without him led by Curry.

[RockThatBlue]

The Pacers are consistently inconsistent.

[oldunclemark]

1 minute ago, RockThatBlue said:

The Pacers are consistently inconsistent.

well said

[dgambill]

5 hours ago, oldunclemark said:

   It looks bad. We are so .500.

..and we don't have that 'hard guy' like Supe said...

The most fire we've shown the last week has come from Aaron Brooks

 

We have a lot of skill but our energy level is consistently average...

That's where a David West would have helped.

...and its so disappointing because the Cavs are vulnerable

The loss of George Hill and Solomon Hill hurts our defense a ton. This team is very inconsistent and just doesn't have those tough guys that are willing to do the dirty work.

[Bluefire4]

Things went our way tonight all around. Pacers win, Hawks and Bucks lose. Now there is a 3 way tie for 5th. It will be interesting to see how we finish.

 

Bad night with injuries for this team though. We already knew GR3 hurt his calf in practice and then Stuckey and Al Jefferson go down tonight. I actually want to see more Brooks/Ellis/Miles and more Christmas so hopefully they can pick up momentum if we can make the playoffs.

[Colts_Fan12]

On 3/24/2017 at 3:07 PM, MTC said:

Time to move Myles Turner back to power forward until he gets stronger and can rebound.

It's where he belongs anyway get us a bigger C that can defend the paint and not get pushed around 

[Colts_Fan12]

Delete 

[oldunclemark]

2 hours ago, Bluefire4 said:

Things went our way tonight all around. Pacers win, Hawks and Bucks lose. Now there is a 3 way tie for 5th. It will be interesting to see how we finish.

 

Bad night with injuries for this team though. We already knew GR3 hurt his calf in practice and then Stuckey and Al Jefferson go down tonight. I actually want to see more Brooks/Ellis/Miles and more Christmas so hopefully they can pick up momentum if we can make the playoffs.

Missed the game but saw a replay....BIg Al might miss the next 2 or 3 games..hopefully no more

I am glad to see Brooks playing because he's an unapologetic attacker on  offense.

He throws up some bad shots but he isn't afraid to take his shot without hesitation...

 

the closing schedule is tough..2 more with Toronto...

,,,,6-3 and we can be the 5th seed..if we beat the Hawks on the final day of the season

 

..but a ,500 finish is also very possible..as I guess we've seen

 

[oldunclemark]

Has Atlanta lost 7 in a row?  I knew they'd lost some players but I guess I haven't watched closely

[21isSuperman]

I still stand by my previous comments that this team should have tanked and needs a new coach.  However, reasons for hope:

 

1) The Pacers are among the league's best defensive teams since the All-Star break.  I think I read that they're 3rd in defensive rating in that time

2) When the team goes to a shorter bench, they tend to do better.  In the playoffs, teams typically play 9 men, so this could be good for the Pacers

3) Paul George has shown that he can and usually does elevate his play in the playoffs

 

Get to the playoffs, win a series, maybe take the second series to 7 games, Paul George likes that the team had some playoff success so he's more willing to stay and recruit guys to Indy (Hayward? Ibaka? Durant?).  I know there are a lot of "if"s in that plan, but it's some reason for optimism

[crazycolt1]

3 hours ago, 21isSuperman said:

I still stand by my previous comments that this team should have tanked and needs a new coach.  However, reasons for hope:

 

1) The Pacers are among the league's best defensive teams since the All-Star break.  I think I read that they're 3rd in defensive rating in that time

2) When the team goes to a shorter bench, they tend to do better.  In the playoffs, teams typically play 9 men, so this could be good for the Pacers

3) Paul George has shown that he can and usually does elevate his play in the playoffs

 

Get to the playoffs, win a series, maybe take the second series to 7 games, Paul George likes that the team had some playoff success so he's more willing to stay and recruit guys to Indy (Hayward? Ibaka? Durant?).  I know there are a lot of "if"s in that plan, but it's some reason for optimism

I agree with everything you say except the tanking comment. Under no circumstance do I want any team I follow to tank anything. These players are paid to play and do their best. Tanking breeds a loser mentality and IMO that is not acceptable.

[21isSuperman]

8 hours ago, crazycolt1 said:

I agree with everything you say except the tanking comment. Under no circumstance do I want any team I follow to tank anything. These players are paid to play and do their best. Tanking breeds a loser mentality and IMO that is not acceptable.

I think it's fine as long as you have a plan.  If you're the 76ers, then I would understand a fan's frustration with tanking.  But if they have a plan (eg. release older vets to clear cap space, give young guys playing time so they develop, get a higher draft pick), then I think a one year tank can be good for the future of the franchise.  We're at a point now where we can't compete with the top teams in the East, let alone the entire league.  Not only that, but we need to bring in lots of talent to the roster to keep Paul George around.  I would have no problem with a one year tank to build the team up and get them back to being a contender

[2006Coltsbestever]

Yeah it's a jam up in the East for the 5th Spot since we won last night! Heck who knows where we will finish? If I had to choose who we play in the Playoffs, I would still choose the Raptors. Their Big's will be tough to handle but PG always seems to outplay DeRozan and we had them beat last season in the Playoffs. The Cavs, Celtics, and Wizards would be real tough to beat in Round 1.

[21isSuperman]

For the first time in forever, the Cavs aren't in first place in the East.  Despite their recent struggles, I think they'll be fine in the playoffs.  LeBron becomes unstoppable when the playoffs roll around

[BullsColtsFan1]

2 hours ago, 21isSuperman said:

For the first time in forever, the Cavs aren't in first place in the East.  Despite their recent struggles, I think they'll be fine in the playoffs.  LeBron becomes unstoppable when the playoffs roll around

Cavs don't really care about seeding.  They are clearly going to win the East.  Unlike other years, LeBron looks worn down to me.  I think their going to struggle to win it all.  It's going to be brutal if they have to play Washington in round 2 then Boston in the conference finals without home court.  That'll take a lot out of them. 

[21isSuperman]

4 hours ago, BullsColtsFan1 said:

Cavs don't really care about seeding.  They are clearly going to win the East.  Unlike other years, LeBron looks worn down to me.  I think their going to struggle to win it all.  It's going to be brutal if they have to play Washington in round 2 then Boston in the conference finals without home court.  That'll take a lot out of them. 

I read somewhere that every LeBron team has had some sort of mid-season slump, but they always do just fine when the playoffs come around.  I think it'll be the same case here.

[2006Coltsbestever]

I have no reason to believe that the Cavs wont win the East. The East still doesn't have any world beaters and LeBron is the best player in the East. Wizards are becoming very solid and so are the Celtics but in a series I think Cavs will find a way to beat either. If Duran gets healthy I do think the Warriors will have too much for them though in the Finals. I also think the Spurs have too much for them as well. Both of those teams will also have HCA if they play the Cavs in the Finals.

[Bluefire4]

We have to win this game but it won't be pretty with the injuries we have. We need to start calling plays for the second unit to get Miles some open threes. We can't trust Brooks to be the floor general and do things on the fly. He makes too many mistakes.

[Bluefire4]

It's getting away from us. We're not beating the Grizzlies tomorrow with this bench so this game is super important.

[oldunclemark]

12-0 run to end the 3rd Q...up 80-77

...obviously...you're right..this is a must win

[oldunclemark]

1 hour ago, Bluefire4 said:

We have to win this game but it won't be pretty with the injuries we have. We need to start calling plays for the second unit to get Miles some open threes. We can't trust Brooks to be the floor general and do things on the fly. He makes too many mistakes.

we're down 3 players tonight.....Brooks has to play....I think we need to let him do his thing ..as crazy as it sometimes is

[oldunclemark]

PG has played 30 minute s in the first 3 Qs..

[oldunclemark]

112-110    Karl Anthony Towns has 35/.//PG has 37

 

coming down to the wire 1;55 left

[Bluefire4]

33 minutes ago, oldunclemark said:

we're down 3 players tonight.....Brooks has to play....I think we need to let him do his thing ..as crazy as it sometimes is

That's not going to work so well. He just shoots he's not a playmaker. That's why they had to bring Teague back in with the second unit.

[Bluefire4]

If Myles Turner can start playing like KAT by getting a post game and using his jump shot sparingly, and we add some shooting we could do something next year. Myles plays way too soft right now.

[oldunclemark]

Fouled Rubio on   '3' ..we're down 115-114  :03 left...wow..let HIM shoot the 3

[Bluefire4]

That's a heartbreaking loss. That is a game that will haunt us when we are on the outside looking in. Too many good teams coming up in the Grizzlies, Raptors, Cavaliers and we will be on the road.

 

Had to take advantage of this one... not looking good for us now.

[oldunclemark]

  Monta at the buzzer no good....we lose 115-114.....big loss......

all our starters played long minutes and we're

headed for Memphis where they don't lose much

 

...we're in danger of looking at Cavs in the first round..if we make it in at all

[oldunclemark]

10 minutes ago, Bluefire4 said:

That's not going to work so well. He just shoots he's not a playmaker. That's why they had to bring Teague back in with the second unit.

I know..but we're down Glenn and Stuckey....Brooks has to play and he has to play a lot in Memphis Wednesday.

 

..we're so .500

[Bluefire4]

But I will say is that Rubio call was straight nonsense. Completely ridiculous reffing all night. They'll come out tomorrow and say they missed it but that will not help us. That is freaking ridiculous.

 

And this team won't be close to a championship unless Myles figures it out like KAT has.

[MTC]

What a disappointing loss. 

 

The refs were bad, but this team is so mediocre. The talent isn't here. 

[MTC]

This team is going to need a new identity.

 

-Trash Bird

-Find a new GM (Pritchard's contract expires this offseason)

-Trash McMillan

-Trade PG

 

Build through the draft by acquiring young talented players. No more overspending in free agency for washed/injured players. 

 

[oldunclemark]

13 minutes ago, Bluefire4 said:

But I will say is that Rubio call was straight nonsense. Completely ridiculous reffing all night. They'll come out tomorrow and say they missed it but that will not help us. That is freaking ridiculous.

 

And this team won't be close to a championship unless Myles figures it out like KAT has.

I agree on that call...but the refs always get conned on that one..

..the screeners pushers the defender and the shooter jumps into him.

 

It hurts because Rubio cant shoot on the move....that's the guy we wanted to shoot, I;m sure

[oldunclemark]

Just now, MTC said:

This team is going to need a new identity.

 

-Trash Bird

-Find a new GM (Pritchard's contract expires this offseason)

-Trash McMillan

-Trade PG

 

Build through the draft by acquiring young talented players. No more overspending in free agency for washed/injured players. 

 

I don't want to be the 76ers