Ok so Indy it is!

[frizzledizzle]

I think we will see Smith on George and Ivan on West for about half of each game.

I just can't see Korver, Stevens, or Jones being able to contain George. Granted D. Stevens and D. Jones has reputations as good peremieter defenders......age is catching up with both of them and George has a huge reach advantage over them.

What worries me about West is his pick and pop game. If West "bullies" Smith around then Ivan will put an end to that immediately. There is no such thing a bullying Ivan around.

If Smith is on PG and Ivan is on West, I think you're right to be worried about the pick and pop with West. He's also great at creating his own shot wherever inside the arc. He plays inside and out. I've watched him shoulder guys like Boozer off him to create space. West is is just pretty amazing offensively. Some of these guys on the Pacers would have better numbers than they do but they're willing to share the ball and that's what makes them so good as a team. West is averaging 17 but there is no doubt in my mind he could average like 20 or maybe even 22 if he wanted. So on paper West and George are averaging 17 but they could probably average more. And George Hill, he's been struggling shooting with the groin injury but he can catch fire and I believe he could score more than he does as well. In the warriors game, he started like 8 of 8 or something I believe. And I've seen games where he's like 9 of 10. As for 3 balls go, look for Paul George to come off screens or if they go inside to Hibbert, sometimes a second defender comes down to help and he'll toss it back out to the open man for 3. But Hill can score and create his own shots. Sometimes he's just standing around and he'll pull up when you give him a little bit of space. Other times he'll be in transition and rather than take it to the hoop he'll just stop and pull up for an open look. He also attacks the basket occasionally and has a nice tear drop.

I always thought Horford, Smith and Teague were better than what the Bulls are putting on the floor. That's without Rose of course. With Rose, they had the best record in the NBA the past two seasons. But yeah, that trio and Korver is better than the Bulls in my opinion. Though Korver will probably be a liability defensively forever he is guarding. Even Lance Stephenson should be able to take it to him. He was a 5* recruit that holds the scoring title in the state of New York. He's best around the basket but he can hit open 3's and he's solid from mid range. I think since they have a different style of players, both teams will find ways to exploit the other.

Some Hawks and Pacers fans might not be that excited about the series but as a Pacers fan, I'm excited. It's playoff basketball and it's the Pacers

Edited April 18, 2013 by frizzledizzle

[frizzledizzle]

Oh and if it's any consolation... I see you're a Georgia fan, coachx. I'm sure others on here are too and if my Pacers do manage to advance past your Hawks, at least your Bulldogs should take it to my Vols this year. I actually think Butch Jones could be the right man for the job and he already has like 8 or 9 recruits committed but with Bray, Patterson and Hunter gone, I'm not expecting a whole lot. We've recruited wide receiver well but they have little experience and Worley has some experience but I don't know. It's going to be a new system with a new qb and wide receivers. Also, we had switched a 3-4 under Sal Sunseri last season and I think we're back to a 4-3 this season. I think it's just too many changes to beat a team as talented as Georgia. So if the Pacers advance, you can always feel good about beating my Vols in the future . Personally, I love football more than basketball but I love both.

Edited April 18, 2013 by frizzledizzle

[coachx]

If Smith is on PG

I was refering to Josh Smith defending Paul George for half the game.............not George Hill.

That is why I refered to our wings like Korver, D. Jones, and D. Stevens not being able to defend George...........meaning Paul George.

[coachx]

Oh and if it's any consolation... I see you're a Georgia fan, coachx. I'm sure others on here are too and if my Pacers do manage to advance past your Hawks, at least your Bulldogs should take it to my Vols this year. I actually think Butch Jones could be the right man for the job and he already has like 8 or 9 recruits committed but with Bray, Patterson and Hunter gone, I'm not expecting a whole lot. We've recruited wide receiver well but they have little experience and Worley has some experience but I don't know. It's going to be a new system with a new qb and wide receivers. Also, we had switched a 3-4 under Sal Sunseri last season and I think we're back to a 4-3 this season. I think it's just too many changes to beat a team as talented as Georgia. So if the Pacers advance, you can always feel good about beating my Vols in the future . Personally, I love football more than basketball but I love both.

I do like Paul George.

I agree Butch Jones may be the right man for the UT job.

I hate that Derek Dooley caught some tough breaks but agree it was time for change. Dooley is a great offensive coach......scoring points was never their problem with Dooley.....Tennesse just could not recruit pieces to fit their new 3-4 defensive over haul quick enough. Dooley caught some tough breaks and lost alot of close games vs. top 10 teams. He was so close to beating Bama, LSU, and UGA but just could not get that signature win. That ending in LSU's Death Valley a few years back was one of the ages. He almost out scored UGA "between the hedges" last year. Dooley almost got that win in 2009 but lost to Bama by 2 points.

I went to the same HS as Derek Dooley. He actually invited me to his house prior to the UGA / Tennesse game in Knoxville (2011). I got to hang out with Vince and Barbra and reminise about his days at UGA all morning. Which was pretty cool. Neyland Stadium is always one of my favorite road trips...........2nd only to Jacksonville for the Florida game where I get to hang out at St Simons with thousands of Dawg fans for a few nights.

I'm actually a good freind with the family of Alan Posey.........rs sophomore OL at Tennessee. I coached him in football and basketball at the Athens Y when he was growing up. His big brother was in my wedding.

[lethalweapon3]

http://www.indystar.com/article/20130417/SPORTS15/304170116/Pacers-are-suddenly-filled-with-uncertainty-says-Bob-Kravitz

“Their bigs can pick and pop, and teams have been doing that to me the last two weeks,’’ Pacers center Roy Hibbert said. “So I’m going to have to move my feet outside the paint faster because I’ve been a stick in the mud outside the paint. I haven’t had my best games in Atlanta. It’s a mental block I have to get over.’’

~lw3

[hawkrule152]

David West has destroyed us every single game since he has been in Indy it seems like. If we can outplay him and Teague be the athletic flying PG we want him to be. It should make for a good series..

On another note.. does Korvers streak count in the playoffs?

[lethalweapon3]

Star player hampered by injury? You know what that means... the Hawks are REALLY in trouble now!

As noted by ESPN in their playoff page:

George has been dealing with a strained abdomen suffered in last Sunday's loss to New York, the Indianapolis Star reports.

~lw3

[frizzledizzle]

I was refering to Josh Smith defending Paul George for half the game.............not George Hill.

That is why I refered to our wings like Korver, D. Jones, and D. Stevens not being able to defend George...........meaning Paul George.

PG is Paul George, not point guard . My mistake, I should have been more clear.

Edited April 18, 2013 by frizzledizzle

[frizzledizzle]

I do like Paul George.

I agree Butch Jones may be the right man for the UT job.

I hate that Derek Dooley caught some tough breaks but agree it was time for change. Dooley is a great offensive coach......scoring points was never their problem with Dooley.....Tennesse just could not recruit pieces to fit their new 3-4 defensive over haul quick enough. Dooley caught some tough breaks and lost alot of close games vs. top 10 teams. He was so close to beating Bama, LSU, and UGA but just could not get that signature win. That ending in LSU's Death Valley a few years back was one of the ages. He almost out scored UGA "between the hedges" last year. Dooley almost got that win in 2009 but lost to Bama by 2 points.

I went to the same HS as Derek Dooley. He actually invited me to his house prior to the UGA / Tennesse game in Knoxville (2011). I got to hang out with Vince and Barbra and reminise about his days at UGA all morning. Which was pretty cool. Neyland Stadium is always one of my favorite road trips...........2nd only to Jacksonville for the Florida game where I get to hang out at St Simons with thousands of Dawg fans for a few nights.

I'm actually a good freind with the family of Alan Posey.........rs sophomore OL at Tennessee. I coached him in football and basketball at the Athens Y when he was growing up. His big brother was in my wedding.

That's crazy man. That's a nice memory to have down the road. I followed Dooley blindly until his third and final season when he lost to Florida. The was the game we expected him to finally get us going in the right direction but when we lost that game, it was all down hill from there. Fans turned quickly after two losing seasons and missing a bowl game. It was just one of those things where you got feeling it would be Dooley's final season after the Florida loss. Sure, he could have turned the season around but at that point, fans kind of stopped believing. I wanted him to succeed and he did a nice job helping reconfigure the layout of the new facilities to make it easier to navigate and more accessible. If you ever seen a video of them, they're something special. Tennessee is in debt but they still have the resources to be a great team. Some people think they'll be down forever but I don't think so. Only time will tell I suppose. Here's a video of the facilities by the way if you care to see...

[Guest]

Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, just plain wrong.....only US Hawks fan can comment on the size of Zaza's head. We miss you Zaza!!!!

Lolz.

[frizzledizzle]

^ haha

That's funny.

I actually post over there but I've just been over here more since we found out we'd be playing you. I've had all season to be on that board, reading about the Pacers and watching Pacer games. I know about all there is to know when it comes to the Pacers so it's more fun for the time being on here listening to you guys talk about the Hawks and the upcoming series. Some of you seem to believe there is a run in the Hawks and others seem to be more infatuated with draft lol. Sunday feels a long ways away. After 81 games(Celtics game was cancelled), I'm just ready to watch my guys in the playoffs. A first round loss would be heart breaking after being 2nd a lot of the season and having one of if not the best defense in the NBA. I'm not one of the Pacers fans that are taking the Hawks lightly and I hope the players aren't either. If the Pacers are slacking off, the Hawks will beat them. If the Pacers play their best basketball, I do think they should take the series. I'm not sold it's a given like some people. And with my history of sports, my teams let me down a lot. So I'm not chalking this up as a win because I think the Hawks can make them pay if they're playing well and the Pacers are overconfident.

Edited April 18, 2013 by frizzledizzle

[Guest]

The Hawks will either have a good run or just get blown out - there is no in-between with this team. When the Hawks have expectations they tend to not show up or just barely. When there are no expectations - we surprise. It's one of the joys of being a Hawks fan.

I think a lot hinges on the play of Josh and Teague - IF Josh plays like he is capable of playing - rebounding, defending, playing inside, IF Teague is focused and pushing the pace consistently along with Devin, Indy will have a tough time.

We are also focused on the draft because this was supposed to be a throw away year having traded our 'best' player for a bunch of expiring contracts.

Welcome aboard - you should join us in the Chatroom during the game - guaranteed loads of fun especially if the Hawks are getting blown out.

Don't discount our playoff experience though - 5 straight years.

^ haha

That's funny.

I actually post over there but I've just been over here more since we found out we'd be playing you. I've had all season to be on that board, reading about the Pacers and watching Pacer games. I know about all there is to know when it comes to the Pacers so it's more fun for the time being on here listening to you guys talk about the Hawks and the upcoming series. Some of you seem to believe there is a run in the Hawks and others seem to be more infatuated with draft lol. Sunday feels a long ways away. After 81 games(Celtics game was cancelled), I'm just ready to watch my guys in the playoffs. A first round loss would be heart breaking after being 2nd a lot of the season and having one of if not the best defense in the NBA. I'm not one of the Pacers fans that are taking the Hawks lightly and I hope the players aren't either. If the Pacers are slacking off, the Hawks will beat them. If the Pacers play their best basketball, I do think they should take the series. I'm not sold it's a given like some people. And with my history of sports, my teams let me down a lot. So I'm not chalking this up as a win because I think the Hawks can make them pay if they're playing well and the Pacers are overconfident.

Edited April 18, 2013 by JayBirdHawk

[frizzledizzle]

The Hawks will either have a good run or just get blown out - there is no in-between with this team. When the Hawks have expectations they tend to not show up or just barely. When there are no expectations - we surprise. It's one of the joys of being a Hawks fan.

I think a lot hinges on the play of Josh and Teague - IF Josh plays like he is capable of playing - rebounding, defending, playing inside, IF Teague is focused and pushing the pace consistently along with Devin, Indy will have a tough time.

We are also focused on the draft because this was supposed to be a throw away year having traded our 'best' player for a bunch of expiring contracts.

Welcome aboard - you should join us in the Chatroom during the game - guaranteed loads of fun especially if the Hawks are getting blown out.

Don't discount our playoff experience though - 5 straight years.

I like that you said Josh Smith playing inside because I've always thought he's a great player when he does that and single handedly chucks game away times when he's taking jumper after jumper. So naturally, I'm hoping he takes a lot jump shots. I've seen him get hot before but I've seen him brick a lot of games away.

And I might just do that an join the chat haha

[MaceCase]

Chats are hilarious. At some point you'll swear we are all Pacer fans when we "vent".

[Guest]

I like that you said Josh Smith playing inside because I've always thought he's a great player when he does that and single handedly chucks game away times when he's taking jumper after jumper. So naturally, I'm hoping he takes a lot jump shots. I've seen him get hot before but I've seen him brick a lot of games away. And I might just do that an join the chat haha

With Josh, it's not so much that he takes the long jumpers but when he takes them - early in the shot clock or if we are down and gaining momentum he might just launch a 3 with 21 seconds on clock.Al Horford better bring his hard hat and be aggressive on offense and not pass up easy shots in paint - he has been doing that too much the last 5/6 games he played.The hi/lo play between Josh and Al will give the Pacers fits - Hibbert just does not have the foot speed to stay with Horford.Look for a couple dust-ups between Psycho T and I.V.A.N. - guaranteed.

[Gray Mule]

We may be considered as soft. Just don't tell Ivan!

About Korver's streak. Playoff games don't count, so

it begins next year with the first regular season game

he plays in.

Hawks are a jump shooting team. When the team is hot,

there's no stopping them. When they're cold, anyone

can beat them. Usually they are either hot or cold. No

in between with this crew.

Josh can be super good - - or super bad. All Hawk fans

are aware of this. It can change, game to game or even

quarter to quarter. You just never know.

Atlanta depends a lot on speed, fast breaks, good passing

and Korver taking, and making, three point shots. And, don't

sell him short. He's not THAT bad on defense. Maybe not

great, but still - - -

Coach has preached DEFENSE to this team and it's been good

until lately. Seems to have dissapeared. Hopefully, it will return.

Many teams consider Phillips Arena their home away from home.

We'll see how that goes, too.

GO HAWKS!!

[yungsta]

We will win 1 of the 2 first games in indy. We will take a few games off and win another 1 before they eliminate us in 6. I have no hope in this team at all. Nothing tells me we are going to win a series or even want to win in the playoffs.

I am sick and tired of this team and cant wait until the offseason starts.

Sorry for sounding like a whiny pessimistic fan but I have a right to be with the way we have played lately.

[benhillboy]

Ive never heard of it until now, but apparently the log5 method doesn't like us: http://www.sbnation.com/2013/4/19/4238482/nba-playoffs-2013-predictions-picks-log5-math

Edited April 20, 2013 by benhillboy

[Nicholasp27]

Why do they use a standard 60% home court advantage instead of using each team's actual home court advantage?

Edited April 20, 2013 by Nicholasp27

[Plainview1981]

Rebounding is actually what worries me. Pacers were #1 in points allowed, field goal percentage, three point pecentage and rebounding most of the season and still might be in all but points allowed. I'll be honest though and say Roy Hibbert is kind of a stiff. Horford and especially Smith should have no problem going up for boards and out jumping him. I also think Horford will be able to get open looks with jump shots with Hibbert trying to guard him. I think Horford and Smith are kind of a mismatch for Hibbert and West. Hibber and West will bully them around a bit but Horford and Smith are more athletic.

David West is usually tough against the Hawks from what I remember.... And looking at the stats, it seems to be true. This season he averaged 21PPG on 53% shooting... And I think DW has played well against the Hawks in seasons past also.

The scary thing is that if you look at George, West, Hill or Hibbert.... The Hawks didn't stop any of them.

Team vs. team.... It's tough to see where the Hawks advantages are. Maybe Teague has a huge series. I think Teague and Josh really have to outplay Hill and West. I don't think we can count on Korver/Stevenson outplaying George/Lance Stephenson.

ZaZa is a loss in this series... A bigger loss than Lou Williams to be honest. ZaZa averaged 11 points and 14 rebounds in the two wins against Indiana. Ivan isn't the rebounder off the bench that ZaZa is.

Tough loss.

Edited April 21, 2013 by Hotlanta1981