RealGM

VISITING



THE SKINNY



The Indiana Pacers go on the road for their first look at the Miami Heat. After dropping a winnable game against the Magic, the Pacers look to bounce back. The hardest stretches of the season are coming, and the Pacers can't take 5-6 at face value.

THE LINEUPS



Point Guard

Darren Collison is back, and he plays one of the two key positions when facing the Heat. With Carlos Arroyo and Mario Chalmers constituting the point guard rotation for the Heat, the Pacers have a real chance to push the advantage and have Collison and TJ Ford rip through the Heat defense. Carlos Arroyo and Mario Chalmers are both speed-based guards with range, so defense is still a must.

Shooting Guard

Mike Dunleavy was clanking everything off the rim against the Magic. His inconsistency is an area of concern, and if he is to continue to start in light of Rush's newly found daring play, he needs to do his job well. Dwyane Wade is nursing an injury, but the Pacers need to plan for him. He's not just a scorer, but a great passer and a strong defender. Dunleavy's tendency to telegraph passes won't serve him well here.

Small Forward

Nobody is expecting miracles out of Granger, but being the 4th biggest star on the court should motivate him to step up and accept the challenge. The team goes as far as its best player, and with Granger at the helm, he needs to really take on Lebron.

Power Forward

Josh McRoberts has been playing well, and with Jeff Foster out again, it's up to him and Hansbrough to bring the energy and hustle. He can't get in foul trouble against Bosh, even though the vaunted power forward has been struggling since joining the Heat.

Center

Hibbert plays the other key position for the Pacers, along with Collison. He is up against Zydrunas Ilgauskas, a smart but much slower veteran. Roy Hibbert cannot get in foul trouble against the drives from Lebron and Wade. The perimeter players must help out by keeping them from getting inside.

THE BENCH







Brandon Rush had a lay-up blocked by Lebron JAmes and it was one of the highlights of his last season. He appears to have turned things around, with 14 points on 6-11 shooting against the Magic. His defense will be key today, as he will probably be checking Lebron. Tyler Hansbrough can possibly have a good game against the lack of depth the Heat have up front with Haslem out. Eddie House is too dangerous a player to let him get hot.

THE COACHES





Erik Spoelstra has the difficult task of balancing egos and distributing minutes. Jim O'Brien has the difficult task of getting consistent performances out of the Pacers. The game can go any way if the Heat hold Wade out of the game.

THE INJURY REPORT



Pacers
Jeff Foster - Back: Out.

Heat
Udonis Haslem - Foot: Out.
Mike Mille - Thumb: Out.
Dwyane Wade - Wrist: Maybe.

THE HEAVY MATTERS



-Contain the supporting cast of Lebron. If you have to worry about the rest of the team on top of the guy who will likely get his, the game is lost.
-Play the PG and C advantage. It is the area where the Pacers have a clear-cut advantage and those players need to step up and put the pressure on the Heat.

THE TRADITION

Beat them Magic!

Wow. My bad.

Personally, I blame James Jones.

Good luck Indiana, these Heat ain't so tough.

easy win for the pacers tonight!

Love this defense so far. Got to get Roy down low though.

Shut up Gremz.

2nd quarter is the TJ Ford show.
Great effort so far. Lets keep this going for another 2.5 quarters this game and the rest of the season .

Heat with 8 TOs so I assume our defence is pretty good?

And also I am really liking the new 2010/11 Brandon Rush.

looking good! muck fiami

ROFL this thread is a win!!!

Was there words at all in the first post?!?

Edit: Ooo yah, uhhh, Miami is really good at basketball and stuff too. Some of their players like to play basketball sometimes which occasionally they are quite proficient at.

Pacers are looking very good right now. They have to keep Hibbert out of foul trouble, he already has 4 but they need to get him more involved, truly a how "how mature" is he type moment tonight for Roy. McRoberts also has 4 fouls. Hansbrough and Solo Jones will probably get a lot of work in eventually.

Brandon Rush is killin it tonight. A great game. Has only taken 1 three pointer but also has yet to go to the line. I really wish he'd go to the basket more so he could get fouled and get to the line. He's a great free throw shooter. He develops that part of his game, he may be worth keeping after all.

Miami, eventually, will go on a run.... who on the Pacers will stand up and take control? Only Rush and Granger truly look good tonight. Collison looks iffy. I think you give TJ Ford the ball in the 4th. He was money in the 10 min he was in.

Heat making a run. It will be very interesting to see what type of response Indiana will have.

Raps fan here. Great job so far. I love your game threads.

Hibbert gets his 5th foul... with 7:22 to go.

Pacers extend lead to 15.

These Heat announcers are brutal. Biggest homers i've ever heard in my life.

That McRoberts play reminds me of Reggie vs. Prince. Easy dunk.... goes too easy but seems like an easy lay up and gets blocked. WTF... that should have been an easy 2.

GREAT play by McRoberts taking the charge on LeBrun!!!!!! Pacers ball, up 13 with just over 3 minutes to go!!!!!

Just for tonight, Brandon Rush and Danny Granger > Lebron James and Dwyane Wade.