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THE SKINNY


Trying not to fall prey to the same kind of letdown in Game 1, the confident Pacers look to deal a smashing blow to the Magic and close out the series in Indiana. Orlando is regrouped and still a very potent team. Both teams have issues they would like to address in order to extend their postseason runs.

THE LINEUPS



Point Guard

Hill played very well and didn't force any passes, and made sure the tempo stayed where the Pacers would enjoy an advantage. Outscoring Orlando 40 to 2 on the break can be attributed to his running.

Shooting Guard

Paul George enjoyed a more involved role as he found his teammates for the score 4 times. His offense still comes and goes, but if he continues to make smart decisions while playing smart defense, he can really stretch the Magic thin as the most athletic player on the floor.

Small Forward

Granger found his shot and was efficient in Game 3. Although he turned it over 5 times, his rebounding made up for it. His effort on the boards is a boon for the Pacers. When Granger got more than 5 rebounds in the regular season, the Pacers were 18-6. Hopefully he's mad at Magic fans.

Power Forward

David West had a less-than-stellar outing offensively in Game 3, but his dependability is not in question. If the Pacers also get him going on top of what they did offensively, then the team will be very hard to stop.

Center

Hibbert showed up big in Game 3, posting 18 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 blocks, and playing the all-around game that is expected of an all-star. He alters many inside shots, and the Pacers are okay with letting the Magic shoot long 2's all day.

THE BENCH






Barbosa is the one who needs to get going to make the bench work. He came up silent again, and his lack of production is a little baffling.

THE COACHES




With the Pacers dominating the last 6 quarters, Vogel has lots of reason to be optimistic. He must also be prepared for whatever Van Gundy will throw at the Pacers, because this game is essentially do or die for the Magic.

THE INJURY REPORT



Pacers
None.

Magic
Dwight Howard: Disc - No.

THE HEAVY MATTERS



-Bench play. If the starters establish a lead, the bench needs to keep it up.
-Take care of the ball. If the Magic take this game it will have to take mistakes from the Pacers.
-Keep the tempo up. The Pacers are winning these games almost purely by their fastbreak advantage.

THE TRADITION: Best of 7

I got a weird feeling Paul George is gonna drop like 5 threes tonight.

I think Barbosa's ankle is more of an issue than they've admitted. Vogel rightfully loves his experience but if he can't burst around the corner, I think they should give D Jones a shot.

At last, an early Pacers game. Go Pacers!

Close game, but you have to think the Magic are going to wear down in the fourth.

Well that was a fun stretch to watch.

Well this is not a fun stretch to watch.

wtf......

Stern must be really proud of his JV level officials.

The NBA is like the WWE.

Wow the Magic look tired but we somehow couldn't manage a good shot at the end of regulation. Go Pacers OT winners!

That baseline was our biggest enemy in the 4th quarter and overtime.

The officials are doing it again to Memphis.

CP3 flops and they call a T.

Miller4ever wrote:That baseline was our biggest enemy in the 4th quarter and overtime.

About the game now.

If I was a neutral fan, it would be an amazing game to watch. As a Pacers fan it has me a bit concerned.

BUT. We still got the win. We won both games in their court. And that's always good. Yes, it should come easier than that and yes the team had a meltdown that it was concerning. But we got the win. And a win is a win.

Especially, in the playoffs

David West has been a beast!
i wish Paul George would drive to the basket more..
Fun game to watch.

Yeah, the collapse was a little disheartening, but I think it's still fair to keep in mind - the core players of the Magic, I think have something like 250 games of playoff experience. Ours maybe has 100. And this is the first time for most of them that they have been the ones with a target on their backs (namely Roy, Danny, Darren, Paul, and Tyler. Coach Vogel too.)

So the fact that they were strong enough and still made smart plays down the stretch (for the most part), despite Roy fouling out in OT in a hostile environment against a very desperate and more experienced team is very encouraging. Some defensive lapses but some of the possessions where Orlando scored, we played solid defense, occasionally getting their shot clock to down below 5. Good defense, just a better shot. Nothing can really be done about that. But this win is huge for this series, obviously, but this could be one that our core can look back on as potentially a huge turning point and leap in terms of playoff experience.

The letdown and subsequent rally may eventually be more beneficial than we realize. Hopefully we don't have a letdown on Tuesday, with our guys thinking they have a cushion and being back at home. I think between Vogel and West, they'll make sure they're ready to go.

I never thought I'd say this, but I wouldn't have mind Collison getting some minutes late in the 4th and OT. Have Hill defend Redick and not Barbosa. First DC couldn't do anything wrong and now his good games get overlooked just like Hill had to endure in the regular season.

I think I would rather trade Paul George to a nice team than watch him play out of position for the next 2 years. Chasing smaller guys around screens is really not his thing and I doubt he will ever develop the ballhandling to take it to the rim at will against great defending SGs.

I would rather not trade Paul George. He has done a great job on defense, and honestly chasing people around screens is hard overall, especially when the whole Orlando squad is running Reggie-ball. He recovers so quickly and definitely has the speed for it. That three-pointer Redick got was just excellent execution from Orlando. For the most part George does very well in on-the-ball defense and excellent in the lanes. To me he's just a great wing player and has the athleticism and tools for both positions.

I think he would be more effective at the 3, on offense and defense.
He is more than capable of defending around screens but he is better one on one and most SFs (and PGs) play that way or are much slower.

He isn't playing that bad (besides his shooting) but the big impact he had last year isn't there as far as I could see. Maybe some advanced stats can refute my observations.

I think we'll see Paul at 3 and Danny at 4 some against Miami. at least that's what I'd do when LBJ plays 4.