May 9, 2014
8:00 PM EST
Verizon Center - Washington D.C.
The Skinny
He’s baaaaack! After 8 games of single digit rebounds and zero to few rebounds, Roy Hibbert put up a told-you-so performance to shut the critics up. With 28 points to lead all scorers and 9 rebounds, Roy looked like Roy again. He shot 10 of 13 from the field and 8 of 8 from the line which led the Pacers to a victory tying the series up. Both Paul George and Lance Stephenson had possibly their worst games of the playoffs, and perhaps the season, both overdribbling and taking shots they had no business taking, but in the end, Roy Hibbert was singlehandedly enough to beat a team that shot 28% from 3 and an inexcusable 41% from the line. Here’s to hoping roy Hibbert continues his hot performance in game 3.
The Lineups
Point Guard
John Wall was probably the worst player on the court in game 2. He shot 2/13 from the field with 0/4 from 3 and only 8 points total. Hill played… decent. He shot 6/12 for 14 points. Hill did a phenomenal job slowing down John Wall who lifted the Wiz to a game 1 win. For the Pacers to get a game 3 win, the same needs to happen tonight.
Shooting Guard
Beal, on the other hand, lit Lance up. He was his normal self hitting 2 3s and scoring 17 points on the night. Lance shot a JR Smith-esque 25% from the field. Beal continues to be the ultra smart sharpshooter far beyond his 20 year old age.
Small Forward
After taking the MVP award for game 1, Trevor Ariza left game 2 with a measly 6 points on 2/8 shooting. PG24 didn’t fare much better, though, shooting 5/13 for 11 points. There were times in the game where I was audibly shouting at the TV for PG to pass the ball. At the start of the 4th quarter, there were multiple possessions in a row where George simply refused to pass the ball and went into iso-mode. The Pacers have never won games with iso-ball, and now is no different. Paul needs to stop focusing on his shot if he’s not making them in that game and just try to be a better part of the system.
Power Forward
With Hibbert taking all of the post touches, West was left out in the cold. West scored only 9 points and grabbed only 6 rebounds. His usual pick and pop wasn’t working with shooting 3 for 8 from the field while Nene put up 14 points on 7/14 shooting. It was an unusually off night for David, and that usually signals a loss for the Pacers,
Center
It was a battle of the big men in game 2, with both Marcin Gortat and Roy Hibbert leading their team in points. Marcin shot 66% in a double double performance with 11 rebounds and as I’ve said, Roy dominated with 28 points of his own, and it felt oh-so-good after seeing him try so hard to become a factor again but fail time and time again. Maybe this time it’s for real?
The Bench
Again, both benches were really, really bad this game. Luis Scola and Evan Turner combined for a total of 1 point and Chris Copeland missed his only 3 of the night in 11 seconds played. Ian Mahinmi came up with a momentum changing dunk and Drew Gooden converted and and-1, but other than that, it was rough for both benches.
Injury Report
Pacers
None
Wizards
None
The Tradition
Spoiler:
