RealGM

Good matchup to come back to from the break and hopefully get a win before the Mavericks visit next game.

feels like a trap game. we need to stack some wins if we want to be above the playin.

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Bummer that Nesmith was so banged up that the all star break wasn’t enough time to recover.

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Wooooo

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42-25 Pacers after 1 shooting 68%.

Second unit has Jackson, not Smith.

Yeah Jackson playing the 5. They might be resting Smith because they don’t need him.

Pistons scored more in third quarter than entire first half.

129-115 Pacers win with 6 players in double figures. Pretty much a no doubter game from the start. Everyone played well and only Mathurin struggled with his shot forcing some questionable off balance shots on drives.

Jalen Smith rested even though he was available. Jarace Walker was not sent down to play for the Mad Ants yet didn’t sniff the court tonight either. Nesmith was there in street clothes.

Stix was funny mugging behind Ty in the post game interview.

Was really impressed with Shep. He seems to be playing with more confidence in his role & how he fits into this team on both ends of the court. Myles defensive positioning, while the Pistons were trying to attack the paint, was also really nice. A good win,... quite a bit of good team basketball (from both teams).

JMaster5K wrote:Was really impressed with Shep. He seems to be playing with more confidence in his role & how he fits into this team on both ends of the court. .

Unless Mathurin stops driving into trouble, Sheppard could displace him.

It was another game of the Pacers playing down to the Pistons level in the second half and they knew it per Tyrese’s post game interview. It’s probably a hard habit to break. First half was money.

Hopefully in the games coming up against the Mavericks and Pelicans the Pacers can get up and play a complete game at these competitors level to win against teams with a slightly better record than ours. It will be the first meeting with both squads with rematches in March.

The Pacers are capable of playing and winning top level contests but just have to mature into that club
which consistently wins against the top of the league.

Wizop wrote:

JMaster5K wrote:Was really impressed with Shep. He seems to be playing with more confidence in his role & how he fits into this team on both ends of the court. .

Unless Mathurin stops driving into trouble, Sheppard could displace him.

Yeah, that's not impossible. Shep seems to be a more team oriented. As his fit & feel meshes even more with the other players (particularly on defense), that is a real possibility. It's a very hard decision. Benn is the one player on the Pacers that can get nearly any shot, almost any time he wants it. He is likely to grow into an all league caliber scorer,... but is he going to be a Jimmy Butler, that has the drive & discipline, but still meshes well with his team,... or a Zack LaVine that can score on anyone, but the team loses itself when he is part of the primary offense & defense?

IMO, the jury is still out. Benn is still working & by all accounts, a good teammate, a hard worker, a willing learner,... he has shown flashes of excellent team play, but just might not have it in him to be able to play within team concepts, all the time, to make the whole unit better? Shep definitely does have it in him. Caitlin did a pod-cast a couple of months back (just before they moved Benn back to the bench), where she said,.. 'Ty & Benn have not played well together. The numbers with both of them on the court have really (with emphasis), not been good.' Benn best role, at least for the immediate future, may be 6th man, focus of the second unit, scoring guru?

That role actually fits nicely if Shep or Nemhard & Nesmith are starting.

Pacers Forever wrote:It was another game of the Pacers playing down to the Pistons level in the second half and they knew it per Tyrese’s post game interview. It’s probably a hard habit to break. First half was money.

Hopefully in the games coming up against the Mavericks and Pelicans the Pacers can get up and play a complete game at these competitors level to win against teams with a slightly better record than ours. It will be the first meeting with both squads with rematches in March.

The Pacers are capable of playing and winning top level contests but just have to mature into that club
which consistently wins against the top of the league.

We had so many years,.. and part of them with Coach, where we just didn't start games with any pop, dug ourselves into a hole,... and no matter how well we played, a vast majority of the time, just couldn't get it back. I think I'd much rather have a team that starts well,... and inappropriately takes their foot off the gas. LOL Yeah, they both end up with a loss, but the later seems (maybe just to me) to be easier to address than the former??

What do you guys think?

JMaster5K wrote:Benn best role, at least for the immediate future, may be 6th man, focus of the second unit, scoring guru?.

Caitlin on realgm radio today says Benn's game fits better playing with TJ.

Wizop wrote:

JMaster5K wrote:Benn best role, at least for the immediate future, may be 6th man, focus of the second unit, scoring guru?.

Caitlin on realgm radio today says Benn's game fits better playing with TJ.

https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/274796/RealGM-Radio-Caitlin-Cooper-On-The-Pacers-Feb-2024

listening to it right now. =]

literally