Pacers vs. Heat - 10/30/09
Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2009 10:35 pm
VS 
At the illustrious...
Starting Lineups
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TJ Ford had a terrible outing in Atlanta, hitting only 1-9 from the field. He was indecisive after penetration, and took many wild shots in an attempt to get to the line. The refs were not on his side. Thus, he was yanked and Earl Watson ended up playing significant minutes. Mario Chalmers is a talented young guard, but a far cry from the seasoned vet that Bibby is, so maybe it's time for TJ to take advantage of a young PG. A disturbing trend for TJ is that in all three games against Miami last year, he was unable to surpass 3 assists, and shot a fairly low percentage. TJ just needs to get some consistency and make some heads-up plays.
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Brandon Rush vs. Dwayne Wade. Battle of nothing proven vs. NBA champion, perennial all-star, and overall badass. Dwayne Wade seems to be entering another season of MVP-level play. Brandon Rush, like his backcourt mate TJ, severely underperformed in Atlanta and was pulled in favor of Dahntay Jones and Luther Head. However, his preseason numbers were extremely impressive. Of course, preseason doesn't mean anything. Rush should look to penetrate today instead of looking for the three, especially if Quentin Richardson is guarding him.
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Danny Granger is a rock for the Pacers. Even on bad shooting nights, he wlll get to the line. Quentin Richardson has been traded to 4 different teams over the offseason. However, it was mainly financial, because he still has a 3-point stroke and the ability to stretch the floor.
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Troy Murphy flirted with a triple-double against Atlanta, but also turned it over 5 times. He was the team leader in assists at 7. He did get his usual triple-double, and it'll be an interesting matchup for him against an athletic, fast SF/PF tweener in Michael Beasley. I could go on about Beasley and his drug problems, but I acknowledge that the kid can play. He appears to have turned over a new leaf and ges the starting nod over Udonis Haslem.
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Roy Hibbert had a good time on the boards last game, but he was outclassed by the more compact, faster Al Horford. Against Jermaine O'Neal, he'll be facing a different issue. While Jermaine O'Neal is slower than Horford, he is wilier and as a vet can really put Roy into foul trouble. Hibbert needs to move his feet, and keep his hands up. He also needs to continue to focus on rebounding.
The Key Reserves
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With Foster ready to bring some hustle and energy off the bench, the Pacers may very well have superior reserves. Earl Watson and Dahntay had big games off the bench in Atlanta, and Dahntay will be asked to slow the Flash down. Udonis Haslem is a dangerous player with his combination of rebounding and midrange game.
The Coaches
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With a focus on defense, Jim O'Brien has set the bar high for the Pacers this season. Foster and Solomon Jones managed to supply it in the season opener, but it needs to be an all-around effort by the whole team in order to stop a Miami Heat team that's looking to fight for playoff seeding. Erik Spoelstra has made a bold move by placing Michael Beasley into the starting 5.
Injury Report
Pacers
Mike Dunleavy: Out (Knee)
Travis Diener: Out (Toe)
Tyler Hansbrough: Out (Shin)
Heat
James Jones: Didn't travel (flu)
Chris Quinn: (ankle)
Final Points
-Clamp down early and keep the defense up for 48 minutes
-Keep Wade from taking over the game
-Box out. We can't have another lopsided affair. He who controls the rebounds, controls the universe.
-Close out the game if it's close. We're at home.
Tradition
Raise your hand if you just scrolled down to here without reading the carefully written analysis.
GO CONAN!!