10/25 - POSTGAME | Indiana Pacers (96) - (114) Oklahoma City Thunder

[Pillendreher]

Finally! I seem to be higher than some of you on this game, but either way I think we played much much better. We had way more offensive structure and way fewer stretches where we just passed the ball around the perimeter or just stood around. Our offensive attack had way more poise and played with that certain kind of force we were lacking so far.

I thought Donovan's rotations were on point till the 4th quarter - seems to me he hasn't really figured out who to play in those last 8 minutes or so. Adams should have been in way sooner.

Speaking of Adams: He was once again spectacular! Making his easy buckets, disrupting the passing lanes, protecting the rim, rebounding - his performance was on point and way better than anything we saw from him last year.

I have to check the numbers, but I think our bench did well yet again. Less isolations, more movement.

Melo had a great game. He clearly Zoo the rebounding to heart and even played defense! Offensively he limited his long 2 chucking, especially with Russ on the court. The 'Let me ISO on the perimeter while the lot if you watches' have become noticeably less, too. This is the Melo we need.

Russ was great too. Still some bad turnovers, but I think the balance was better for him.

George with foultrouble. Had some nice drives to the basket tho.

Huestis is finally getting minutes and he's playing well. His defensive impact is obvious.

[ThunderBolt]

Just god help whatever team we play when all 3 guys fire at the same time. Gotta find a way to make that happen.

I feel like we will still be saying this in two weeks. We need all three playing well on every night. Someone having an off night needs to be the exception. Tonight was progress in some areas. I’m just sick of getting lit up by former players and not seeing players live up to expectations here.

[hardenASG13]

Adams is just such a great fit with those 3.

Yeah he is. Would be nice to get another 3 and D guy, or at least more from Pat Patterson to close things out as well.

But I'd settle for Roberson actually shutting a guy down

Unfortunately they were, yet again, miles better defensively with him tonight,

He went out with 4 and change left in the 3rd. They were up 12. They quickly extended the lead, then Russ (and adams)went out, it hovered around 12 until he came back and they put it away. Indiana scored 32 points over that 16 plus minutes stretch. Despite his excellent rotating, the statement that the defense is miles better with him is simply not true. They didn't miss a beat without him in the second half.

[dakomish23]

Just god help whatever team we play when all 3 guys fire at the same time. Gotta find a way to make that happen.

It really could be great. Everyone is still figuring out their way. I think by January you will see what this team could really do.

[ThunderBolt]

Yeah he is. Would be nice to get another 3 and D guy, or at least more from Pat Patterson to close things out as well.

But I'd settle for Roberson actually shutting a guy down

Unfortunately they were, yet again, miles better defensively with him tonight,

He went out with 4 and change left in the 3rd. They were up 12. They quickly extended the lead, then Russ (and adams)went out, it hovered around 12 until he came back and they put it away. Indiana scored 32 points over that 16 plus minutes stretch. Despite his excellent rotating, the statement that the defense is miles better with him is simply not true. They didn't miss a beat without him in the second half.

Why don’t you occasionally talk about something else?

[slick_watts]

Yeah he is. Would be nice to get another 3 and D guy, or at least more from Pat Patterson to close things out as well.

But I'd settle for Roberson actually shutting a guy down

Unfortunately they were, yet again, miles better defensively with him tonight,

He went out with 4 and change left in the 3rd. They were up 12. They quickly extended the lead, then Russ (and adams)went out, it hovered around 12 until he came back and they put it away. Indiana scored 32 points over that 16 plus minutes stretch. Despite his excellent rotating, the statement that the defense is miles better with him is simply not true. They didn't miss a beat without him in the second half.

we allowed 82pp100 with him in the game v. indiana and over 100pp100 with him out.

it is true. it's been true for three years.

[ThunderBolt]

Yeah he is. Would be nice to get another 3 and D guy, or at least more from Pat Patterson to close things out as well.

But I'd settle for Roberson actually shutting a guy down

Unfortunately they were, yet again, miles better defensively with him tonight,

He went out with 4 and change left in the 3rd. They were up 12. They quickly extended the lead, then Russ (and adams)went out, it hovered around 12 until he came back and they put it away. Indiana scored 32 points over that 16 plus minutes stretch. Despite his excellent rotating, the statement that the defense is miles better with him is simply not true. They didn't miss a beat without him in the second half.

So basically you take one section of a game and look at +\- to make a decision but won’t look at the long term results of similar situations. Neat.

[bondom34]

Yeah he is. Would be nice to get another 3 and D guy, or at least more from Pat Patterson to close things out as well.

But I'd settle for Roberson actually shutting a guy down

Unfortunately they were, yet again, miles better defensively with him tonight,

He went out with 4 and change left in the 3rd. They were up 12. They quickly extended the lead, then Russ (and adams)went out, it hovered around 12 until he came back and they put it away. Indiana scored 32 points over that 16 plus minutes stretch. Despite his excellent rotating, the statement that the defense is miles better with him is simply not true. They didn't miss a beat without him in the second half.

They were about 20 or so points per 100 better with him last night...

[Old Man Game]

I thought Huestis looked okay last night. Can definitely see the rotation issues. He's barely played. Not at all surprising. He played well in the post defending post ups though on a couple of occasions.

The thing about Huestis, he'll get so much more leeway with the fanbase almost solely on how his jumper looks than Roberson does. Even if it doesn't end up going in all that often.

[slick_watts]

I thought Huestis looked okay last night. Can definitely see the rotation issues. He's barely played. Not at all surprising. He played well in the post defending post ups though on a couple of occasions.

The thing about Huestis, he'll get so much more leeway with the fanbase almost solely on how his jumper looks than Roberson does. Even if it doesn't end up going in all that often.

your takes on huestis make me chuckle considering how vociferous you were regarding this pick when it was made. i don't mean this as a criticism it's just amusing thinking back.

[Bergmaniac]

Westbrook seems to be way more comfortable shooting deep 3s than 14-18 footers or free throws so far, pretty weird, he keeps missing midrange shots pretty badly and the FT percentage is terrible, while the 3s seem like more likely to go in the further from the basket he takes the shot...

Anyway, good win for you guys, Melo played much better and smarter, and Adams dominated inside. Good to see you use the pick and roll more and quite effectively too.

[sleestak33]

Yeah he is. Would be nice to get another 3 and D guy, or at least more from Pat Patterson to close things out as well.

But I'd settle for Roberson actually shutting a guy down

Unfortunately they were, yet again, miles better defensively with him tonight,

He went out with 4 and change left in the 3rd. They were up 12. They quickly extended the lead, then Russ (and adams)went out, it hovered around 12 until he came back and they put it away. Indiana scored 32 points over that 16 plus minutes stretch. Despite his excellent rotating, the statement that the defense is miles better with him is simply not true. They didn't miss a beat without him in the second half.

Even in a game like this where Roberson gets absolutely destroyed defensively these guys are still sticking to their guns. It's hilarious. Oladipo did whatever he wanted against Roberson and blew by him repeatedly like he wasn't even there when he was guarding him. Same thing Harden did in the playoffs yet all of these Roberson supporters are still trying to act like he's some elite defender. They just don't get it. Any remotely competent wing defender would get the same results that Roberson is getting against the better players in the NBA. Oh and Roberson is now 1-11 on 3 pointers this year if you count the preseason and he's made 3 of his last 23 free throws if you count the Houston playoff series. Yeah, let me tell you, they really need Roberson out there. It's like talking to a brick wall with these guys.

[Major Cold]

Adams manhandled Sabonis and Al Jefferson. Diving off the roll left your shooters wide open. He and Westbrook exploited our over helping. We helped a pass away and didn't play the gap on the weakside perimeter. Melo played better defense on Thad in the second half, but he needs to get his hands ready on closeouts.

Victor Oladipo. What are your thoughts on him? Did he come off screens and pull up with this confidence last year? Were you shocked by him getting to the line? What is different with him for you guys?

[bondom34]

Unfortunately they were, yet again, miles better defensively with him tonight,

He went out with 4 and change left in the 3rd. They were up 12. They quickly extended the lead, then Russ (and adams)went out, it hovered around 12 until he came back and they put it away. Indiana scored 32 points over that 16 plus minutes stretch. Despite his excellent rotating, the statement that the defense is miles better with him is simply not true. They didn't miss a beat without him in the second half.

Even in a game like this where Roberson gets absolutely destroyed defensively these guys are still sticking to their guns. It's hilarious. Oladipo did whatever he wanted against Roberson and blew by him repeatedly like he wasn't even there when he was guarding him. Same thing Harden did in the playoffs yet all of these Roberson supporters are still trying to act like he's some elite defender. They just don't get it. Any remotely competent wing defender would get the same results that Roberson is getting against the better players in the NBA. Oh and Roberson is now 1-11 on 3 pointers this year if you count the preseason and he's made 3 of his last 23 free throws if you count the Houston playoff series. Yeah, let me tell you, they really need Roberson out there. It's like talking to a brick wall with these guys.

They were about 20 points per 100 better with him on the court...

[bondom34]

Adams manhandled Sabonis and Al Jefferson. Diving off the roll left your shooters wide open. He and Westbrook exploited our over helping. We helped a pass away and didn't play the gap on the weakside perimeter. Melo played better defense on Thad in the second half, but he needs to get his hands ready on closeouts.

Victor Oladipo. What are your thoughts on him? Did he come off screens and pull up with this confidence last year? Were you shocked by him getting to the line? What is different with him for you guys?

We saw flashes of it last year but he looks quicker and seems to be finishing a little better. That plus having the ball more, but I kinda do think he strengthened up in the offseason too

[ThunderBolt]

Adams manhandled Sabonis and Al Jefferson. Diving off the roll left your shooters wide open. He and Westbrook exploited our over helping. We helped a pass away and didn't play the gap on the weakside perimeter. Melo played better defense on Thad in the second half, but he needs to get his hands ready on closeouts.

Victor Oladipo. What are your thoughts on him? Did he come off screens and pull up with this confidence last year? Were you shocked by him getting to the line? What is different with him for you guys?

Im not surprised by Oladipo. When you don’t play any kind of an offensive system, then you look like crap. Durant, Russ and Melo are good enough offensively to overcome Donovans ineptness. Oladipo was not. That’s not his fault and doesn’t mean he isn’t a good player. I’m starting to have concerns if George will be able to overcome it as well. Vic never broke thirty last year. He struggled playing alongside Russ and without him. It’s the only conclusion that makes any sense to me.

[Bergmaniac]

Getting to the line was always a big hole in Dipo's game, I hope he's finally gotten better at it, he looked more willing to seek contact last night than in previous years, which is a good sign.

[hardenASG13]

Unfortunately they were, yet again, miles better defensively with him tonight,

He went out with 4 and change left in the 3rd. They were up 12. They quickly extended the lead, then Russ (and adams)went out, it hovered around 12 until he came back and they put it away. Indiana scored 32 points over that 16 plus minutes stretch. Despite his excellent rotating, the statement that the defense is miles better with him is simply not true. They didn't miss a beat without him in the second half.

So basically you take one section of a game and look at +\- to make a decision but won’t look at the long term results of similar situations. Neat.

Why don't you keep trolling for kanter, who's not even on the team anymore? The reason I keep bringing up Roberson is 1)you guys claim he's a game changer defensively - opposing wings go off all the time 2) the starters, of which he's a part of, played well defensively. It skews the numbers. It's comical you guys think othewise. I'm aware of the long term results, I don't think the stats are valid, which I've been over. Now there is talent challenging him for minutes. Let's keep watching

[Pillendreher]

He went out with 4 and change left in the 3rd. They were up 12. They quickly extended the lead, then Russ (and adams)went out, it hovered around 12 until he came back and they put it away. Indiana scored 32 points over that 16 plus minutes stretch. Despite his excellent rotating, the statement that the defense is miles better with him is simply not true. They didn't miss a beat without him in the second half.

So basically you take one section of a game and look at +\- to make a decision but won’t look at the long term results of similar situations. Neat.

Why don't you keep trolling for kanter, who's not even on the team anymore? The reason I keep bringing up Roberson is 1)you guys claim he's a game changer defensively - opposing wings go off all the time 2) the starters, of which he's a part of, played well defensively. It skews the numbers. It's comical you guys think othewise. I'm aware of the long term results, I don't think the stats are valid, which I've been over. Now there is talent challenging him for minutes. Let's keep watching

What talent?

[ThunderBolt]

He went out with 4 and change left in the 3rd. They were up 12. They quickly extended the lead, then Russ (and adams)went out, it hovered around 12 until he came back and they put it away. Indiana scored 32 points over that 16 plus minutes stretch. Despite his excellent rotating, the statement that the defense is miles better with him is simply not true. They didn't miss a beat without him in the second half.

So basically you take one section of a game and look at +\- to make a decision but won’t look at the long term results of similar situations. Neat.

Why don't you keep trolling for kanter, who's not even on the team anymore? The reason I keep bringing up Roberson is 1)you guys claim he's a game changer defensively - opposing wings go off all the time 2) the starters, of which he's a part of, played well defensively. It skews the numbers. It's comical you guys think othewise. I'm aware of the long term results, I don't think the stats are valid, which I've been over. Now there is talent challenging him for minutes. Let's keep watching

I never brought up Kanter. When idiotic comments are made I think people should have their feet held to the fire. Your buddy wants to dodge the repercussions of making false and inaccurate statements.

You saying that you don’t think the stats are valid makes you look like you don’t understand them. Especially when you want to take brief segments of games to make conclusive statements.