2014 NBA EC Finals: IND (1) vs MIA (2)

[Nuntius]

- Make Lebron PF, would cause David West to leave the paint.

This won't cause West to leave the paint. PG will continue to guard LeBron and West will guard one of Miami's shooters (for example, he spent a lot of time guarding Ray Allen tonight).

[xxSnEaKyPxx]

69 pages.

Giggity.

[xxSnEaKyPxx]

Not sure if this has been posted or not, by the Heats average shot was 7 feet further from the basket when Hibbert was on the court.

Thats insane.

[Nuntius]

Meanwhile, didn't really feel like the Pacers went inside all that much.

Really? The Pacers got the ball in the painted area in the vast majority of their offensive plays. Hibbert was consistently posting up and we got him the ball after breaking Miami's trap with our PnR. Miami likes to trap the PnR with Bosh (due to his length) and when we managed to break it then Hibbert was open down low with a much smaller player on him (like Battier). It's really not a wonder that he went to the line a lot. Battier (and every other Heat forward/guard that was forced to switch inside and cover Hibbert) was pretty much forced to foul in order to avoid an easy basket.

[xxSnEaKyPxx]

guess i'll state the obvious, but winner of Game 2 will win the series.

If Indy takes game 2, they are definitely in the drivers seat. Miami winning game 2 just gets them back to even ground. Miami could win both of their home games, but it's a lot more likely that Indy would get the split there.

This is what I've been saying.

Miami will take game 2, I'd bet everything on it. That said, I don't see them beating this Pacers team, especially with the mismatch, 3 times in a row. Game 5 in Indiana will likely be 2-2.

[xxSnEaKyPxx]

If you Pacer fans think your beating the Heat and making the finals after 3 pathetic months and getting blown out repeatedly in the playoffs then LOL. You guys would get swept in the finals, they'd probably cancel game 4 because of how bad you'd be losing in each game. Indiana has reached its ceiling (ECF).

Glad to know you LOL'ed. Must be nice saving money on HBO specials, when you can get your comedy fixing just by reading posts on RealGM.

[JC_]

Not sure if this has been posted or not, by the Heats average shot was 7 feet further from the basket when Hibbert was on the court.

Thats insane.

It's amazing how scared they are of him. Even when he wasn't around, guys were rushing shots lol.

[xxSnEaKyPxx]

Also, that crowd was ****ing amazing tonight.

Seriously, you don't see a crowd like that in the NBA often.

[Tacoma]

We're talking about an offense so incompetent that it scored 100 points or more in exactly one playoff game leading up to today despite playing lowly teams like the Hawks and Wizards. All of a sudden this 23rd ranked offense comes out slinging and hits threes at a higher than usual rate while having an obscene 37:15 edge in FTs and they drop 107. That's called an aberration. Won't really happen again and Miami will still take the series.

Or... the Pacers were built to beat the Heat and now they have that opportunity. The front court of Hibbert and West are a bad match up for MIA and if both are on in 3 of the next 6 games as they were today, it's going to be a tough road for Lebron & Co.

[Speedlot]

Pacers be playing the whole year pretending they had drama. Bam miami confused now.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using RealGM Forums mobile app

[Nuntius]

So he's not attacking because of Hibbert or because he's "taking care" of his efficiency? Make up your mind.

Really??One implies the other

I saw Lebron attack Hibbert several times. Indiana just did a good job of not fouling.

Actually, here are LeBron's drives:

Drive #1:

http://stats.nba.com/cvp.html?GameID=00 ... EventID=17

A fast break opportunity after a missed shot. LeBron recognized that Hibbert had started veering towards Bosh in the corner and thus couldn't contest the drive so he puts his head down and overpowers Paul George. In this case, he didn't attack Hibbert, he attacked because he knew that Hibbert couldn't come over and challenge the shot.

Drive #2:

http://stats.nba.com/cvp.html?GameID=00 ... EventID=26

LeBron is in semi-transition and sees an opening after a Chalmers screen. He drives towards Hibbert but instead of attacking him and the rim he attempts to hug the baseline and swing a pass to a shooter but loses the ball. He was in prime position to attack Hibbert and the rim but he chose not to do it.

Drive #3:

http://stats.nba.com/cvp.html?GameID=00 ... EventID=55

Another fast break opportunity. LeBron looks ahead, sees that no one has come over to stop his dribble and that Hibbert is behind him so he immediatedly attacks the rim.

Drive #4:

http://stats.nba.com/cvp.html?GameID=00 ... EventID=57

This one is in the half court. Battier sets a nice screen on Paul George that frees up the lane for LeBron. LeBron attacks and scores an and-1. That was a very nice play. You'll notice something, though. Hibbert wasn't protecting the paint because he was guarding Bosh who made that pass to LeBron. LeBron immediatedly recognizes that Hibbert is not in position to help and proceeds to attack.

Dunk #1:

http://stats.nba.com/cvp.html?GameID=00 ... EventID=67

Alley-oop dunk from a great Chalmers pass. No one was even close to that play. Smart cut by LeBron and horrible defensive awareness by Scola.

Drive #5:

http://stats.nba.com/cvp.html?GameID=00 ... ventID=179

LeBron gets the ball near the 3 point line at the right flank and isos. He fakes a shot which cause Paul George to jump and that's all that LBJ needed. With PG out of position after falling for the fake he can attack. However, he sees Hibbert coming over and instead of attempting to attack the rim he opts for a hop step followed by a fadeaway jumper. He manages to score over Hibbert and this iso was certainly a great play but he still didn't attack Hibbert head on or the rim.

Drive #6:

http://stats.nba.com/cvp.html?GameID=00 ... ventID=249

A Chalmers/LeBron PnR gives LBJ an open lane. LeBron recognizes that Hibbert had stepped a bit too high and goes around him for a reverse layup using the rim as a shield. He didn't attack Hibbert head on but he did attack the rim this time. I'd count this as attacking Hibbert even though it wasn't an aerial collision.

Drive #7:

http://stats.nba.com/cvp.html?GameID=00 ... ventID=286

LeBron misses a 3, grabs the offensive rebound, sidesteps Hibbert and scores. You can count this as attacking Hibbert as well since he did attack the rim when Hibbert was trying to protect it. The sidestep was a nifty move.

Drive #8:

http://stats.nba.com/cvp.html?GameID=00 ... ventID=334

Excellent play by LeBron. He split the Paul George/David West double team and attacked Mahinmi head on. Hibbert wasn't in the game so this obviously doesn't count as attacking Hibbert but it was certainly a nice drive.

Dunk #2:

http://stats.nba.com/cvp.html?GameID=00 ... ventID=340

Fast break score after a steal.

So, did LeBron attack the rim last night? He certainly did.

But did he attack the rim when Hibbert was guarding it? Not really. He only did this twice and both times he did by sidestepping or going around him. He didn't go up strong in an attempt to draw a foul on Hibbert and test his verticality.

To be honest, I think that this was smart by LeBron. He recognizes that Hibbert is one of the best rim protectors in the league and he realizes that attacking him head on is not a smart play. He found ways to score around him so there was no need to try to score through him and when he saw that he wasn't in position to challenge his shot then he immediatedly attacked the rim aggressively.

This really isn't an indication of passivity, imo. It's just a smart way of recognizing which shot gives your team the best chance to score.

[xxSnEaKyPxx]

Really??One implies the other

I saw Lebron attack Hibbert several times. Indiana just did a good job of not fouling.

Actually, here are LeBron's drives:

Drive #1:

http://stats.nba.com/cvp.html?GameID=00 ... EventID=17

A fast break opportunity after a missed shot. LeBron recognized that Hibbert had started veering towards Bosh in the corner and thus couldn't contest the drive so he puts his head down and overpowers Paul George. In this case, he didn't attack Hibbert, he attacked because he knew that Hibbert couldn't come over and challenge the shot.

Drive #2:

http://stats.nba.com/cvp.html?GameID=00 ... EventID=26

LeBron is in semi-transition and sees an opening after a Chalmers screen. He drives towards Hibbert but instead of attacking him and the rim he attempts to hug the baseline and swing a pass to a shooter but loses the ball. He was in prime position to attack Hibbert and the rim but he chose not to do it.

Drive #3:

http://stats.nba.com/cvp.html?GameID=00 ... EventID=55

Another fast break opportunity. LeBron looks ahead, sees that no one has come over to stop his dribble and that Hibbert is behind him so he immediatedly attacks the rim.

Drive #4:

http://stats.nba.com/cvp.html?GameID=00 ... EventID=57

This one is in the half court. Battier sets a nice screen on Paul George that frees up the lane for LeBron. LeBron attacks and scores an and-1. That was a very nice play. You'll notice something, though. Hibbert wasn't protecting the paint because he was guarding Bosh who made that pass to LeBron. LeBron immediatedly recognizes that Hibbert is not in position to help and proceeds to attack.

Dunk #1:

http://stats.nba.com/cvp.html?GameID=00 ... EventID=67

Alley-oop dunk from a great Chalmers pass. No one was even close to that play. Smart cut by LeBron and horrible defensive awareness by Scola.

Drive #5:

http://stats.nba.com/cvp.html?GameID=00 ... ventID=179

LeBron gets the ball near the 3 point line at the right flank and isos. He fakes a shot which cause Paul George to jump and that's all that LBJ needed. With PG out of position after falling for the fake he can attack. However, he sees Hibbert coming over and instead of attempting to attack the rim he opts for a hop step followed by a fadeaway jumper. He manages to score over Hibbert and this iso was certainly a great play but he still didn't attack Hibbert head on or the rim.

Drive #6:

http://stats.nba.com/cvp.html?GameID=00 ... ventID=249

A Chalmers/LeBron PnR gives LBJ an open lane. LeBron recognizes that Hibbert had stepped a bit too high and goes around him for a reverse layup using the rim as a shield. He didn't attack Hibbert head on but he did attack the rim this time. I'd count this as attacking Hibbert even though it wasn't an aerial collision.

Drive #7:

http://stats.nba.com/cvp.html?GameID=00 ... ventID=286

LeBron misses a 3, grabs the offensive rebound, sidesteps Hibbert and scores. You can count this as attacking Hibbert as well since he did attack the rim when Hibbert was trying to protect it. The sidestep was a nifty move.

Drive #8:

http://stats.nba.com/cvp.html?GameID=00 ... ventID=334

Excellent play by LeBron. He split the Paul George/David West double team and attacked Mahinmi head on. Hibbert wasn't in the game so this obviously doesn't count as attacking Hibbert but it was certainly a nice drive.

Dunk #2:

http://stats.nba.com/cvp.html?GameID=00 ... ventID=340

Fast break score after a steal.

So, did LeBron attack the rim last night? He certainly did.

But did he attack the rim when Hibbert was guarding it? Not really. He only did this twice and both times he did by sidestepping or going around him. He didn't go up strong in an attempt to draw a foul on Hibbert and test his verticality.

To be honest, I think that this was smart by LeBron. He recognizes that Hibbert is one of the best rim protectors in the league and he realizes that attacking him head on is not a smart play. He found ways to score around him so there was no need to try to score through him and when he saw that he wasn't in position to challenge his shot then he immediatedly attacked the rim aggressively.

This really isn't an indication of passivity, imo. It's just a smart way of recognizing which shot gives your team the best chance to score.

First of all, well done man. That has to be one of the best posts I've seen on this site. If I could give it an AND-5 I would.

Secondly, in before "LeBron won't attack Hibbert because they never call anything" posts from people who don't understand basketball.

[MaliBrah]

impressive performance from the pacers. David west just did whatever he wanted today and the shooting was just lights out.

[runlikehell]

Really??One implies the other

I saw Lebron attack Hibbert several times. Indiana just did a good job of not fouling.

Actually, here are LeBron's drives:

Drive #1:

http://stats.nba.com/cvp.html?GameID=00 ... EventID=17

A fast break opportunity after a missed shot. LeBron recognized that Hibbert had started veering towards Bosh in the corner and thus couldn't contest the drive so he puts his head down and overpowers Paul George. In this case, he didn't attack Hibbert, he attacked because he knew that Hibbert couldn't come over and challenge the shot.

Drive #2:

http://stats.nba.com/cvp.html?GameID=00 ... EventID=26

LeBron is in semi-transition and sees an opening after a Chalmers screen. He drives towards Hibbert but instead of attacking him and the rim he attempts to hug the baseline and swing a pass to a shooter but loses the ball. He was in prime position to attack Hibbert and the rim but he chose not to do it.

Drive #3:

http://stats.nba.com/cvp.html?GameID=00 ... EventID=55

Another fast break opportunity. LeBron looks ahead, sees that no one has come over to stop his dribble and that Hibbert is behind him so he immediatedly attacks the rim.

Drive #4:

http://stats.nba.com/cvp.html?GameID=00 ... EventID=57

This one is in the half court. Battier sets a nice screen on Paul George that frees up the lane for LeBron. LeBron attacks and scores an and-1. That was a very nice play. You'll notice something, though. Hibbert wasn't protecting the paint because he was guarding Bosh who made that pass to LeBron. LeBron immediatedly recognizes that Hibbert is not in position to help and proceeds to attack.

Dunk #1:

http://stats.nba.com/cvp.html?GameID=00 ... EventID=67

Alley-oop dunk from a great Chalmers pass. No one was even close to that play. Smart cut by LeBron and horrible defensive awareness by Scola.

Drive #5:

http://stats.nba.com/cvp.html?GameID=00 ... ventID=179

LeBron gets the ball near the 3 point line at the right flank and isos. He fakes a shot which cause Paul George to jump and that's all that LBJ needed. With PG out of position after falling for the fake he can attack. However, he sees Hibbert coming over and instead of attempting to attack the rim he opts for a hop step followed by a fadeaway jumper. He manages to score over Hibbert and this iso was certainly a great play but he still didn't attack Hibbert head on or the rim.

Drive #6:

http://stats.nba.com/cvp.html?GameID=00 ... ventID=249

A Chalmers/LeBron PnR gives LBJ an open lane. LeBron recognizes that Hibbert had stepped a bit too high and goes around him for a reverse layup using the rim as a shield. He didn't attack Hibbert head on but he did attack the rim this time. I'd count this as attacking Hibbert even though it wasn't an aerial collision.

Drive #7:

http://stats.nba.com/cvp.html?GameID=00 ... ventID=286

LeBron misses a 3, grabs the offensive rebound, sidesteps Hibbert and scores. You can count this as attacking Hibbert as well since he did attack the rim when Hibbert was trying to protect it. The sidestep was a nifty move.

Drive #8:

http://stats.nba.com/cvp.html?GameID=00 ... ventID=334

Excellent play by LeBron. He split the Paul George/David West double team and attacked Mahinmi head on. Hibbert wasn't in the game so this obviously doesn't count as attacking Hibbert but it was certainly a nice drive.

Dunk #2:

http://stats.nba.com/cvp.html?GameID=00 ... ventID=340

Fast break score after a steal.

So, did LeBron attack the rim last night? He certainly did.

But did he attack the rim when Hibbert was guarding it? Not really. He only did this twice and both times he did by sidestepping or going around him. He didn't go up strong in an attempt to draw a foul on Hibbert and test his verticality.

To be honest, I think that this was smart by LeBron. He recognizes that Hibbert is one of the best rim protectors in the league and he realizes that attacking him head on is not a smart play. He found ways to score around him so there was no need to try to score through him and when he saw that he wasn't in position to challenge his shot then he immediatedly attacked the rim aggressively.

This really isn't an indication of passivity, imo. It's just a smart way of recognizing which shot gives your team the best chance to score.

When did I say he attacked him head on? Obviously he's gonna approach scoring over Hibbert differently, he's not gonna try to go head on much since Hibbert's gonna get the verticality rule in his favor 8/10 times.

[Phinsoverpats]

Meanwhile, didn't really feel like the Pacers went inside all that much.

Really? The Pacers got the ball in the painted area in the vast majority of their offensive plays. Hibbert was consistently posting up and we got him the ball after breaking Miami's trap with our PnR. Miami likes to trap the PnR with Bosh (due to his length) and when we managed to break it then Hibbert was open down low with a much smaller player on him (like Battier). It's really not a wonder that he went to the line a lot. Battier (and every other Heat forward/guard that was forced to switch inside and cover Hibbert) was pretty much forced to foul in order to avoid an easy basket.

Damn I thought I had you today

[Nuntius]

I saw Lebron attack Hibbert several times. Indiana just did a good job of not fouling.

Actually, here are LeBron's drives:

Drive #1:

http://stats.nba.com/cvp.html?GameID=00 ... EventID=17

A fast break opportunity after a missed shot. LeBron recognized that Hibbert had started veering towards Bosh in the corner and thus couldn't contest the drive so he puts his head down and overpowers Paul George. In this case, he didn't attack Hibbert, he attacked because he knew that Hibbert couldn't come over and challenge the shot.

Drive #2:

http://stats.nba.com/cvp.html?GameID=00 ... EventID=26

LeBron is in semi-transition and sees an opening after a Chalmers screen. He drives towards Hibbert but instead of attacking him and the rim he attempts to hug the baseline and swing a pass to a shooter but loses the ball. He was in prime position to attack Hibbert and the rim but he chose not to do it.

Drive #3:

http://stats.nba.com/cvp.html?GameID=00 ... EventID=55

Another fast break opportunity. LeBron looks ahead, sees that no one has come over to stop his dribble and that Hibbert is behind him so he immediatedly attacks the rim.

Drive #4:

http://stats.nba.com/cvp.html?GameID=00 ... EventID=57

This one is in the half court. Battier sets a nice screen on Paul George that frees up the lane for LeBron. LeBron attacks and scores an and-1. That was a very nice play. You'll notice something, though. Hibbert wasn't protecting the paint because he was guarding Bosh who made that pass to LeBron. LeBron immediatedly recognizes that Hibbert is not in position to help and proceeds to attack.

Dunk #1:

http://stats.nba.com/cvp.html?GameID=00 ... EventID=67

Alley-oop dunk from a great Chalmers pass. No one was even close to that play. Smart cut by LeBron and horrible defensive awareness by Scola.

Drive #5:

http://stats.nba.com/cvp.html?GameID=00 ... ventID=179

LeBron gets the ball near the 3 point line at the right flank and isos. He fakes a shot which cause Paul George to jump and that's all that LBJ needed. With PG out of position after falling for the fake he can attack. However, he sees Hibbert coming over and instead of attempting to attack the rim he opts for a hop step followed by a fadeaway jumper. He manages to score over Hibbert and this iso was certainly a great play but he still didn't attack Hibbert head on or the rim.

Drive #6:

http://stats.nba.com/cvp.html?GameID=00 ... ventID=249

A Chalmers/LeBron PnR gives LBJ an open lane. LeBron recognizes that Hibbert had stepped a bit too high and goes around him for a reverse layup using the rim as a shield. He didn't attack Hibbert head on but he did attack the rim this time. I'd count this as attacking Hibbert even though it wasn't an aerial collision.

Drive #7:

http://stats.nba.com/cvp.html?GameID=00 ... ventID=286

LeBron misses a 3, grabs the offensive rebound, sidesteps Hibbert and scores. You can count this as attacking Hibbert as well since he did attack the rim when Hibbert was trying to protect it. The sidestep was a nifty move.

Drive #8:

http://stats.nba.com/cvp.html?GameID=00 ... ventID=334

Excellent play by LeBron. He split the Paul George/David West double team and attacked Mahinmi head on. Hibbert wasn't in the game so this obviously doesn't count as attacking Hibbert but it was certainly a nice drive.

Dunk #2:

http://stats.nba.com/cvp.html?GameID=00 ... ventID=340

Fast break score after a steal.

So, did LeBron attack the rim last night? He certainly did.

But did he attack the rim when Hibbert was guarding it? Not really. He only did this twice and both times he did by sidestepping or going around him. He didn't go up strong in an attempt to draw a foul on Hibbert and test his verticality.

To be honest, I think that this was smart by LeBron. He recognizes that Hibbert is one of the best rim protectors in the league and he realizes that attacking him head on is not a smart play. He found ways to score around him so there was no need to try to score through him and when he saw that he wasn't in position to challenge his shot then he immediatedly attacked the rim aggressively.

This really isn't an indication of passivity, imo. It's just a smart way of recognizing which shot gives your team the best chance to score.

When did I say he attacked him head on? Obviously he's gonna approach scoring over Hibbert differently, he's not gonna try to go head on much since Hibbert's gonna get the verticality rule in his favor 8/10 times.

I guess that we simply have a different meaning for what attacking a rim protector means then. I wasn't trying to attack you with my post, by the way. It just inspired to take a look at those plays and attempt to break them down.

[Nuntius]

Meanwhile, didn't really feel like the Pacers went inside all that much.

Really? The Pacers got the ball in the painted area in the vast majority of their offensive plays. Hibbert was consistently posting up and we got him the ball after breaking Miami's trap with our PnR. Miami likes to trap the PnR with Bosh (due to his length) and when we managed to break it then Hibbert was open down low with a much smaller player on him (like Battier). It's really not a wonder that he went to the line a lot. Battier (and every other Heat forward/guard that was forced to switch inside and cover Hibbert) was pretty much forced to foul in order to avoid an easy basket.

Damn I thought I had you today

Yeah, it was close. I didn't expect such a high scoring game, to be honest.

[Phinsoverpats]

Really? The Pacers got the ball in the painted area in the vast majority of their offensive plays. Hibbert was consistently posting up and we got him the ball after breaking Miami's trap with our PnR. Miami likes to trap the PnR with Bosh (due to his length) and when we managed to break it then Hibbert was open down low with a much smaller player on him (like Battier). It's really not a wonder that he went to the line a lot. Battier (and every other Heat forward/guard that was forced to switch inside and cover Hibbert) was pretty much forced to foul in order to avoid an easy basket.

Damn I thought I had you today

Yeah, it was close. I didn't expect such a high scoring game, to be honest.

Yeah,but it might be the only one tho,both team didn't really play defense.

[Nuntius]

Damn I thought I had you today

Yeah, it was close. I didn't expect such a high scoring game, to be honest.

Yeah,but it might be the only one tho,both team didn't really play defense.

Yeah, our defense was bad as well. Both teams can play better defense than that.

[ChuckChilly]

Both teams played hard.