Game 10: Pacers vs Clippers 11/18/10, 7:00pm EST

[glasket]

Game about to start. Hopefully we have DC and Psycho T for tonight.

[Indy2thaWindy]

No Dunleavy, should be a win.

[glasket]

No Dunleavy, should be a win.

Not the way we played the first 90 secs .
What is wrong with Mikey D?

[Miller4ever]

VISITING



THE SKINNY



A bad 3rd quarter against the Hawks put the Pacers in a hole that they could not climb out of. Now the Pacers look to pull to an even record against the young and talented Clippers. The Clippers have started the season 1-11, and are shorthanded, coming off a close loss just yesterday. This is a similar situation to 76ers and how they got their first win against the Pacers.

THE LINEUPS



Point Guard

Darren Collison is listed as "doubtful" for the game against the Clippers after sustaining an ankle injury. TJ Ford will be facing another tiny speedster in Eric Bledsoe. TJ Ford has this matchup on paper, but he'll have to take care of the ball and make smart decisions. Look for Ford to attempt more drives and jumpers against his matchup's youth.

Shooting Guard

IU star Eric Gordon comes back to Indy in an opposing uniform. Gordon is an undersized combo guard, while Mike Dunleavy is a big, off-the-ball wing. Both can catch fire without warning. Gordon has a decisive speed advantage, so look for O'Brien to experiment with two point guards.

Small Forward

Granger has the benefit of having a young player trying to guard him, setting the table for a high-scoring night. Granger beats more athletic opponents with a deadly shooting stroke and smart moves inside. He has the veteran advantage here, and must seize the opportunity by attacking and disrupting the Clippers defense. If he settles for jumpers all game, he's making their job too easy.

Power Forward

Through 12 games, Griffin has proven to be a load. He is a double-double machine, and plays with intensity on both ends of the floor. His skillset is extremely polished for a rookie, and he has monstrous athleticism to boot. Josh McRoberts is still rough around the edges, but he has the quicks to challenge shots and the toughness to box out for boards. He just has to be careful to stay out of foul trouble.

Center

Hibbert continues to make his case for Most Improved Player and an all-star selection, and he's doing it on some impressive numbers. He's also matched up against a rookie in DeAndre Jordan, and he needs to take advantage of the rook's lack of experience and use this chance to have an efficient shooting game. 45% for a center is too much like Jermaine O'Neal to be a recipe for success.

THE BENCH







Craig Smith is a great bench player behind Griffin, and may one day earn his own starting spot on a different squad. Tyler Hansbrough comes back from an ankle sprain and his impact will be measured by how well the tandem of Smith and Griffin are contained.

THE COACHES





Jim O'Brien will be facing off against one of the few examples of inferior coaching he will encounter this season. The Pacers need to play all 48 minutes and stay consistent over the course of the game. When in a slump, trying to adhere too much to an offense may hurt rather than hamper, especially if your opponent knows exactly what you're trying to do.

THE INJURY REPORT



Pacers
Darren Collison - Ankle: Probably not.
Jeff Foster - Ankle: For the second game in a row, maybe...?

Clippers

Baron Davis - Knee: Out
Chris Kaman - Ankle: Out
Randy Foye - Hamstring: Maybe.

THE HEAVY MATTERS



-Keep up with the Erics. Both can blow right by in the blink of an eye, and both can shoot from deep.
-Play smart. Against rookies, execution and focus win out over youth.

THE TRADITION

[Indy2thaWindy]

No Dunleavy, should be a win.

Not the way we played the first 90 secs .
What is wrong with Mikey D?

He's pregnant.

[Indy2thaWindy]

Eric Gordon for 40 tonight?

Eric might have just hurt Roy's feelings.

[mkwest]

Good luck guys. Although, you may not really need much of it.

[Miller4ever]

Dunk by McRoberts. We have more dunking this season than last, it feels like.

[tsherkin]

Hehe, Hibbert abusing the Clips...

[colts2004]

No Dunleavy, should be a win.

You're a dick

Wow McRoberts finally did something

[glasket]

wow AJ has looked pretty solid again. I really like his game.
We're up 25 points, surely its time to give Paul George and Psycho (if injury allows) extended time.
Come on Obie, get Paul in the game

[colts2004]

wow AJ has looked pretty solid again. I really like his game.
We're up 25 points, surely its time to give Paul George and Psycho (if injury allows) extended time.
Come on Obie, get Paul in the game

Ha, that will be the day! He will play Danny til Danny gets hurt then put George in

[glasket]

Wow BRush 5 blocks, he seems to be playing good D, given that Gordon is 5-17 FG as well.
BRush has really been on a mission since his return, which I like.

Only downer is the 6 and 4 TO's from Hungry Hungry and BRush.

[Indy2thaWindy]

Wow BRush 5 blocks, he seems to be playing good D, given that Gordon is 5-17 FG as well.
BRush has really been on a mission since his return, which I like.

Only downer is the 6 and 4 TO's from Hungry Hungry and BRush.

Most of Roy's Turnovers were caused by bad passes that were behind him. Not really his fault.

Roy's numbers so far this year - 16.5pts/10rebs/3.2assts/3.0tos/2.8blks on 47%FG and 83%FT in 31 minutes.

I predicted 17.1ppg/8.9rpg/2.7assts/2.6blks

[PaceWalker]

Wow. That's the man to man defense I would LOVE to see out of Danny every night. He was all over Eric Gordon there for awhile and that was great to see. Let's me know he's actually capable if he tries.

I thought Foster played really well tonight for his first game out. Kept the ball alive and can actually box out for a rebound. Happy to see Soloman ride the pine.

A.J. looked good as well. T.J. played well but his go-to mid range shot wasn't dropping.

Hibbert with another huge first half and then only 2 points (i think) in the second half.

Lastly... Was it just me or did Paul George look terrible tonight. No wonder why he isn't getting PT. He moves too slow out there. Hopefully just cause he's a rookie. Fingers crossed.

[jowglenn]

Wow BRush 5 blocks, he seems to be playing good D, given that Gordon is 5-17 FG as well.
BRush has really been on a mission since his return, which I like.

Only downer is the 6 and 4 TO's from Hungry Hungry and BRush.

I said it before, that drug suspension might have been the best thing ever to happen to Rush. Hammered home the mortality of his NBA career.

I have absolutely loved the effort he's put out against Atlanta and the Clippers. I didn't get to see the Clippers game, but against the Hawks, he played great defense against Joe Johnson (11 points on 4/12 shooting, only got 3 FTs) and now it looks like he played good defense against the Clippers (Gordon had 19, but it was on 5/17 shooting - mainly got it at the line).

5 blocks! Ladies and gentlemen, be prepared to shove it back in the face of all those asses who called Rush a bust and a worthless player. Our patience is being rewarded.

[Gremz]

WE WON!

[daschysta]

Wow BRush 5 blocks, he seems to be playing good D, given that Gordon is 5-17 FG as well.
BRush has really been on a mission since his return, which I like.

Only downer is the 6 and 4 TO's from Hungry Hungry and BRush.

I said it before, that drug suspension might have been the best thing ever to happen to Rush. Hammered home the mortality of his NBA career.

I have absolutely loved the effort he's put out against Atlanta and the Clippers. I didn't get to see the Clippers game, but against the Hawks, he played great defense against Joe Johnson (11 points on 4/12 shooting, only got 3 FTs) and now it looks like he played good defense against the Clippers (Gordon had 19, but it was on 5/17 shooting - mainly got it at the line).

5 blocks! Ladies and gentlemen, be prepared to shove it back in the face of all those asses who called Rush a bust and a worthless player. Our patience is being rewarded.

Granger was the one most responsible for shutting down Joe Johnson. He absolutely owned him defensively every time he got the ball, causing joe to pick up a technical because he was so frustrated.

[Indy2thaWindy]

Wow BRush 5 blocks, he seems to be playing good D, given that Gordon is 5-17 FG as well.
BRush has really been on a mission since his return, which I like.

Only downer is the 6 and 4 TO's from Hungry Hungry and BRush.

I said it before, that drug suspension might have been the best thing ever to happen to Rush. Hammered home the mortality of his NBA career.

I have absolutely loved the effort he's put out against Atlanta and the Clippers. I didn't get to see the Clippers game, but against the Hawks, he played great defense against Joe Johnson (11 points on 4/12 shooting, only got 3 FTs) and now it looks like he played good defense against the Clippers (Gordon had 19, but it was on 5/17 shooting - mainly got it at the line).

5 blocks! Ladies and gentlemen, be prepared to shove it back in the face of all those asses who called Rush a bust and a worthless player. Our patience is being rewarded.

Granger was the one most responsible for shutting down Joe Johnson. He absolutely owned him defensively every time he got the ball, causing joe to pick up a technical because he was so frustrated.

And Eric Gordon. He was killing Rush in the 1st, then Danny switched to him. It was over after that.

[dennis_mora91]

Well, the game had not nothing special, the clippers were calamitous