THE SKINNY
After a disappointing loss to the Chicago Bulls, the Pacers face another tough challenge in the Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks are looking to be in the playoff mix despite injuries, and face a demoralized Pacers squad. In order to prevent another skid like the one before the All-Star break, the Pacers will need to summon the effort to play 4 whole quarters.
THE LINEUPS
Point Guard
The Hawks really like their young point guard Jeff Teague. He's in the running for Most Improved, and is doing his part to keep the Hawks afloat with a lot of key players riding the pine. Darren Collison looks to rebound from a poor showing last night on 0-6 shooting. Teague and Collison are both speedsters, so it'll be interesting to see how these two guards pilot their teams.
Shooting Guard
The lone bright spot during the Bulls rout of the Pacers, Paul George is beginning to find himself more and more in the driver's seat when the Pacers need a score. His defense continues to be top-flight, and if he can put in another good performance tonight, the Pacers will reap the benefits of his seemingly limitless potential.
Small Forward
Granger failed to deliver and sat for most of the second half against the Bulls. His ability to single-handedly get hot and carry a team has been stifled for the most part this season, and he must adjust accordingly. He can start by playing the kind of defense that made him the Most Improved Player in 2009. Marvin Williams can get hot, and will be a focal point on the depleted Hawks roster.
Power Forward
Out of the frying pan and into the fire for David West. He now faces a more athletic, more potent player in Josh Smith and needs to hit the boards like he did against Chicago while not allowing easy baskets. Josh Smith is the main man in Atlanta right now.
Center
Getting completely bottled up by Joakim Noah, Hibbert must look to assert himself early in this contest. With no Horford, Hibbert has no excuse. The lone Pacers All-Star needs to play like one.
THE BENCH
George Hill is playing very well on offense, keeping calm and sinking shots. Tyler Hansbrough needs to find that in his game on offense, while channeling his energy into production. Ivan Johnson is a similar energy-type player, and can really disrupt the Pacers rebounding game.
THE COACHES
Vogel wants to see consistency out of his players, something that separates the Pacers from the upper echelon of the league. When putting it all together, the team looks like it can take on anybody. However, they still show flashes of last 7 years of Pacers basketball the team is trying to put behind them.
THE INJURY REPORT
Pacers
Jeff Foster: Back - No.
Hawks
Willie Green: Back - Maybe.
Joe Johnson: Knee - Probably Not.
Tracy McGrady: Knee - Maybe.
Jerry Stackhouse: Sick - Maybe.
Jason Collins: Elbow - No.
Al Horford: Pec - No.
THE HEAVY MATTERS
-Rebound. Figuratively and literally. Erase that last game and focus on this game, which will be won by rebounding.
-Be consistent. More than anything, keep the effort and focus to maximize opportunities.
THE TRADITION
