Game Thread 03/07: Pacers vs. Jazz

[basketballwacko2]

Wow we look like dog meat.

[the_real_lg33]

I don’t think there’s a comeback in the works tonight.

[basketballwacko2]

Maybe the worst game of the season.

[basketballwacko2]

Pacers can't buy a shot for all the gold in Ft Knox.

[basketballwacko2]

This game reminded me of my entire Draft Kings season this year.

[boomershadow]

I quit watching with a few minutes left in the second quarter. I don't regret that decision.


Sorry Wizop had to be the for such a crummy game.

[Wizop]

Anyways, one question because I really wanna try Pearl Street Pizza when I go to Friday's game... How early do you get there in order to take advantage of the parking meter situation?

I parked at six tonight but my friends were ahead of me and got the table at Pearl St. getting a table can be more trouble than finding a parking spot.

I had the vanilla porter and friend Scott had the milk stout. we got a thin crust supreme while our friends got thick crust pepperoni, mushroom, and anchovies which was our regular until my girl friend started joining us and wanted the supreme.

Sent from my phone.

[Wizop]

symmetric game. by quarters, -10, 0, 0, -10.

CoJo did a good job on the rook but Rubio outplayed Vic. didn't expect that.

Sent from my phone.

[babyjax13]

symmetric game. by quarters, -10, 0, 0, -10.

CoJo did a good job on the rook but Rubio outplayed Vic. didn't expect that.

Sent from my phone.

Rubio has random games where he explodes and we are absolutely unbeatable the 1/10 games it happens.

[Pacersike]

Bad loss. 12 assists to 30 yuck

When Lance is having one of his bad days, the weak playmaking and weak defense from Joe Young can be noticed even better.

Together with 3 still searching for his game and a new player in Booker, one might argue Turner has better tools to work with than Sabonis.

Still a very good game from Myles though. Just trying to put his 24 points in perspective that their are plenty of other ways to help your team besides having a great scoring game. Rebounds, assists, defending the inside so that teammates can defend the 3 point line better...

Not to mention Rudy Gobert is all about defending our entire team inside so that his teammates can defend the outside.
Similar to Roy Hibbert and everybody remembers how terrible centers often had great stats against him. It was beneficial for the team though.

The Jazz defending the 3 point line so well is because Gobert has the inside covered against Myles and Domas (too tall).
The Jazz shooting 35.5% from deep is also influenced by how our centers defend the inside. Partially of course.
Gobert is way taller than Sabonis, but this is exactly where the defense from Turner should come into play. Not good enough (yet).

I know, it's easier to see the 10-14 and 3 blocks and be happy with his offense and his defense, but not me.
He needs to get stronger and smarter to provide better help for his teammates besides hitting his shots and blocking some shots.

Having a great scoring game and only being +2 often implies that you are giving it away defensively just as easily.
Jefferson was great at that during his entire career, I hope that Turner can turn it around and do better than what he did today.

Sabonis is no match for Gobert, but someone like Anigbogu can be. He has the length and the strength and he is more mobile than Rudy. If +2 is the only gain you get from Turner spreading the floor for our team to try to hurt the Jazz defense, it ain't worth the trouble and dollars and we can be better off with a cheaper backup who can slow down Gobert and protect the paint better.

Sure, when Gobert was 21 years old, he wasn't anywhere close to being the defensive force he is right now. At age 22 however, his sophomore season, he was however darn good defensively. Roy Hibbert in his 4th season was getting there too. Next season, there has to be a bigger jump from Myles Turner as a defender than what we have seen so far. But adding muscle is always risky for injuries or can hurt the mobility. The safer bet is Domas and knowing how much chemistry Domas and Oladipo have together, it can turn out to be something like the Harden trade, but never the wrong trade because IMO a choice has to be made and much like Westbrook, Domas as your starting center is a great bet to make the playoffs year after year. Harden didn't show enough passion for the game, Turner doesn't show enough defensive potential.

Domas deserves to start next season, so unless our FO and coach suddenly start to see him as a 4, he can not because of Turner.
If one option is to play limited minutes trying to guess where Lance is going to catapult the ball next or playing extended minutes with an Allstar, there is likely a limit to being happy with the situation. Even if that limit is very high in Domas his case.

He isn't going to be mad next season, no way, but if their stats continue to be somewhat similar to eachother or in Domas his case arguably a bit better, there will be feeling and thoughts that he doesn't get as much recognition as other players while doing similar things just as good or even a bit better IMO than Turner.

It is a tough decision to make but I would make it before it can become a problem and as far as I can tell, looks like it might become a problem one day. They wanted Booker, Faried, Carroll to play for the Pacers, not a center so they could move Sabonis to the 4 position. If the defense Turner played today is an indication of what he will be when older, it doesn't exactly scream future DPOY to me. The steps he has taken in almost 3 years in the league aren't big enough for that. Great shotblocker though, but Deandre Jordan isn't anywhere close to the defender Gobert is either.

They want to play small and Sabonis is a smallball 5. The longer they wait, the tougher the decision will be, because both look like legit centers in this league. Sabonis is less injury prone, has a closer relationship with Oladipo, same age but 1 year longer contract. A backup center like Anigbogu has many similarities with Turner (neither have inside moves so we need another center for that) while having a better different profile to backup Sabonis.

This summer or no later than next trade deadline we got to make a choice and my choice would be to keep Turner and trade Sabonis. Just kidding, nobody has come this far anyway

[Pacersike]

Gobert is way better than Hibbert ever was.

It's a pitty Utah is a bit like Indiana, because the team with the DPOY always has a good chance to win a couple of playoffs series.

[winter_mute_13]

That was a thorough demolition.

The team's offense is so dependent on Dipo's scoring. When he has a bad night, the Pacers struggle to get anything going. Occasionally, good Lance can do enough to sub for him, but well we had bad Lance tonight. DC would have helped, but probably not enough on his own.

Utah's execution was very good tonight. Gotta hand it to them.

[DoubleEagle4]

I try not to get too hung up on +/- stats, but I can't help to notice weird things sometimes. Myles was +3 and Sabonis was -26 last night. How does that happen?

[Pacers_Freak]

That was a thorough demolition.

The team's offense is so dependent on Dipo's scoring. When he has a bad night, the Pacers struggle to get anything going. Occasionally, good Lance can do enough to sub for him, but well we had bad Lance tonight. DC would have helped, but probably not enough on his own.

Utah's execution was very good tonight. Gotta hand it to them.

I'm his #1 supporter.... but there has been a lot more bad Lance than good Lance lately.

[Wizop]

[I'm his #1 supporter.... but there has been a lot more bad Lance than good Lance lately.

listening to the radio post game driving home, Mark Montieth seemed to be saying that Lance had said things in the post game locker room interviews indicating he recognized a need to clean up his act. we'll see.

another problem last night was Dipo's defense. he got his steals, but Rubio had no trouble getting open or driving.

[basketballwacko2]

Gobert is way better than Hibbert ever was.

It's a pitty Utah is a bit like Indiana, because the team with the DPOY always has a good chance to win a couple of playoffs series.

If it was not for the 2013 blown draft pick on a player we didn't need, Solo Hill, we could have taken Gobert who went a few spots lower.

2012 we wasted a #1 on Miles Plumlee when we could have taken Dremond Green.

What would this team be like with those 2?

[JermaineOYea]

Anyways, one question because I really wanna try Pearl Street Pizza when I go to Friday's game... How early do you get there in order to take advantage of the parking meter situation?

I parked at six tonight but my friends were ahead of me and got the table at Pearl St. getting a table can be more trouble than finding a parking spot.

I had the vanilla porter and friend Scott had the milk stout. we got a thin crust supreme while our friends got thick crust pepperoni, mushroom, and anchovies which was our regular until my girl friend started joining us and wanted the supreme.

Sent from my phone.

Cheers, thank ya much. I'll report back after tomorrow's game if I can talk the fiancee into it.

Came for the pizza, stayed for the parking. Haha