Game Thread 03/17: Pacers vs. Wizards

[AussiePacer]

I feel like the reserves could have made it a game if they'd been given a bit more time. Or if that BS call on Lance's dribble hadn't happened.

They looked good - helpful small ball game at the end but definitely an interesting lineup with some shooting and switch ability on the pick and roll offence.

[Topofthekey]

lost tiebreaker. bad time for injuries. have to wonder if Leaf and Poythress could have helped.

Sent from my phone.

I feel Nate should give Leaf some backup SF minutes, depending on which he going to match up against.

We know Leaf isn't strong enough to go against the opponents' bigs, but perhaps the key would be to have him match up against the opponents' backup SFs instead.

He seems pretty mobile, has good shooting range, and isn't afraid to mix it up underneath the basket. There HAS to be some ways to utilize his talents, other than just saying he isn't strong enough to play PF effectively

Pacers has obviously been overachieving this season, and a chunk of credit should go to Nate for that, but I can't help but feeling if Nate had been more willing to experiment with his starting lineups and substitutions a little more, could the Pacers have achieved even more

[Pacers_Freak]

lost tiebreaker. bad time for injuries. have to wonder if Leaf and Poythress could have helped.

Sent from my phone.

I feel Nate should give Leaf some backup SF minutes, depending on which he going to match up against.

We know Leaf isn't strong enough to go against the opponents' bigs, but perhaps the key would be to have him match up against the opponents' backup SFs instead.

He seems pretty mobile, has good shooting range, and isn't afraid to mix it up underneath the basket. There HAS to be some ways to utilize his talents, other than just saying he isn't strong enough to play PF effectively

Pacers has obviously been overachieving this season, and a chunk of credit should go to Nate for that, but I can't help but feeling if Nate had been more willing to experiment with his starting lineups and substitutions a little more, could the Pacers have achieved even more

Not a fan of this. SF will drive around him like he isn't there. Hell some PF do that. And I think I may be able to. He is no where near quick enough for the 3 spot.

[Wizop]

Not a fan of [Leaf at SF]. SF will drive around him like he isn't there. Hell some PF do that. And I think I may be able to. He is no where near quick enough for the 3 spot.

With Sabonis out and Turner hobbling, I'd give Leaf minutes at PF and not worry what that did to our chances of winning.

[Pacers_Freak]

Not a fan of [Leaf at SF]. SF will drive around him like he isn't there. Hell some PF do that. And I think I may be able to. He is no where near quick enough for the 3 spot.

With Sabonis out and Turner hobbling, I'd give Leaf minutes at PF and not worry what that did to our chances of winning.

Wiz as usual you're probably right. It is probably the better long term move for us. I would prefer we don't just for my sanity. He gets beat on D like he stole something. I would prefer to just run small. But, again you are probably right in the long term.

[Wizop]

I would prefer we don't just for my sanity. He gets beat on D like he stole something.

I don't think Nate is going to give you anything to worry about. I think he's wrong though. Magic numbers are 4 and 3 and we play Charlotte the last 2 games of the year. I expect Detroit to lose some games fairly soon and I don't expect us to climb back to 3rd or 4th given how hard our schedule is and how easy Philly's is. of course, they've surprised us all year.

[Topofthekey]

Not a fan of this. SF will drive around him like he isn't there. Hell some PF do that. And I think I may be able to. He is no where near quick enough for the 3 spot.

Not much harm experimenting.

Besides, Bogie isn't a defensive stalwart either.

And sometimes guys just need playing time to establish themselves. Remember how early on in the season Domas was getting called for fouls left and right. The refs seem to be giving him more leeway now, and as a result he's become more reliable on defense nowadays.

I feel that guys like Leaf and Joe Young, who sometimes look like they have nothing to do on offense, are definitely capable of contributing more if they are better integrated