You Don't Know Jack: A Pacers Story

[trekfan]

Ch. 19

Game 1 of our series went to the Wizards, as we lost the lead in the fourth quarter and lost the game 111-108. It was disappointing to say the least … and I was *ucking pissed. We had done so well in the first three quarters but in the fourth our inexperience showed. Washington put on the jets behind John Wall and we got sucked into their game — it was hard as hell to stay in front of Wall, to keep him out of the spots he wanted to go. He was among the best guards in the game for a reason and I had my work cut out for me.

I didn’t do enough in Game 1 to slow him down. Sure, I scored 27 points and dished out 17 assists, but it didn’t matter in the end — we lost because I wasn’t aggressive enough in the final quarter. We lost because I couldn’t find the open man … I dove in and threw up wild shots. That wasn’t winning basketball, that was bull*hit play. I could do better.

And in Game 2, we — the entire team — came out with that firmly on our minds. We weren’t going to let the Wizards dictate how we played our game. We were going to dictate the terms. In the first, it was a bunch of misses early on — both teams came out tight. We were missing wide open shots and the Wizards were getting nowhere in their offensive sets. Something had to give, someone had to get first blood, and leave it to Myles Turner to do just that with a clutch three.

We started to run away with it — the Wizards couldn’t stop a cold, let alone us, and the triple broke the game WIDE OPEN. Washington started tossing the ball away, we came up with crucial steals, and we pinned our ears back: scoring was second nature to us and we ended the first up 31-15. We nearly pushed it to a 20 point lead.

And then we promptly choked it away in the second. Washington found their stride thanks to their bench and ours just gave up the ghost. We couldn’t get a stop at all — ROLO was fouling left and right, the refs were calling fouls left and right (against us, of course) and the Wizards were heading to the stripe, hitting their shots, and chipping away at the lead. They stymied us, frustrated us, and took everything we did to them in the first and did it to us.

We gave up the lead and limped into halftime tied, 54 all.

McHale was not happy. He let us have an earful about how lax we were on the defense in the second — we got cocky, we felt ourselves, and while we were busy admiring our play we got our *sses kicked. He was right — we all knew it — and we sat in there and took it. McHale’s directive was simple at halftime: get back to basics. Play our positions, stick to the fundamentals, make them work for their shot.

If they had to work hard for it on offense, they’d be tired out on defense. Play our game.

In the third, we took those words to heart. We traded buckets back and forth, we traded the lead, we fouled hard and got fouled hard. It was GROB who gave us a little breathing room with an and-1 on a dunk.

He hit the free throw (the only one of the night — it was a rough game for him) and it gave us a three point lead that we just barely hung onto heading into the fourth. We were up 81-78.

The Wizards we not done. John Wall exploded in the fourth for points and he was on fire like no other — but for everything Wall did, I did too. I turned on my jets and made sure to keep everyone involved. Wall and someone else would double me, I’d pass out — usually to Myles, who did what he does best and sunk shots. If not Myles, than the Manimal, who rolled hard to the rim all quarter long and scrapped for boards.

We got the victory and, for the first time in my career, I got to hear chants of “MVP” from my homecrowd. It was a special night, a special win, and exhausting on every level. I had never been so tense for a basketball game and so relieved when it was over.

[trekfan]

Ch. 20

We traveled to DC for Game 3 and it was a game we knew, in the depths of our stomachs, that we had to win. The Wizards had already beaten the Raptors and if we didn’t get a game back here, we’d be seriously *ucked. Shootaround was good … we were loose, but not too loose. We were focused and we came out that way.

From tipoff till the end of the game, we were locked in — more locked in than I had ever seen us. It showed up in a BIG way in the first five minutes of the game, as we found the open man and that man let a triple fly. We went 4 of 6 from deep in the first five minutes, putting us ahead 18-7 barely halfway into the quarter. The Wizards immediately called a timeout after VO broke out a ridiculous layup in traffic and MADE IT.

It was a beatdown We dominated the first quarter, and we continued to dominate in the second thanks to Sabonis and Corey Joseph, who kept our triples firing and they were making them. Again and again.

Scott Brooks was beside himself on the Wizards bench. He kept telling his guys to get back on defense, to cover, to hustle, but they were always too slow … the number of threes we had was something to behold. For the first time the entire year, we had turned the triple into more than just a threat, we turned it into a Warriors-esqe weapon. The stats at halftime screamed our domination.

In the third, the Wizards showed up — Bradley Beal and John Wall finally started to get going, but that was fine. We were still getting our shots and GROB was stepping up in a big way; unlike Otto Porter (who disappeared and massively underperformed that huge contract of his), GROB was letting it rain. He was making it from deep, he was spotting up from mid-range, he was getting to the line and making his shots.

It was the best game of GROB’s career that year, in my humble opinion and with him firing, me and Myles got into a major rhythm. I passed to him and he passed to me … the Tate-Turner connection was real and John Wall couldn’t stop me. I saw him trying to bring him team back into it and I told him, straight up, to “back the *uck off, *itch” and he didn’t much like that.

But he didn’t much have a choice.

In the fourth, Myles started nailing triples left and right and between the two of us, we buried the Wizards. No quarter was given. No mercy shown. We walked into their house and gutted them before their entire fans. We even subbed in the deep reserves and they kept hitting triples (namely, TJ Leaf, who scored five points in less than three minutes — I was impressed).

I wish I could say that was it and we plowed on to the ECF, but we didn’t. We dropped Game 4 and 5, came back to win Game 6, and lost Game 7 by one-point. The Wizards held us to only 19 points in the fourth quarter … we allowed them 34.

We had a chance to get there, to go the distance, but we let it slip away. I was sick, especially considering what happened in the other series.

The Celtics had beaten the Cavs, 4-2, thanks to the return of Marcus Smart. They lost Al Horford to a severe ankle sprain though, and he was unlikely to make it back for the rest of the playoffs, but they had made the ECF. We could have beaten them — we went 3-1 against them in the regular season, we could have taken them, but we couldn’t finish. We were young. We were dumb.

Looking back, I see where we went wrong … I see what we could have done better. But I was ill then.

In the conference finals, the Rockets did what no one thought possible — they beat the Warriors. Every game they won was by less than seven points, but they did just enough to get there. The Warriors had been felled and it felt like the entire league celebrated. Out East, the Celtics lost Hayward to a leg injury in Game 2, which meant they were down him and Horford for the series. Still, they battled it out to a Game 7 before losing.

Rockets vs. Wizards for the Finals — an unlikely NBA Finals as it ever was. The Wizards had finally gotten to the Finals again, nearly 40 years since the last time they had been there. The Rockets had bet on CP3 and Harden being the key to defeating the Warriors and that bet had paid off.

Both teams were healthy. Both squads competitive. But the Rockets were on another level — they had already played tougher opponents than the Wizards and they won each game by an average of 12.4 points. It was a slaughter. Even after Ryan Anderson went out in Game 1 with a broken leg, the Rockets still romped.

A four game sweep that finally gave Harden and CP3 their titles. I couldn’t be too mad … the Wizards had beaten us and I was glad to see them lose. Eric Gordon, former Hoosier, got a ring on the Rockets and so did Troy Williams — Indiana guys, through and through. I was happy for them.

But I saw the Wizards in the Finals, saw them fight … and I wanted to be there, fighting with my guys for a chance at glory. Our season had broken our way so many times, only to have it go wrong at the end. I didn’t know if we’d ever get a chance to get to the ECF again.

I just knew I’d do almost anything to get to the Finals … to win a title for Indiana.

[georgiafan]

Tough way to lose a series

[trekfan]

Quote: Originally Posted by georgiafan

Tough way to lose a series

Yeah, I did my part -- got wins in Game 2 and 3, but we just didn't have enough to get further. Still, losing in 7 is better than being swept. A lot of the young guys on the team (Sabonis, Mudiay, Leaf) got valuable experience.

The offseason will be interesting -- the Rockets win has felled the Warriors, the Cavs got beat by a banged up Celtics in Round 2, so we could be seeing a shift in the powerhouses of the conference.

Free agency will be interesting, but more than that I think the trade market will be pretty strong -- lots of teams with middling contracts that didn't perform up to expectations this year (the Heat among them) and expiring contracts have some worth again.

We'll begin the offseason storylines today, it's gonna be fun I think.

[georgiafan]

Cant wait to hear the offseason stuff to me that's more fun then the games

[trekfan]

2018 OFFSEASON NEWS

Retirements:







Rule Changes:



Tate's Take

The NBA finally got with the times and abolished the age rule in the summer of 2018 -- about *ucking time. Too many kids were going to school just to get to the league ... with the age minimum rule lowered to 18 (and with the exception in place that if you graduated high school, you were automatically eligible), the league had taken a big step forward.

Coaching Changes:

Coaches Fired

Jason Kidd (MIL)
Jeff Hoaancek (NYK)
Earl Watson (PHX)
Dwayne Casey (TOR)

Coaches Hired

Dwayne Casey (MIL)
Jason Kidd (NYK)
Nate McMillian (PHX)
Jerry Stackhouse(TOR)
Paul Pierce — Assistant (BOS)
Dirk Nowitzki — Assistant (DAL)

Hot Seat 2018-19

Mike Malone (DEN) - Gets a pass due to Millsap injury in 2017-18
Terry Stotts (POR) - On notice
Frank Vogel (ORL) - Team needs to see more wins or else
Steve Clifford (CHA) - Needs to make playoffs again
Stan Van Gundy (DET) - Needs to make playoffs again

Draft Lottery Results:




Tate's Take

God, the Lakers lucked out that summer -- they just barely got the 5th overall pick, which meant they kept it. The Bucks, unexpectedly, were in the driver's seat for the draft -- would they keep the pick? Would they trade it away? The clock was ticking on the Greek Freak's contract, he had three years left and Milwaukee was feeling the pressure to make him a constant force in the playoffs.

Gramps was sure the Bucks would trade the pick away.

"They ain't got anyone at the top of that draft board they're in love with, I guarantee it; they need help, boy. We just won 50 games with a roster that wasn't nearly as talented as theirs."

Gramps was right, but damn if that didn't hurt some. Our roster wasn't as talented, true, but certainly we weren't that poor. Still, Milwaukee had a tough call to make -- the top prospects in the draft were guards or centers, neither position they really needed.

Someone was going to come calling for that pick of theirs.

[Jogo]

Wow, lots of surprises!

How did the Bucks end up in the lottery?
Better yet: how on earth did they end up getting that nr 1 pick?!

I could see them going after a talented big man, and have him rotate w/ Thon Maker. That could make them one of the best young teams out East for years to come.

If they do flip the pick, it would have to be for a big time player that puts them in prime position to win now.


Surprised to see the Wizards come out of the East and the Rockets almost sweeping the West!

This means KD is going to sign with the Rockets this summer?!

[trekfan]

Quote: Originally Posted by Jogo

Wow, lots of surprises! How did the Bucks end up in the lottery? Better yet: how on earth did they end up getting that nr 1 pick?! I could see them going after a talented big man, and have him rotate w/ Thon Maker. That could make them one of the best young teams out East for years to come. If they do flip the pick, it would have to be for a big time player that puts them in prime position to win now. Surprised to see the Wizards come out of the East and the Rockets almost sweeping the West! This means KD is going to sign with the Rockets this summer?!

The Bucks had a BAADDDDD year. They completely fell apart early in the season due to injuries to bench guys and they couldn't recover. Thusly, Jason Kidd was fired and replaced (the coach is always the first to go). His rotations all year were questionable ... but landing in New York seems to be a good fit for him. Porzingis is making noise about wanting a contract extension there, so that's good.

The Bucks really leapt up HIGH in the lottery, a huge development that punished much worse teams (like the Hawks). What they do -- and whom they do it with -- will be an intriguing storyline on top of the already "Will they keep Jabari Parker or let him walk?" free agency stuff.

KD is definitely not signing with the Rockets, but the Warriors disappointment will be something to watch for next summer -- the breakup of 2019 is what everyone is waiting for an another non-title year might do it.

And, yes, the Wizards coming out of the East was bonkers -- it took Game 7s in all three of their East series to get there, but they did. They're landlocked into cap hell thanks to past summers, but might be able to swing a few deals depending on the rest of the league.

The draft is up next, as well as some trades, and preparations for free agency -- lots of fun stuff ahead.