| Early Returns Authored by Andrew Perna - November 11, 2008 - 10:50 pm
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It’s way too early, about three months to be exact, to start thinking about the playoffs, or the lottery, but after six games Indiana looks like a franchise reborn.
Their record, 3-3, is promising enough, but they have looked good even in their losses.
Indiana suffered a close defeat at the hands of the Pistons in their season opener, but rebounded nicely with a convincing 16-point win over the defending-champion Celtics. After catching the attention of the league, they fell to Suns and Cavaliers in back-to-back games before beginning their current two-game win streak.
A loss is a loss, and if any team knows that it’s the Pacers, who lost 46 games last season. However, at this stage in their ‘development’, Jim O’Brien’s team can take something positive from each of their three losses.
The Pacers lost to the Pistons by 6, the Suns by 10 and the Cavs by just 4 points.
They held an early 12-6 lead in their season opener in Detroit, but failed to hold an advantage in any of the last three quarters. They showed strides against the Suns at home, leading as late as the 1:40 mark of the third quarter.
Against the Cavs, the Pacers had an 86-84 lead with less than nine minutes left in the game, but couldn’t overcome the combination of LeBron James and Mo Williams.
They haven’t just shown improvement in the win-loss column either.
Their defense, something they aimed to improve over the summer, has been noticeably better.
In 2007-08, the Pacers allowed opponents to score 105.4 points per game, ranking them 26th in the league. Just six games into the season, they have limited teams to 97.0 points, a vast improvement of 8.4 per game.
Their on-ball defense – things like altering shots, contesting jumpers and running at open shooters – has allowed them to lower their opponent’s shooting percentage from 45.4% (’07-’08) to 43.8% this season.
Rebounding was one of their strong suits last season, when they grabbed 43.1 boards per game (seventh in the league), but they couldn’t keep opposing teams off the glass either. They made even the worst rebounding teams look terrific, with their opponents averaging 45.5 rebounds.
They have maintained their level of rebounding (43.0 per game this season), but are limiting teams to 42.3 boards. That improvement is significant because they faced tough rebounding clubs in the Celtics and Cavaliers.
What’s even more impressive is that they have maintained their up-tempo pace while also improving their defense. They are averaging 95.3 possessions per game, fifth in the NBA. They have simply been getting back on defense quicker, and as mentioned above, are applying more energy on that end of the court.
After facing perhaps the toughest opening schedule of anyone in the league – the Pistons, Celtics, Suns and Cavaliers consecutively – they are in the midst of a soft spot that could help improve their chances of playing meaningful games in 2009.
Already on a two-game run, they will battle the Nets, 76ers, Bulls, Hawks, Magic and Heat in the next two weeks. All of those games should be winnable ones, aside from maybe the Orlando battle if Dwight Howard has yet another 20/20 effort.
Their early season success can be attributed to the production of four players.
There’s the $60 million dollar man (Danny Granger), the new engine (T.J. Ford), the almost-forgotten swingman (Marquis Daniels) and the blue-collar big man (Troy Murphy).
Granger is averaging 25.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.7 blocks and 1.2 steals per game. All that, minus two front teeth. Meanwhile, Ford has excelled as the team’s new point guard, posting 17.0 points, 6.0 assists and 4.3 boards in his first six games with the team.
Daniels, who was thought of by many as trade bait this summer, has filled in nicely for Mike Dunleavy Jr., who has yet to play this season because of a bulky knee. Marquis is averaging 14.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists a game. He isn’t the shooter that Dunleavy is, but his success now will only pay dividends for O’Brien and the Pacers down the line.
Murphy has been a monster on the glass, tallying 9.7 points and 9.2 boards in less than 30 minutes per game.
With Rasho Nesterovic (ankle) joining Dunleavy on the sideline, Indiana has asked a lot from their pair of rookies.
Brandon Rush is getting 19.8 minutes of run per night, and has put up 5.8 points and 2.0 rebounds. He’s still adjusting to the NBA game (35%), but once he gets more comfortable, his shot will follow.
Roy Hibbert, the afterthought in the Jermaine O’Neal-for-Ford deal with Toronto, has averaged 5.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 0.8 blocks per game. He’s had a serious problem staying on the floor with 21 fouls in just 78 minutes (one every 3.7 minutes), but his 36-minute averages are very promising – 14.8 points, 9.7 rebounds and 2.3 rejections.
If any team in the NBA knows how quickly things can change, it’s the Pacers.
There are still 75 games left on the schedule, but just six battles into the 2008-09 season, Indiana is experiencing some early returns on their offseason investments.
If only the rest of us could be so lucky.
Andrew Perna is a Senior Writer for RealGM.com. Please feel free to contact him with comments or questions via e-mail – Andrew.Perna@RealGM.com. |
