| The Road Back To Jersey Authored by Andrew Perna - May 1, 2006 - 3:16 pm
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Instead the Pacers played as though they were looking to close out their preseason schedule, not close in on a playoffs series victory. Twenty-three turnovers later the Pacers were headed to New Jersey tied 2-2 with the Nets, who re-gained home-court advantage with a 97-88 victory in Saturday’s Game 4.
The final score wasn’t entirely indicative of the beating the Pacers received at the hands of the Nets. Indiana was down nineteen points heading into the fourth quarter, thanks in large part to their turnovers and Game 2-esque foul trouble.
Jermaine O’Neal, the star of Game 3 with 37 points, 15 rebounds, and 4 blocks, was limited to just thirty-one minutes because of early foul trouble. Anthony Johnson, another star from the Pacer’s Game 3 win, was also limited because of foul trouble and played only thirty-four minutes.
Despite their foul trouble and lack of execution, Indiana crawled to within five points with just over two minutes left in the fourth quarter. The fourteen point swing in less than a ten-minute span was due in large part to the aggressiveness of O’Neal and Johnson, and the outside shooting of Austin Croshere.
It also didn’t hurt that the referees seemed to have swallowed their whistles for the first few minutes of the quarter. Something the officials should do more of in the playoffs, when the players should be allowed to play rather than tip-toe around the hardwood.
Before long the refs where putting their stamp on the game again as Stephen Jackson picked up three fouls in less than a minute, and Jermaine O’Neal fouled out.
Nevertheless, the Pacers had more problems than just those. Shooting less than seventy percent from the foul line is unacceptable, especially in the playoffs. Having Peja Stojakovic planted on the bench in a suit doesn’t help either. The Pacers need Peja. They are 2-0 with Stojakovic and 0-2 without him.
While Peja’s presence in Game 4 would have likely made a huge difference on the outcome of the game, the Pacers are more than capable of winning without him. Johnson, Jackson, and O’Neal combined for seventeen of the Pacers twenty-three miscues. This is a huge problem because those are the three players who should be handling the ball the most.
In addition to taking better care of the ball, the Pacers need to tighten up their defense. I understand it’s hard to play defense when you’re saddled with foul trouble, but foul trouble shouldn’t stop players from challenging wide-open shots. Indiana allowed Nenad Krstic, who hit several open jumpers in the fourth quarter to halt the Pacers incredible run, to score 21 points on 10-of-16 shooting.
Allowing open jumpers such as the ones Krstic drained with regularity in Game 4 is unacceptable.
This New Jersey Nets team is very good, but far from unbeatable. If the Pacers can compete with New Jersey in the final minutes of a game in which they play as poorly as they did Saturday, there is no reason to believe they can’t win two out of the final three games of this series.
If the Pacers can follow these five suggestions they have a great chance of taking a 3-2 lead home to Indianapolis later this week:
Stop letting the referees dictate the outcome of the game.
While its true foul trouble in Game 2 and 4 kept the Pacers from being the aggressors, they can’t allow the refs to take them out of the game. They need to stop arguing with officials after every foul call, and failing to get back on defense after not getting the call they think they deserve.
Contest Krstic’s midrange jumpers.
As I mentioned before, the Pacers need to put a hand in Krstic’s face. He hit way too many open jumpers in Game 4, and Indiana can’t allow him to beat them again in a very important Game 5. Putting David Harrison or Scot Pollard on him defensively for part of the game might be a short-term solution.
Stop letting Stephen Jackson isolate.
Jackson is a key part of the Pacer offense, but Rick Carlisle needs to stop him from taking the ball one-on-one against Vince Carter. After about twenty seconds of dribbling, he’ll toss up an ill-advised jumper as the shot clock expires. Jackson is a great slasher, something the Pacers need desperately, and something he needs to do a lot more of in Game 5. Allowing Jackson to take a handful of spot-up treys is fine, but dribbling out the shot clock isn’t something that is going to lead Indiana to victory.
Unleash the beast that is Danny Granger.
Granger, a rookie, had his best outing in Game 4 scoring ten points and grabbing a team-high eight rebounds. He did so while taking only five shots, and getting his bearings on defense where he looked lost earlier in the series. If Peja is unable to play for an extended period of time, or at all on Tuesday, Granger can more than hold his own at the small forward position. When the Pacers need energy off of the bench Granger is the best option coach Carlisle possesses.
Take care of the basketball as if your season depended on it, because it does.
Turnovers have been a problem for the Pacers throughout the season. This could have something to do with the thirty-some line-ups they have put on the floor this season, but if they want to win they have to be more careful with the ball. Jackson and O’Neal made countless trips into the paint during Game 4 only to have the ball knocked out of their hands, which resulted in endless easy New Jersey baskets.
These Pacers have the talent to win this series, no matter what experts, analysts, their fans, or even they think…
…and believing is half the battle. |
