Pacers vs. Spurs Post-Game Thoughts

[The Lone Granger]

Well, after watching our first game of the season last year against the Spurs, I was both very encouraged, and also very upset with the way we played. I'll go through the pros and cons to this game, and I'll bring out our player of the game as well.

 

Pros

 

Paul George: While he didn't have a flashy all around game, he showed that he is going to come in and give us good minutes right away. He hustled, and played excellent defense picking up a few steals. The Pacers are expecting George to pick his offense up after a few games in the NBA, but this was definitely fun to watch him on the defensive side of the ball.

 

Roy Hibbert: Hibbert showed what Pacers fans have been raving about all offseason. He's picked up a lot of quickness in the post, improved at the foul line, and also became a much better rebounder. 28 points and 9 rebounds are great numbers to start out the season for Roy. Looks like we may have found another big scorer to put next to Granger.

 

Darren Collison: In his Pacers debut, Collison had a very solid outing. With 19 points and 7 assists, he had a great offensive performance, but what was great to see is his energy and pressure on defense. Sure, Parker lit us up, but most of those points were scored on T.J. Ford off the bench. Collison really showed that he has all the tools to become a great player for us, both now and in the future.

 

Danny Granger: Granger picked up where he left off last season. Shooting the ball great all night, he had 26 points in the Pacers' loss. He looked very comfortable in the offense, and he didn't force things like he did last year. It looked like he has improved in his ball-handling and passing skills, as well as his patience in letting the point guard (Collison), run the show on offense.

 

Cons

 

Turnovers: I don't remember the exact number of TO's we had, but I believe it was somewhere around 23. That's just not acceptable if we want to win any games this year. The reason for these turnovers? Well, mostly it was just unforced things like bad passes, losing the ball off a foot or inability to grab the ball with both hands. The other thing I didn't like about these turnovers, would be that because we made a bad play on offense and gave the ball up, we wouldn't hustle back on defense, we'd hang our heads. All that adds up to the reason we lost by 13.

 

Free Throw Troubles: We missed 9 free throws, and that's unacceptable as well. You put those points up on the board, and who knows what happens, maybe we win them game. It's really disappointing to see our guys miss free throw after free throw down the stretch. We can't afford to miss our free throws especially against a team like the Spurs.

 

Overall that's what I got out of this game. We showed that we can play with anyone, but we also showed that we don't understand that an NBA game is 48 minutes. The Pacers need to come out much more focused on Friday against Charlotte, and show up to win the game.

 

Player of the Game: Roy Hibbert

Edited October 28, 2010 by The Lone Granger

[Lkr]

Don't feel too bad about the loss, it is impressive enough that the young Pacers put up over 100 points on the Spurs in the first place!

[The Lone Granger]

Don't feel too bad about the loss, it is impressive enough that the young Pacers put up over 100 points on the Spurs in the first place!

 

I know, but still, we should have put ourselves in position to win. Without those turnovers and missed free throws, I really believe we would have won this game. Granted, our team is still very young, and has a lot of talent, but it's disappointing to see a game that should be a W, go to the loss column. Know what I mean?

[Lkr]

I know, but still, we should have put ourselves in position to win. Without those turnovers and missed free throws, I really believe we would have won this game. Granted, our team is still very young, and has a lot of talent, but it's disappointing to see a game that should be a W, go to the loss column. Know what I mean?

I do know what you mean. However, I would think of a game like this as a moral victory if I was a fan of the Pacers. It shows that the team has made great improvements, and the only mistakes they are making are those that come with youth - turnovers and mistakes late in a game. In the next game against San Antonio, I wouldn't be surprised if the Pacers pulled it out, since the team will have gained more experience over the course of the season.