Game 27/82: Indiana (9-16) @ Boston (21-5)
Posted by Brian Robb on Dec 22, 2009
Playing the Pacers is always a good excuse to give Larry some love
Indiana at Boston
7:30 p.m. EST
TD Garden
CSN/WEEI
Opposing viewpoint: Eight Points Nine Seconds
Offensive Efficiency:
Boston: 110.4 points/100 possessions (5th)
Indiana: 101.4 points/100 possessions (26th)
Defensive Efficiency:
Boston: 100.0 points allowed/100 possessions (2nd)
Indiana: 105.4 points allowed/100 possessions (12th)
Probable Indiana Starters:
Troy Murphy, Roy Hibbert, Dhantay Jones, Earl Watson, Mike Dunleavy
Injury Report
Indiana: OUT: Danny Granger, Travis Diener
Boston: OUT: Marquis Daniels, Glen Davis
WHAT THE PACERS DO WELL:
Defend the Basket
Former C’s coach Jim O’Brien always strove to have his Celtic squads play stingy defense and things are no different with this Pacer team. Despite playing at a near league high pace, (2nd), they defend fairly well, ranging in the top 5 in both opponents’ FG percentage and opponent FG efficiency. These numbers are even more impressive, considering The Pacers are in the bottom third in the league defending the 3. Indiana will make you earn your baskets inside the arc, but luckily for the C’s this is really the only part of their game they do well. A look at some of the bad, after the jump
WHAT THE PACERS DO POORLY
Where do I begin? Oh right….shooting from anywhere on the court
It’s funny, since I wrote that same thing for the my preview of the Wolves Sunday, and lo and behold, we have a team in the same offensive mold. As I mentioned before, The Pacers like to play fast, just like the Wolves. Their problem though, just like the Wolves, is that they can’t score.
They can’t shoot from downtown (25th in league) or from anywhere on the court (28th in overall FG Percentage). Jim O’Brien’s offense as we will know relies on outside shooters being able to knock down open shots. This team doesn’t have the shooters capable of doing that on a consistent basis.
Turnovers and Offensive Rebounding
More bad news for the Pacer offense, as besides not being able to shoot, they also turn the ball over all the time and fail to hit the glass (bottom 5 in the league in percentage, right with the C’s!) For a team that plays so fast, these numbers can easily explain why they score only 98 points a game.
Keeping their hands to themselves
Finally, while they play tough defense, they sure do foul a lot, letting their opponents get to the line more than any other team in the league. Look for Doc and his staff to emphasis this and have his team attack the hoop early and often this evening.
PLAYER WHO MAKES ME WORRY
Danny Granger
So Danny Granger is out for a few weeks here due to injury. He owned KG and the C’s the last time these two squads met up back in November. His absence, leaves me really reaching here in having to pick someone on this team. I guess Troy Murphy is the default answer here, since he can always get hot from downtown but would he really worry the C’s? KG should be able to stick with him. Other options? Dahntay Jones had a career night back in November as well but that was a night when Pierce was hurt and the team didn’t show up on D. In fact, the more I look at this Pacer roster, the less worried I am. Let’s just go with no one here and move on.
PLAYERS WHO DO NOT MAKE ME WORRY
Dahntay Jones and T.J. Ford
Lighting doesn’t strike twice, and Jones’ offensive game has fallen back to earth after a stellar November. The guy still can’t shoot and neither can T.J. Ford for that matter who was recently demoted from the starting lineup in favor of Earl Watson. If the C’s keep their focus, neither one of these guys will be a problem tonight and should put up ugly scoring lines with a handful of turnovers.
WHAT WE WANT TO SEE FROM THE C’S TONIGHT
The C’s beat the Wolves at their own game Sunday, getting out in transition and setting a season high for fast break points. It won’t be that easy tonight against Indiana who are more disciplined defensively, but the idea should still be in place. The Celtics are at their best when they move the ball around and let Rondo lead the way and set the tone for the team. Attacking the basket tonight, especially with Indy’s tendency to foul would be the easier way to another win.
Another strong performance from TA would also be a pleasant surprise, as would a complete effort from start to finish, as this team seemed to lack Sunday against Minnesota. Again, this is nitpicking more than anything else.
PREDICTION
Boston will be looking for some revenge here after an embarrassing loss out in Indy last month. The Pacers really shouldn’t have a chance in this game without Granger, as they don’t have the offensive firepower to keep pace with the C’s. Indy did give San Antonio a close game Saturday night on the road without Granger, so they shouldn’t be counted out completely. The Pacers though are in the midst of a swoon overall, losing 4 of 5 and are coming off a home loss last night to Milwaukee. If the C’s come out aggressive and focused though, this could get ugly. Celtics 103, Pacers 88
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