Indiana Pacers: Reaching 3-0 Behind The Improved Lance Stephenson
By Shane Young
When the news broke that the Indiana Pacers would be without starting point guard George Hill, the initial reaction (at least for me, anyway) was that Cleveland Cavaliers’ point guard Kyrie Irving would come out and make a statement when the two teams met on Saturday evening.
What most of us seemed to forget, however, is that Indiana plays arguably the best team defense in the NBA, along with the fact that everything is going their way to start the 2013-14 season.
The Pacers upended Mike Brown‘s Cavaliers 89-74, improving their record to 3-0 on the season to tie the Philadelphia 76ers for first place in the Eastern Conference. Your eyes aren’t deceiving you, its true; the Philadelphia 76ers.
Bankers Life Fieldhouse once again experienced a low-scoring duel, as the Cavaliers were held to just 34.9 percent shooting from the field and 20 percent from 3-point range. Yes, it was that ugly of a performance. Don’t think that Indiana was dominating on offense either, as coach Frank Vogel’s group only shot 41.6 percent from the field. Where the Pacers did their damage, however, was from beyond the arc.
Indiana hit 10 3-pointers (seven in the second half) to Cleveland’s three, giving them a 21-point advantage in that department alone. Without George Hill, a guy who tends to be one of their best perimeter shooters, eight of their 10 3-pointers came from superstar Paul George and the newly improved Lance Stephenson. As reported before training camp by Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports, Stephenson spent his offseason working with a very popular shooting coach to help his mechanics and get him prepared for this year.
Don’t sleep on Lance Stephenson. He’s your early front-runner for Most Improved Player. Photo: Mark Runyon, Basketball Schedule
Boy, did it work wonders for this 23-year-old kid. In Saturday’s win, Stephenson shot 7-for-13 from the field and 5-for-7 from 3-point land. Did we mention that he also led all scorers with a game-high 22 points?
Saturday’s performance doesn’t even tell the whole story of Stephenson’s improvement. Through the start of this season (vs. Magic, Pelicans, Cavaliers), his averages across the board look as if they are inaccurate they are so eye-popping:
Points per game: 19.0 (8.8 in 2012-13)
Rebounds per game: 6.7 (3.9 in 2012-13)
Assists per game: 4.0 (2.9 in 2012-13)
Field goal percentage: 59.5 (46.0 in 2012-13)
3-point percentage: 64.3 (33.0 in 2012-13)
I know, I know, “don’t jump the gun, it’s only three games compared to a 82-game regular season,” but something has to be said about this guy’s work ethic and level of comfort and confidence he has in this Pacers’ offense now.
In the post-game press conference, Coach Vogel addressed Stephenson’s recent success:
"“He’s (Stephenson) been our most efficient offensive player this year,” Vogel said. “He’s taken a giant leap. He worked his tail off this summer, and he was one of the most improved players in the league last year, and has seemed to taken an even greater step this year and just want to see him keep it going.”"
Without Danny Granger (calf) being available for the team for another 1.5-2 weeks, everyone associated with this Pacers’ organization, including the fans, has to admire what Stephenson is bringing to the table to help out Paul George on the offensive end. Together, George and Stephenson are averaging 44.7 points per game, which is 47.7 percent of the Pacers’ total 93.7 points per game average in the first three games.
Anyone that says that they projected Stephenson to be a front-runner for the NBA’s Most Improved Player of the Year Award would simply be lying. Nevertheless, that is certainly an end of the year outcome that we may be in store for. Remember: George’s scoring average jumped from 12.1 to 17.4 last season when he was awarded the honor. If Stephenson even remotely keeps this progress going, the award stays in Indianapolis.
Stopping Kyrie Irving
Heading into the game, Coach Vogel expressed that it be tough dealing with the sensational 3-year point guard that is known for making the highlight reels. However, it was not a night to remember for Irving, who shot 6-17 from the floor and scored 15 points in a little over 33 minutes of play.
Irving couldn’t slither his way through the defense and get quality looks in the paint, and discussed why it’s so difficult to do so against the Pacers:
"“They’re one of those teams that have mastered the rule of verticality,” Irving told the media after the loss. “They have two big forces (Roy Hibbert and David West) down there.”"
Was this just sounding off on his frustration of only getting to the free throw line four times in the game? Possibly, but he’s completely accurate with his statement. Hibbert and West know how the league’s rules work when it comes to interior defense, which speaks volume to how well they defend the best offenses in the Eastern Conference come playoff time.
When I asked Paul George if there were any specifics on defending Irving throughout the game, he gave a great deal of respect to the 2012 Rookie of the Year:
"“We just got to pressure Kyrie,” George said. “He’s a special player, he has the ability to make shots contested, or create his own shot. So, the only thing we could have done was pressure him up, and don’t give him any easy looks.”"
Next Up
The Pacers will take on the Detroit Pistons (2-1) on Tuesday, Nov. 5th at the Palace of Auburn Hills. Coming off a win on Sunday against the Boston Celtics, Detroit looks to be the toughest test for Indiana yet, setting up a war between the two toughest and most aggressive frontcourts in the league.
3-0 is a much better beginning to this season than Indiana experienced in 2012-13, and only previews what’s in store for this team as they chase the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.
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