Indiana Pacers: Victory In First Meeting With A Promising Rookie

Bankers Life Fieldhouse rarely witnesses a loss when their Indiana Pacers take the court.  Last season, Frank Vogel’s group had a 30-11 record at home, a place where center Roy Hibbert seems to always be involved on both ends of the floor instead of disappearing on the offensive end.  The Pacers are now 7-0 at home after Saturday night’s 106-98 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.

Perhaps if it wasn’t the Pacers’ defense that stopped him, Carter-Williams could have increased his career-high and brought home a victory. (NBA.com photo)

The victory that propelled Indiana to 12-1 on the season didn’t come quite that easy, however, as rookie Michael Carter-Williams made things interesting in the second half.  The doubters of this kid, including myself, have become amazed at his versatility on either side of the basketball.  The breakout performance against Miami was one thing, but recording seven steals and putting on a scoring clinic against the other top dog in the Eastern Conference just proves he isn’t a fluke to overlook.  Without Spencer Hawes (left knee soreness), Tony Wroten (lower back strain) and Thaddeus Young (personal reasons), Philadelphia was limited on their scoring options.  That’s where Carter-Williams and Evan Turner were expected to pick up some slack in a hostile environment.  Carter-Williams came through in the fourth quarter by scoring 11 of his career-high 29 points and put the 76ers in position, up 82-80, to add another shocking win to their resume this year.

Unfortunately for the youngest team in the NBA, Roy Hibbert wasn’t ready to make things easy in the paint.  Hibbert’s defense in the final quarter was marvelous, blocking three shots and allowing his team to regain the lead and increase it to a margin that was too much for Philadelphia.  In a 5:07 span in the fourth quarter during crunch time, the Pacers went on a 19-10 run and entered the final minute of play with a 102-96 lead.

Indiana also had a catalyst for their offense in the fourth quarter.  No, it wasn’t superstar Paul George.

It’s hard not to fall in love with the defensive mindset Roy Hibbert has this season. (NBA.com photo)

Hibbert scored eight of his 27 points in the fourth quarter, getting to the line seven times and connecting on six of the attempts.  Ask Dwight Howard to give you that type of efficiency in the fourth quarter, I dare you.  Hibbert also finished with 13 rebounds and six blocked shots, keeping him well on top of the league leaders in blocks at 4.31 per game.  Paul George added 19 points on 6-of-13 field goals.  George is among the best in terms of third quarter production, but only shot 1-for-4 in the third on Saturday and scored just four points in the full 12 minutes of play.

Indiana’s starting lineup scored 92 of their 106 total points (86.7 percent), which was quite surprising considering bench assets Luis Scola and C.J. Watson have been brilliant for this team through most of the month of November.

In the post-game press conference, Pacers’ coach Frank Vogel revealed that it was a hard game to plan for, considering many of Philadelphia’s marquee names were scratched from the lineup and younger, less experienced players were brought into the mix.  Vogel also touched on the impressive effort and intensity level that Carter-Williams and the 76ers played with throughout the game:

"“They played a good basketball game, you have to give them credit,” Vogel stated.  “You know, we grinded it out like we always do, but you have to give them credit.  Michael Carter-Williams is a heck of a young player.  Seven steals, 29 points, he was a factor all night.  They have some talented young pieces.”"

While it is always a matter of common courtesy to give credit to your opponents and give positive statements after a win, it isn’t always the case for Frank Vogel.  This is a coach that always tells it how it is, speaks his mind and gives nothing but accurate statements whether they are viewed positively or negatively by other teams or fans.

His brief insight on Carter-Williams is right on the money; we are witnessing a bright young star before our very eyes.  Carter-Williams is a point guard that now gives you the complete package.  Coming into the NBA, there were questions on his shooting ability, but everyone was aware that he had superb passing ability and an outstanding finishing touch near the rim.  He certainly didn’t lose that reputation against the Pacers as he earned FOUR 3-point play opportunities on the most aggressive frontcourt in basketball that has been a nightmare for other guards to score against.

The most blatant flaw in his game is undoubtedly his ability to shoot free throws.  As a point guard in a league where even breathing on another player is becoming a foul, it’s more important than ever to connect on free opportunities.  Carter-Williams shot just 6-of-11 from the charity stripe in Saturday’s loss, and is shooting just 67.5 percent on the season.  Combine that with his field goal percentage being just 40 percent, and we know exactly what his first NBA offseason workouts will consist of.

Catching up with Carter-Williams in the locker room after the game, he was quick to recognize how difficult it is to score on Hibbert, West, and the Pacers’ defense:

"“You know, they’re long down there (in the frontcourt),” Carter-Williams said.  “Roy is a big guy, they have a lot of long athletes that can block shots.  It was tough pretty much down there, they do such a great job.  They’re a great defensive team, if not the best defensive team in the NBA.”"

Low-lights Of The Night

Evan Turner did score 21 points, but took 26 shots to achieve them and made only eight of those attempts.  We should probably give him a break, however, considering Lorenzo Brown, Elliot Williams, Brandon Davies and Hollis Thompson were the only options coach Brett Brown had for the bench on Saturday.  With all due respect to those NBA talents, it’s probably fair to say that the casual fan didn’t know of their existence.

The Pacers’ bench went 4-for-19 on the night, ironically during the team’s highest-scoring game of the season.

Next Up

It only gets tougher for the Pacers, as Minnesota comes to the Fieldhouse on Monday night. (Image from sportsgeekery.com)

Indiana will remain at home and face a hungry pack of wolves on Monday night as the Minnesota Timberwolves come to town.  Although Minnesota has dropped three of their last four games, the Pacers are yet to face one of the highest scoring duos in the league.  Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant always give Indiana trouble in regular season affairs, so don’t guarantee an easy night with another Kevin-led team sees this first-ranked defense on Monday.   That’s not just one Kevin, that’s both.  Kevin Love and Kevin Martin can score in bunches, so it might not be a good idea for Paul George to wait until the second half to show why he’s the second-best player in the Eastern Conference.

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