Indiana Pacers: Lessons Learned After Knocking Off Warriors
By Shane Young
At full strength, with Paul George and Stephen Curry leading their troops, the Indiana Pacers and Golden State Warriors often embark on memorable matches together.
With each meeting, the audience is almost guaranteed to see one of three things: Someone is exploding for 40+ points, a game-winner is awaiting, or an unlikely hero is pulling through off the bench. Each and every time.
With no George (leg injury in August) and no Curry (right ankle soreness), the chances for that criteria to repeat took a large hit. Curry was moving quite easily and freely during warmups on Sunday, after tweaking his ankle during Friday’s win over San Antonio. As he grimaced during his shooting motion (particularly landing), it was clearly bothering him. A few curse words slipped under his breath, because this MVP front-runner doesn’t like missing games.
Curry was ruled out 30 minutes before tip-off, and that left Shaun Livingston to start at point guard. The strongest impact Curry’s absence would have on the starting lineup is the shot volume for Klay Thompson.
As a result of the Splash Brothers being split, Thompson took a season-high 28 shot attempts on Sunday, with 46 percent of his looks coming from 3-point range. On the season, 42 percent of his attempts have been from beyond the arc, while 58 percent have come from 2-point territory. That’s actually a bit lower than his last two seasons, where 42.5 percent of his looks came from 3-point range last year, and 43.7 percent the year prior (2012-13). He’s becoming a lot more versatile on a daily basis, and being able to hurt opponents off penetration has helped expand his game.
In the 104-98 loss to Indiana, Thompson nearly had his fourth 40+ point game of the year. He scored 39, with 10 coming from the free throw line, and 18 coming from his 3-point threat. The rest were mixed with insanely difficult turnaround jumpers, and impossible finishes at the rim that not many shooting guards can pull off. Pacers’ defensive king, Roy Hibbert, contested Thompson near the restricted area multiple times, and it didn’t even phase the breakout star. Thompson’s new-found ability to focus on the rim and finish layups — with the right or left hand — makes him one of the five or six most unguardable players in the league.
James Harden may have the bigger case for Most Valuable Player and the side threat of being a better facilitator, but Thompson is just as good of a scorer as Harden. The scoring numbers won’t prove the point, but there’s one thing to consider. This season, Thompson is shooting 1.4 percent better than Harden from the field, 5.3 percent better from deep, and just 0.02 percent below Harden on free throws. The difference truly is the volume of free throws Harden gets each game, and the freedom he has offensively. Of these two exceptional off-guards, only one of them is playing second-fiddle to a bigger name, and a more ball-driven player. It’s not Harden. He has “his” team.
Indiana, knowing Curry would be out of the lineup, played exactly how you should defensively against a top-notch team. Force their best scorer to beat you by himself, and take everything away from his teammates. Vogel should’ve been proud, because it was one of the toughest nights Golden State’s supporting cast has had this year.
Besides Thompson, the rest of the Warriors’ starters (Livingston, Barnes, Green, Bogut) scored just 24 points on 10-of-29 shooting (34.5 percent).
Not having Curry as their general also took a large part of the team dynamic out of Kerr’s offense. This season (with Curry not missing a game), the Warriors have assisted on 65.1 percent of their made field goals. It’s the most important component of a playoff team, as it illustrates the unselfishness, cohesiveness, organization, and level of a trust for an offense in one metric. In the top 15 of percentage of field goals assisted (half of the league), 11 of the 15 are teams likely to be in the playoffs. Awful Eastern Conference or not, it’s a pretty revealing key to success.
On Sunday, the Warriors had 19 assists to their 34 made field goals, which resulted in a 55.8 percent turnout. It wasn’t horrid at all, but you could sense the loss of organization. The general direction of Kerr’s offense — mainly how to get role players their shots — takes a massive dip when Curry is dressed in a suit and tie.
The Pacers’ offense took advantage mightily, and the win over a top-seeded West team is their most gratifying of the season. Ending the 12-game winning streak for the Cavaliers in Bankers Life Fieldhouse was enough to give fans the chills. However, Sunday’s win truly did more. Since it’s much closer to March, and every game is bringing more meaning to the table, it was even more of a wake-up call.
For themselves, the Pacers needed this positive wake-up call. They needed a performance against a championship contender. Now, they’re forced to realize how special this group can actually be in mid-April, two months from now. Lighting fire with this current hot streak can only leave a smile on Vogel’s face, considering Paul George is just three weeks away from his desired return date.
Starting off the season as one of the worst offensive units in the league, the Pacers have found a peculiar spurt that nobody would’ve dreamed:
In the month of February (seven games), Indiana has flip-flopped their style. They’ve mastered the offensive side of the court, and wavered a bit on the defensive end.
In those seven games, the Pacers’ offensive rating rests at 110.2 points per 100 possessions, which is only behind two other teams. Those teams are led by Russell Westbrook and LeBron James, being Oklahoma City and Cleveland. This team is led by Rodney Stuckey and George Hill. If it doesn’t give you a heart attack, let that sink in for a couple moments.
Indiana’s net rating (offensive rating minus defensive rating) has also been in the top-five throughout February, at +6.3. That sits just behind Chicago (8.4), Golden State (8.6), Cleveland (11.2), and Oklahoma City (12.9). It’s not bad company, considering those other four teams have combined to go 25-7 in February alone.
Vogel knows his guys are on their way, and just have to sustain the heat and current play-style until George is ready to lace them up again.
In true shooting, which is the strongest metric for determining how efficient your club is in all aspects of scoring, the Pacers are gaining even more success. The only team with a greater true shooting percentage through February has been Cleveland, as Indiana is shooting at a 57.8 percent mark. To be near 58 percent for one full month is unbelievable, and the Pacers have just two more games before March hits.
The number one reason, above all else, for this sudden surge has been Rodney Stuckey. When Stuckey elected to join Indiana last summer, even he probably didn’t think he’d become just as valuable as Lance Stephenson was last season for this unit.
Nevertheless, the Pacers couldn’t have asked for a better bench contribution. And that’s exactly the key: He’s 100 percent accepting of being in the second unit, not starting, and being asked to provide a spark whenever necessary. Stephenson has a lot higher of a cockiness level, and that’s not something you could ask him to do without some negative vibes in return.
For the second straight game, Stuckey provided 30 points for Indiana off the bench. Sunday’s game against Golden State was just verification that Stuckey can score against the toughest defenses out there. Despite Philadelphia’s 12-43 record, people gloss over the fact that Brett Brown has them at 12th overall in defensive rating, a major upgrade over last year’s 26th mark.
In Friday’s win over the 76ers, Stuckey hung 30 points on 10-of-16 field goals, 2-of-4 3-pointers, and 8-of-8 free throws. On Sunday, against a Golden State bunch that allows just 100.7 points per 100 possessions (1st overall), Stuckey pretty much equated the same damage. His 30 points came on 11-of-17 field goals, 2-of-4 3-pointers, and 6-of-7 free throws.
The most impressive component of Stuckey’s February has been his production relative to his minutes. Very rarely do you find a bench player that can explode every single minute he’s on the floor, and basically be a “point-per-minute” type of player.
That’s the best way to describe Stuckey’s last few performances. In the last three games, Stuckey has played just 68 total minutes. He’s scored 76 points in those 68 minutes, which gives him a 1.12 points-per-minute rate. To sustain that through three full games is something Vogel and Larry Bird have to be amazed with. When they brought him along, it wasn’t to be this team’s leading scorer. It was just to fit into the defensive system and provide a spark. Stuckey has taken over, and he’s literally making the most of his minutes.
In all 174 minutes Stuckey has played in February, scoring 119 points is exactly what you aim for when looking for a sixth man.
Through February, Stuckey has hit a sample of the 50-40-90 club. He’s shooting an eye-popping 57.5 percent from the field, 44.4 percent from long-range, and 95 percent from the free throw line. Gulp.
Playing on a bum ankle that he injured against Philadelphia and re-tweaked against Golden State, there’s not many tougher bodies in the league than Stuckey. He shakes off the pain, enters the game, and gives his employer everything he has for every minute he’s playing.
In more ways than one, Stuckey fits everything Indiana basketball has grown to be. It’s a blue-collar state, with a community that loves a blue-collar franchise. There’s rarely glamor, and there’s rarely a national spotlight. If you want it, you have to earn it.
Stuckey has earned it … playing on a $1.2 million contract.
“Stuckey has that Pacers pedigree. Very hard-nosed player,” Paul George said about Stuckey on media day in September.
George was looking into a crystal ball. Now, he just can’t wait to play alongside him.
**All statistical support credited to NBA.com/stats**