2014 NBA Playoffs: Indiana Pacers(1) vs Atlanta Hawks(8)

tbh, Indy is the only team without an excuse. The WC is tough, the Raptors are way inexperienced, and the Bulls are without Rose.

 

Playing as a team and being excellently coach does wonders doesn't it. On a more serious note, the Hawks were the absolute worst matchup for Indiana...depth and bigs who all can shoot.

 

So pacers are down 0-2 in this series? Damn

 

This could be the worst playoff choke job ever. Atlanta is the worst team to make the playoffs in the last 10yrs.

 

2-1

Next game could very possibly be 3-1

 

Yet Atlanta actually has a better record than Indiana since March.

 

Budenholzer was Pops' assistant for 15 years. And Antic is a stretch 5... takes Hibbert completely out of his game. Bad match up for the Pacers and their coach already has 4 rings learning under one of the best NBA Head Coaches in history.

A guy like that walks into the locker room and everyone instantly buys in.

 

the chemistry is just completely shot.

 

if atlanta wins the series so much for the nba is rigged?

the nba has been hyping up a heat vs. pacers ecf since last year.

 

No one give a shyte about the pacers the way they are playing now. The Heat would annhilate them.

 

Nah, the refs can only cover up for so much. When the Pacers are playing like crap and the Hawks have a top flight coach even if you wanted to rig it it would be hard as heck.

Atlanta might be on their way to becoming the East Coast branch of the Spurs. That's really, really bad news for all the crappy organizations in the Eastern Conference.

Smart FO + smart coaching + decent players will get you a lot of wins every season.

 

If Sloan/Karl/Hollins fails, let's get Vogel next year

 

Looking forward to that Heat-Wizards ECF.

 

Antic is a stretch 5 but he's not a good shooter at all. Hibbert can't take advantage in the post... this guy is an All-Star? Wow.

Pacers have to start Scola over Hibbert from now on if they're going to have a shot.

 

Not sure whether Pacers or Rockets fans should be more depressed. I'm leaning Pacers, but it's close.

 

Difference is Pacers have actually won a game and still have a decent chance at winning the series (I think they will). The Rockets, on the other hand, have little to no chance.

And I'd happily eat crow if they prove me wrong

 

korver is too good a player to be on the hawks. unless they make some big moves this offseason, he needs to be in houston.

korver and milsap for asik and lin or parsons or filler? cant have a 15mil backup center who avg 15mpg. might as well give me a million dollars

 

I just don't see the Pacers winning this series. Budenholzer is completely out-coaching Vogel. Just looking at the Hawks defensive rotations, they hardly ever get out of position and are always contesting. They regularly force the Pacers to bad spots on the floor and the Pacers are a crappy offensive team already.

And the Atlanta offense is basically an embryonic version of the Spurs offense. The Pacers aren't going to shut down that offense unless they're playing very well. Atlanta doesn't have the same shooters as the Spurs, but they're still getting a TON of open looks and easy baskets.

The scary part is Atlanta's offense will just continue to get better and better as Budenholzer adds more sets and the players get more used to playing with each other. You'll notice that even in the Pacers series he's going 10 deep... standard Spurs protocol. They're building serious depth in both units.

It's not guaranteed that the Pacers are done, but they're in a serious uphill battle.

 

damn i wish we had gotten coach bud last offseason... imagine what he would have done this this team

 

LMAO. I can take some solace in the fact that the Pacers are totally collapsed and going to lose to the Atlanta Fricking Hawks. Boy I sure hope this doesn't impact Paul George's MVP campaign