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Basketball, She Wrote

Basketball, She Wrote

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Basketball, She Wrote posts

On the (old) new starting lineup for the Pacers

And everything it implies 

By: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_Cooper  

Time is a flat circle, it seems. For the first time since last December, Jalen Smith started at the four, joining Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, and Myles Turner as part of a five-man unit that had logged exactly zero minutes together this season prior to taking the floor against the Houston Rockets on Tuesday. Wi...

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Pacers Mythbusting: A tale of three blowouts

Recapping the lopsided week for the Pacers, with key takeaways about some prevailing myths

By: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_Cooper 

It was a lopsided week for the Pacers - both in terms of record and scoring margin. After giving up 151 points to the Los Angeles Clippers, marking the fourth 150-point game in the NBA this season (all of which the Pacers have been involved in, for better or worse), the Pacers...

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The Pacers are still winging it against wings

Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards weren't the first forward/wings to score in bulk against the Pacers, and they likely won't be the last -- unless and until something changes 

By: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_Cooper 

The Minnesota Timberwolves scored 128.3 points per 100 possessions against the Indiana Pacers on Saturday night, which 2023-12-18 14:23:10 +0000 UTC View Post

Isaiah Jackson is providing a spark for the Pacers

Both with his instant production as well as for the imagination 

By: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_Cooper 

With the two fastest pace teams in the NBA going up against each other, there were bound to be some frenetic sequences -- especially when the Pacers, who haven't played at home in 11 days, View Post

On Bennedict Mathurin & navigating the in between

The sophomore guard is starting to find his feel -- at least, for now

By: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_Cooper 

When the Pacers were in Las Vegas for the In-Season Tournament, Bennedict Mathurin received a pass from Tyrese Haliburton at the wing during the Semifinals against the Milwaukee Bucks that demonstrated the uncomfortable in-between that he's found himself in to start the season. Upon catching the b...

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What the IST Finals revealed about the Pacers

By: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_Cooper

To quote Dr. Seuss (which admittedly is a very strange and corny thing to do when blogging about NBA Basketball): "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened." With Tyrese Haliburton taking his game to the next level, that's exactly how the Pacers should view the run they made in the In-Season Tournament -- not only because they advanced to the Finals, but also because the F...

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Myles Turner is a beacon of his own improvement

(My work at Basketball, She Wrote is typically paywalled. This article, as a synopsis of what's changed for Myles Turner through the lens of two possessions separated by four years, is available as a free trial. If you're new here and want to support independent writing about actual basketball, please consider subscribing and/or sharing it around. Alright, on to the words about ...

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Solving the mystery of the pick-and-roll adjustment

Join me in searching for basketball clues

By: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_Cooper

In the afterglow of Monday's In-Season Tournament win over the Boston Celtics, Rick Carlisle credited his staff for making a key defensive change at halftime, which he said the players had never executed before. As such, after breaking down View Post

How Tyrese Haliburton shined in turning off the lights

Illuminating the details that culminated in the star's big, late-game performance  

By: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_Cooper 

There was an air of angst to the first half of what was the first-ever In-Season Tournament quarterfinal. For a player who typically cascades with flow, wheeling around the floor in tandem speed with the rapidly rotating wheels that are always turning in his head, Tyrese Halibur...

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Pacers In-Season Tournament Quarterfinal Preview

Breaking down the knock-out round match-up with the Celtics from the film room

By: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_Cooper 

The Pacers went undefeated in the group stage of the NBA's In-Season Tournament and their reward for those efforts is playing the Boston Celtics -- the team with the best record in basketball who, as you likely recall (or, maybe, purposefully chose to forget?), hung 155 points on the Blue...

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The Pacers keep getting targeted by the same action

(My work at Basketball, She Wrote is typically paywalled. This article, as a snapshot of a play that summarizes what likely needs to change for the Pacers on defense, is available as a free trial for everyone. If you're new here and want to support independent writing about actual basketball, please consider subscribing and/or sharing it around. Alright, on to the words about th...

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16 Thoughts on the Pacers Through 16 Games w/ Tony East

Talking into a microphone about the basketball played by the Indiana Pacers

By: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_Cooper

With the Pacers 16 games into the 2023-24 season, Tony East from Locked on Pacers and I agreed to team up for a podcast, sharing 16 thoughts on all ...

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Mailbag: Getting Defensive with the Pacers

Answering questions about the Pacers and other things!

By: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_Cooper 

This month, there were a lot of questions asked about the current state of the defense, ranging from individual developments and whether the scheme fits the personnel to how replicable the standout, fourth-quarter performance against the Pistons will be moving forward. As such, all of the  inquiries were an...

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In going unbeaten, Pacers find new way to win

Several solid minutes of defense were played in a row  

By: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_Cooper 

When asked what changed for him in the second half, Myles Turner said he was "pissed." After scoring the first nine points of the game for the Pacers, Turner picked up his second foul with over five minutes to play in the first quarter, sending him to the bench for the remainder of the fra...

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How the Pacers clinched Group A

Welcome back to the film room! 

By: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_Cooper

In what can only be described as an early preview of the All-Star Game that will be coming to Indy in February, the Pacers got a jump-start on the high-scoring, lack of defense that usually hallmarks the league's annual game for stars. After all, this game had plenty of starry plays from Tyrese Haliburton, who tied the franchise-record for points scored in a quarter, while also getting the help he's been...

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Is This Space Taken? Previewing Pacers-Hawks w/ Film

Welcome back to the film room!

By: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_Cooper 

In the wake of the loss that shall remain nameless, the Pacers are soon to be back in action against the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday with a chance to solidify their spot atop the standings in Group A of the NBA's In-Season Tournament. As such, for the sake of providing a palate cleanser from the listless performance that was Sunday while ...

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Will other teams conjure the same magic as the Magic?

Analyzing whether Orlando provided a blueprint for how to lockdown the Pacers

By: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_Cooper

In a break from what had been the norm, the Pacers suddenly struggled to play at breakneck speed without being loose with the ball. Entering into Sunday's match-up with the Orlando Magic, Indiana ranked 2023-11-20 14:21:05 +0000 UTC View Post

Pacers Deep Dive w/ The Dunker Spot

Talking into a microphone about the basketball played by the Pacers

By: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_Cooper 

With the Pacers jumping out to a fast start, both figuratively and literally, Steve Jones and Nekias Duncan were kind enough to extend me an invitation to co...

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Battle Tyrese: Reviewing Pacers-Sixers Film

And identifying possible adjustments for group play of the NBA's In-Season Tournament 

By: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_Cooper  

Welcome to the film room! With the Pacers and Sixers currently in the middle of a back-to-back, it seemed timely to review the film from the first regular season match-up on Sunday with an eye for potential tweaks that both teams might make before group play of the NBA In-Se...

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Bennedict Mathurin is stepping into his power

(My work at Basketball, She Wrote is typically paywalled. This article, as an in-depth breakdown of the big step Bennedict Mathurin took stepping into and revealing his power as a two-way player, is available as a free trial for everyone. If you're new here and want to support independent writing about actual basketball, please consider subscribing and/or sharing it around. Alri...

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Jalen Smith keeps winning in spot as back-up five

(My work at Basketball, She Wrote is typically paywalled. This article, as an in-depth breakdown of Jalen Smith's strong, unexpected start to the season, is available as a free trial for everyone. If you're new here and want to support independent writing about actual basketball, please consider subscribing and/or sharing it around. Alright, on to the words about the Pacers.) View Post

How the Pacers put up historic numbers, Explained

On the tactics of tying the team's single-game scoring record in what was a milestone game for the team's tactician

By: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_Cooper 

A little over 24 hours before the Pacers were raining down threes and dousing Rick Carlisle with water in celebration of his 900th career win, their opposition was at home in San Antonio, playing the Toronto Raptors on the front end of a back-to-back t...

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How the Pacers adapted to the In-Season Tournament

Even if the court was brighter than the spotlight, Indiana adapted to, and during, what was a game with at least some type of stakes. Highlighting the changes that were made and when, a timeline.

By: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_Cooper

At Media Day, when Tyrese Haliburton was asked what his biggest takeaway was from his experience playing in the FIBA World Cup for Team USA, he spoke briefly about carrying the w...

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Pacers allow what they discourage in historic loss

Turns out, threes aren't company without Tyrese Haliburton

By: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_Cooper 

The Tyrese Haliburton-less Pacers were on the wrong side of history on Wednesday night, as they suffered the second-worst defeat ever for the franchise, falling 155-104 to the Boston Celtics, who led by as many as 53 points and won by 51. Needless to say, a lot of shots were made by the Celtics and not a lot...

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Lessons from how the Bulls bullied the Pacers

A tale of two plays

By: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_Cooper

Not unlike the Bally Sports experience, the Pacers had a lot of technical difficulties during Monday night's 112-105 loss to the Bulls. Over the final six minutes of the fourth quarter, the Blue and Gold tallied more fouls (6) than made field goals (4), as Tyrese Haliburton was held scoreless at one end of the floor while also being scored on at the ot...

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On Aaron Nesmith and progressing back to the familiar

The fourth-year forward has been both magic carpet and security blanket, elevating his game while also providing stable (and flexible) defense

By: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_Cooper

Lost in the scoring bonanza that was the home opener against the Washington Wizards was a very brief, yet notable, lineup quirk. With 0:27 left to play in the second quarter and the Pacers nursing a single-digit lead, Aaron Nesmith...

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Andrew Nembhard emerges as back-up point guard

On the Pacers making the difficult decision to avoid delaying the inevitable

By: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_Cooper

Opening Night was full of surprises for the Pacers. Bruce Brown knocked down six of his eight three-point attempts, setting a new career high for a game. As a team, the Pacers scored more points in a season-opener than any squad since 1990, and en route to the 143-120 rout of the Washington Wizar...

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Mailbag: Film Study ahead of Pacers' Season Opener

Welcome to the film room! 

By: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_Cooper  

To kick-off the start of the regular season, I decided to kick-off this month's mailbag by inviting you into my film room. While answering the technical questions, you can join me as I discuss specific clips, going inside actions you can be on the lookout for from the Pacers this season, as well as diving into the fit of certain play...

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Why Jarace Walker is a microcosm of the Pacers

(My work at Basketball, She Wrote is typically paywalled. This article, as an in-depth breakdown of Walker's preseason and the balance between winning and development, is available as a free trial for everyone. If you're new here and want to support independent writing about actual basketball, please consider subscribing and/or sharing it around. Alright, on to the words about t...

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Obi Toppin gets rolling in his role for the Pacers

On how the fourth-year forward started trending in the right direction against Atlanta

By: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_Cooper

Through three preseason games with the Pacers, Obi Toppin has yet to attempt a shot as the roll-man. Meanwhile, he's hoisted nine of his 20 field-goal attempts as threes. On the surface, that probably seems reminiscent of his existence with the Knicks last season, in which he set screen...

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