Basketball, She Wrote

Moses Brown provides Pacers with spiritual lift

Can I get an amen? 

By: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_Cooper

Moses Brown is 7-foot-2 with two healthy Achilles tendons. It would be hard for him not to standout from the rest of Indiana's roster, if for no other reason than he stands much taller than the rest of Indiana's currently short-handed roster.

That said, when he entered the game against the Washington Wizards, with the Pacers down 4-0 at the 9:19...

Can the Pacers dial back the pressure?

On how they can take the edge off in regaining their edge 

By: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_Cooper

It's becoming increasingly commonplace. Last season, the Pacers averaged 12.014 possessions in which they were confronted by at least one back-court defender when Tyrese Haliburton was on the court. During the playoffs, that number increased to an average of 14.667 per game. Now? It's continuing to climb, as the P...

Making sense of the Bizarro Pacers

Talking into microphones about why a team that stayed the same is playing so differently while also continuing to manage injuries

By: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_Cooper

A very depleted version of the Indiana Pacers lost to a very depleted version of the Toronto Raptors, falling by a score of 130-119 on what was the second night of a back-to-back on the road, which means the time has once again come for another ...

The Pacers made the "play better" adjustment

May the praise be as loud as the criticism 

By: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_Cooper

Defense shouldn't only be assessed by makes and misses. After all, there are times when players make tough shots, and there are also times when players miss open shots. Just look at this possession from Friday's loss to the Miami Heat. Miami frequently employs high ball-screens, get actions, and pindowns connected to hand-offs, w...

The Pacers need to make the "play better" adjustment

In a game that was supposed to mean more, the Pacers too often looked like they couldn't care less

By: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_Cooper

At Media Day, when reflecting on his 10-year career with the Pacers, Myles Turner said the following: "For about three or four years, I felt a little stagnant. I was just going through the motions. But as it may be, I am the motion now."

The quote itself was a bit clunk...

Why the Pacers aren't getting off to a running start

Exploring why a team that nearly led the league in pace last season is still stuck in the middle of the pack

By: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_Cooper

It's Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals and Al Horford has just missed a free throw. As Obi Toppin launches himself up in the air for the rebound, Tyrese Haliburton takes a quick peek over his shoulder, glancing down the floor in search of what passes might be ...

8 Pacers threes and how they happened

Shedding light on a lights out performance from deep

By: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_Cooper

What a difference the three-point line makes, amirite? After going 3-of-30 from the deep in the second game of the season against the Knicks, the Pacers outscored New York 63 to 21 from beyond the arc on Sunday, including going 8-of-13 from three in the fourth quarter alone. Not-so-surprisingly. one of those games was a loss ...

On the Pacers and ameliorating the new normal

Observations from a 23-2 run and why coming up short wasn't just about being short-handed

By: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_Cooper

With 6:06 to play in the third quarter, Tyrese Haliburton rejected a screen on his right and evaded a dig to his left to feed a cutting Myles Turner with a pocket pass for an emphatic, one-handed slam. For a pairing that had stumbled and bumbled through much of the first half, as they comb...

Why zone has been the danger zone for the Pacers

A breakdown of where the offense for the Pacers is breaking down against zone defense

By: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_Cooper

When Tyrese Haliburton hit his big, clutch three to put the Pacers up by five with 34 seconds left to play, effectively sealing what become a 118-111 win, the Orlando Magic took a risk and it backfired. No, they didn't gamble for a steal or overextend their defense. Rather, they changed their ...

How the bigs for the Pacers sealed the deal in Dallas

Turns out, Indiana can play big even when they're small -- especially against a smaller opponent

By: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_Cooper

If and until the Pacers can find a back-up center with two working Achilles tendons, the Blue-and-Gold won't project to be the bigger team on most nights but that doesn't mean they have to play smaller than their opponent. For example, consider their most recent win over the Dallas ...

The Pacers still can't spread their wings

And now may also have a center of decline 

By: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_Cooper

When the game started against the New Orleans Pelicans, Pascal Siakam was guarding Yves Missi, Myles Turner was opposite of Zion Williamson, and Aaron Nesmith was the primary assignment on Brandon Ingram. When the game ended against the New Orleans Pelicans, with the Pacers going down by a score of 125-118, Myles Turner was guardi...

How the Pacers summarized the season with one play

On the broader implications of an opponent missed free throw (seriously) 

By: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_Cooper

During his weekly radio appearance on 1075's Wake Up Call, Rick Carlisle said the following when asked what was keeping Bennedict Mathurin from getting more consistent playing time:

"He had some struggles in th...

Mailbag: What happened to the (Pace)rs?

Answering questions about what's led to the 1-3 start for the Pacers 

By: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_Cooper

The Pacers are 1-3 to start the season. What follows is an attempt to explain the "why" of what's changed about a team that didn't change, presented via mailbag questions, while keeping in mind that only four basketball games have been played.

Without further ado, let's react accordingly.

...

On the Pacers' flurry of late-game turnovers, explained

Turnovers and second-chance points and missed free throws, oh my!

By: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_Cooper

In a 118-114 overtime loss to the Joel Embiid and Paul George-less Philadelphia 76ers, the Indiana Pacers committed 19 turnovers and gave up 20 offensive rebounds, resulting in a 14-shot advantage for the Sixers. For frame of reference, there were only four games last season that saw the Pacers take 14 or fewer ...

Despite staying the same, Pacers look awfully different

On their off night and how they also let Jalen Brunson off the hook

By: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_Cooper

In Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals against the New York Knicks, Tyrese Haliburton was put into action 21 times as the screener defender, yielding just 0.810 points per chance for New York. Don't get that paltry number twisted. Haliburton definitely made some loud mistakes, particularly in the fir...

Pacers show they can win ugly in season opener

Notes from navigating an uneven start to the season in Detroit

By: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_Cooper

In a 115-109 win that saw the Pacers trail by as a many as 12 points and featured 13 lead changes, it was almost like two different life stages were on display. At one end of the spectrum, the Pistons were a bit like a rambunctious toddler, suddenly growing stronger and more confident in their newfound stability, e...

Getting An Outside Opinion: How Good are the Pacers?

Assembling a roundtable of some of the most knowledgeable voices in NBA media to determine what expectations should be for the Pacers headed into the regular season

By: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_Cooper

To preview the upcoming season, I decided to ask some of my favorite writers who cover the NBA at-large for their thoughts on the Pacers. From 2024-10-21 22:32:11 +0000 UTC View Post

On Ben Sheppard and how easy it is to remember

Why no reminders should be needed about the value of Ben Sheppard as the all too often forgotten man 

By: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_Cooper

At this time last year, the starting lineup for the Indiana Pacers was Tyrese Haliburton, Bennedict Mathurin, Bruce Brown, Obi Toppin, and Myles Turner. With Brown signing a two-year, $45 million contract that instantly made him the highest paid player on the team, Andrew ...

On Jarace Walker and "hands-on" learning

Plus, other notes from a game that saw the Pacers sleepwalking (again) against Memphis 

By: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_Cooper

At Media Day, when Pascal Siakam was asked in what areas he had seen improvement from Jarace Walker during their summer workout sessions, he talked extensively about the long-term value that can come from being around winning teams and building winning habits.

"What I l...

Bennedict Mathurin brings the ruckus as sixth man

On the contrast in amplification between the third-year guard and the defense in what initially seemed like a difficult game to get up for in Cleveland

By: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_Cooper

Starting out a bit ambling and somewhat aimless before ultimately providing a spark of both intensity and intrigue, it was a possession that mirrored what was an even more difficult than usual preseason game to assess. With th...

Pacers Preseason - Exploring the unknown

And parsing meaning from a meaningless outcome

By: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_Cooper

Losses that don't matter can't be heartbreaking, especially when what starters were available for the Pacers don't even play in the second half. So, yes, the Pacers technically lost their preseason opener, as Seth Lundy called game for the Atlanta Hawks, effectively thumbing his nose at any feelings of regret tha...