6 Questions for Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals

The Indiana Pacers have done exactly what 99% of the sports media were hoping they could do since last June. They have pushed the Miami Heat into a 6th game in the Eastern Conference Finals. How they did it was probably more intriguing than the fact that they did it. Writers have been examining their supposed corpses as if the scribes were M.E.s and the series were taking place in a morgue. After Game 2’s Pacer meltdown and three convincing Heat wins, few were convinced this series still had a pulse. And yet, Paul George found the rhythm and rode a wave of “green-light” confidence and LeBron James foul-trouble throughout the second half. George, who may now be playing with a clearer head a week after the concussion he suffered in Game 2, simply refused to be denied.

Now the series heads back to Miami for Game 6.

The biggest question: Which Roy Hibbert will we see? If he gets involved early, the Pacers have a real chance to force a Game 7. If not, their offense may grind down to a crawl.

Other than Hibbert’s post-up game, here are some of the most interesting questions heading into Game 6:

1. Will Heat center Chris Anderson play? If he does, this makes the Heat interior defense much stronger, but also allows Roy Hibbert and David West to match-up on defense, rather than keeping an eye on Chris Bosh or Rashard Lewis, both perimeter threats.
2. Can Paul George stay aggressive when the Heat close out harder on him (with LeBron or Wade) and he has to penetrate or pass? Following that thought, will George attack the rim even if the calls aren’t going his way?
3. Will Norris Cole continue to see the bulk of the important minutes over Mario Chalmers? Cole’s on-the-ball defense has been critical in diffusing Stephenson’s pick-and-roll attack. Chalmers has hit several clutch shots over the last few years, which may earn him those 4th quarter minutes.
4. Will Stephenson continue to blow in LeBron’s ear? For all the gossip-drama, Sir Lancelot has succeeded in being a distraction for LeBron as much as anyone outside of 2007-2012 Kevin Garnett, or Kawhi Leonard can succeed in disrupting LeBron. He has taken pressure off of Paul George by checking James. Stephenson and Hibbert absolutely must set the tone for the Pacers with their physicality.
5. Can George Hill’s defensive abilities lead to some easy Pacers transition points? Hill has had moments of defensive brilliance against Miami over the last two years. Both Georges need to cause havoc on the Heat ball movement for Indiana to get out in the open court.
6. Will Wade’s knee cause concern for the Heat? Though some feel this may be overblown, this is the point in the series where Wade’s lingering knee issues could become a weakness. Without LeBron on the court, Wade had to work harder throughout Game 5.

 

Another Reason to Read SB Nation’s Tom Ziller

If you love basketball and you don’t read SB Nation’s Tom Ziller, here’s another reason why you should:

Why does reality apply to LeBron James?

That’s the stirring question raised by basketball theorist Gregg Doyel in his latest commentary on Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals, won by the Indiana Pacers, 93-90. James, the Miami Heat star, had the ball and a two-point deficit with 12 seconds remaining. He set up a potential game-winner for teammate Chris Bosh, but the shot missed and the Heat lost. They will have the opportunity to clinch the series on Friday at home.

Doyel, on the altruism of LeBron and its potential outcomes:

The right play at that moment, final seconds of a potential closeout game to reach the NBA Finals, is for LeBron James to rise up in a show of power and fury and shove the ball through the basket. If Hibbert’s hand or arm is in the way, then Hibbert’s hand or arm gets shoved through the basket, too. Sometimes the right basketball play isn’t an unselfish page clipped neatly from a coach’s manual, but a greedy, hungry, emphatic display of this is my world. […]

[E]nough with the right basketball play. Enough. […] This was LeBron’s moment to ignore the right play and get selfish and get nasty, but LeBron doesn’t have that particular gene. Jordan did, as you know, but LeBron does not — and that’s one of the most unique, even beautiful things about his game. As good as he is, he’s happy to share the ball, even to a fault.

And that finish, that was his fault.

Translated from Doyelese to English:

I am tired of LeBron, the best basketball player in the world, making the right basketball plays. I wish he’d start making the wrong plays more often. Then maybe he wouldn’t be the best player in the world anymore. Because then he’d be making the wrong basketball plays, you see. I prefer to see sports as a morality tale, and so I value aggressive, manhood-waving idiocy over proper decision-making.

Here is a decision flowchart for superstars showing “the right play” based on Doyel’s basketball philosophy.

I must say, Mr. Doyel has intriguing ideas about basketball.

In all seriousness, I had thought the nonsense about LeBron’s mental, psychological and intestinal fortitude had been settled by, you know, his two rings. Guess what? There is a well-documented history of *gasp* Michael Jordan passing to a lesser teammate in a critical moment. LeBron passed to Bosh, a guy on his way to, at the very least, a Hall of Fame debate. Jordan passed to Steve Kerr … in the Finals.

If you’re going to base your current analysis of basketball on some aspect of history, know your freaking history. Use your brain instead of your gut. Make the right sports column play.

 

Paul George Ain’t Done Yet: Pacers Insist on Game 6

Who: Paul George

What: Put the Pacers on his back and carried them into Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals (insert mental image of Roy Hibbert, David West, Lance Stephenson, and George Hill all climbing like toddlers on George’s shoulders and head)

When: May 28, 2014

Where: Indianapolis, Indiana

Why: Because he ain’t done yet

 

After a surprisingly fluid offensive game in Game 1, the Pacers suspect offense slowed to a crawl in Games 2, 3, and 4. Were the Heat unprepared because of the offensively-challenged opponents they faced in Round One (Charlotte) and Two (the elderly and isolation-based offensive of the Nets)? Game 1 showed the Pacers at their scoring best. Hibbert rolling. George Hill knocking down open looks. Lance Stephenson and Paul George taking the ball to the paint with force and making the right passes.

This series may have looked very different if not for the concussion Paul George sustained at the end of Game 2. Dwyane Wade’s knee knocking the back of George’s head impacted not only the final minutes of that game, but George didn’t play with the same level of intensity or aggression for most of Game 3 and the beginning of Game 4. The fact that he played at all in Game 3 is somewhat shocking when you consider this post-concussion timeline (Dr. Brian McDonald from Main Line Health’s website):

A Day After a Concussion: The disruption in brain metabolism is at its worst approximately two to three days after an injury, and remains that way for at least one week. This metabolism may not normalize until at least one month from the date of the injury.

A Week After a Concussion: The metabolism in the brain may remain unstable, even though symptoms have subsided. Just because a patient is no longer exhibiting symptoms does not mean that the brain is back to functioning normally, so continue to use caution and refrain from getting back into activities that could result in additional or increased injury.

A Year After a Concussion: The majority of individuals will experience symptom resolution within one to three months, but athletic head injuries typically resolve within one month. Rarely do patients continue to experience symptoms beyond one year from the time of their injury. For the small percentage of patients who do, there is probably some long-lasting brain injury, which may show up on imaging studies.

Now, not all concussions are alike in severity or scope, but the fact that George clearly blacked out on the court for a minute, and then admitted to having “blurred vision” for the remainder of the game is one indication. Just watching George in Game 3, it was clear he wasn’t right. Six days have now passed since the end of Game 2, and George’s 31-point second-half  brought Indiana back from the brink. David West was the only other Pacer to score a point after Stephenson’s lay-up put the Pacers up 57-52 with 2:15 remaining in the 3rd. There were moments during that 4th quarter in which it felt like the rest of Indiana’s players were doing their best to let this one slip away. Missed free-throws. Sloppy play. But Paul George said, “No, no. I’m not quite finished with all of this. It’s not ending like this. And then he started draining three-pointers like this was the final game in which three-pointers would be allowed. George finished 5 of 14 from deep. He hit 3 of his 5 4th-Quarter attempts. Of equal importance was what the long-range attempts opened up for George: driving lanes. He went 10 of 14 from within the arc.

Paul George’s length allows him to elude would-be shot-blockers at the rim.

 

Of course, because James played only 24 minutes, George had more freedom than he’s had all series. Heat fans will rightly focus on LeBron’s foul trouble as the reason for the loss. What they would rather not focus on is the fact that Paul George has his own focus back. Game 6 should be fun.