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They say those who choose to ignore history are bound to repeat it.
However, even if Indiana Pacers Head Coach Jim O'Brien were to return to St. Joseph's University to receive a PH.D on the subject, there is a better chance of Lebron James landing in Indiana during the 2010 offseason then the Pacers repeating the history of those before them.
With that said, let's take a stroll through memory lane.
The images will forever be burned into the annals of NBA time, for it was considered the upset of all upsets. The eighth seed Golden State Warriors were playing the role of Jack, trying to tear down the beanstalk of the most valuable giant Dirk Nowitzki and the 67-win Dallas Mavericks. There was no rhyme, reason, or explanation as to why the Dallas Mavericks would not advance to the second round.
Insert the mad scientist of basketball Don Nelson.
Sure, his team was 42-40 and lacked a seven-foot basketball player while trying to pull off a feat accomplished just once in NBA Playoff history. But with the likes of Baron Davis, Steven Jackson, Matt Barnes, and Jason Richardson, there was no need for a true center. Nelson decided to cut the team loose, supporting a fast paced offense that applauded quick jump shots, three pointers with a man in your face, and a me-against-the-world swagger that caught the Mavericks unbalanced.
As Warrior fans cheered outrageously and wore their yellow "We Believe" t-shirts, Golden State eliminated Dallas in six games. That was then, that was a different team, and in Indiana, unfortunately the Pacers live in the "now".
That time period of "now" consists of a 16-30 Pacers squad getting humiliated by the score of 118-96 in front of a sell-out 18,165 crowd. Even worse, the home crowd chanted "MVP!" in unison as Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant tip-toed the free throw line on Wednesday night.
"It means the home team is struggling, and there are a lot of Lakers fans in the crowd," said Bryant with a smile.
To say the Pacers at this point of the season are struggling would be like trying to explain that the Titantic is still treading water. The ship, headed by Coach Jim O'Brien and Pacers President Larry Bird, is miles below on the ocean floor. But like a bad children's television show on Nickelodeon, the captains had thought they found a quick fix by placing a piece of " ABC" gum over the holes to stop the water from filling in.
That piece of gum is found in the idea of small ball. And for one game, it truly worked. The small line-up of Danny Granger, Troy Murphy, Dahntay Jones, Brandon Rush, and Earl Watson fended off a double-digit lead from the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night for a 109-98 victory on the road. Except there's just one problem.
"Obviously the Lakers are the world champions and have a lot of core guys back," said Roy Hibbert on what the difference is between playing a team like the 76ers and the Lakers.
So what happens when you play small ball against the reigning kings of basketball? Pau Gasol goes for 21 points and 13 rebounds, Andrew Bynum puts up 27 and 12, and Lamar Odom finishes the night with 12 points and 14 rebounds. That's three players accounting for double-doubles, with Kobe Bryant just a rebound shy with a stat-line of 29 and 9.
"It's difficult to match up with their size when we go small," said Troy Murphy who finished the night with 18 points but only five rebounds.
"I don't know, it is the coach's decision, and we are just going to go out with the line-up he has us play."
The Lakers hammered the Pacers on the inside, out-rebounding Indiana by a total of 20 boards. To add to insult, the Lakers finished with 54 total points in the paint, 12 second chance points, and even managed to out run the Pacers 24-13 despite having a bigger line-up.
"I think we were trying to take advantage of our ability to have two bigs on the court," said Lakers forward Bynum.
Both Bynum and Bryant would admit that the Lakers looked to benefit from the size discrepancies on the hardwood. Which makes you wonder, where was Roy Hibbert when this was taking place?
"I don't mind coming off the bench," said Hibbert, who finished the night with 18 points and six rebounds in limited time. "It keeps me focused, I come in the game more focused. It gives me the chance to see the game and make adjustments when I come in."
How good are the Indiana Pacers when Roy Hibbert is in their line-up? Until Hibbert entered back into the fourth quarter of a 111-92 game with 3:31 remaining, the Pacers were at a plus-minus score of zero during Hibbert's previous 24:52 of playing time.
In essence, the Indiana Pacers are at their best when the 7"2 soon to be superstar is running the floor.
So the question remains, why would a team choose to play small ball to attempt to salvage a season when Hibbert is there? Sure, the Pacers aren't going to play the dynamic trio of Gasol, Bynum, and Odom of the Lakers every night. But teams in the Eastern Conference such as the Magic with Dwight Howard, the Cavaliers with Lebron and Shaq, and the Celtics with Garnett and a strong set of big men will feast on this small Pacers line-up.
Even the eighth seed Chicago Bulls, who are supporting a 22-22 record that has them seven games above the Pacers, would push this line-up around in the paint with the skinny and ultimately goofy-looking Joakim Noah.
Is small ball a style a basketball a team should embrace after ending up with nine forwards/centers at the end of the past seven NBA drafts?
I don't believe so, and it sure sounds like the Pacers are not ready for it either.
"We've been playing since October, there are no more warm-ups," said Hibbert. "We need to come out playing every night."
However, even if Indiana Pacers Head Coach Jim O'Brien were to return to St. Joseph's University to receive a PH.D on the subject, there is a better chance of Lebron James landing in Indiana during the 2010 offseason then the Pacers repeating the history of those before them.
With that said, let's take a stroll through memory lane.
The images will forever be burned into the annals of NBA time, for it was considered the upset of all upsets. The eighth seed Golden State Warriors were playing the role of Jack, trying to tear down the beanstalk of the most valuable giant Dirk Nowitzki and the 67-win Dallas Mavericks. There was no rhyme, reason, or explanation as to why the Dallas Mavericks would not advance to the second round.
Insert the mad scientist of basketball Don Nelson.
Sure, his team was 42-40 and lacked a seven-foot basketball player while trying to pull off a feat accomplished just once in NBA Playoff history. But with the likes of Baron Davis, Steven Jackson, Matt Barnes, and Jason Richardson, there was no need for a true center. Nelson decided to cut the team loose, supporting a fast paced offense that applauded quick jump shots, three pointers with a man in your face, and a me-against-the-world swagger that caught the Mavericks unbalanced.
As Warrior fans cheered outrageously and wore their yellow "We Believe" t-shirts, Golden State eliminated Dallas in six games. That was then, that was a different team, and in Indiana, unfortunately the Pacers live in the "now".
That time period of "now" consists of a 16-30 Pacers squad getting humiliated by the score of 118-96 in front of a sell-out 18,165 crowd. Even worse, the home crowd chanted "MVP!" in unison as Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant tip-toed the free throw line on Wednesday night.
"It means the home team is struggling, and there are a lot of Lakers fans in the crowd," said Bryant with a smile.
To say the Pacers at this point of the season are struggling would be like trying to explain that the Titantic is still treading water. The ship, headed by Coach Jim O'Brien and Pacers President Larry Bird, is miles below on the ocean floor. But like a bad children's television show on Nickelodeon, the captains had thought they found a quick fix by placing a piece of " ABC" gum over the holes to stop the water from filling in.
That piece of gum is found in the idea of small ball. And for one game, it truly worked. The small line-up of Danny Granger, Troy Murphy, Dahntay Jones, Brandon Rush, and Earl Watson fended off a double-digit lead from the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night for a 109-98 victory on the road. Except there's just one problem.
"Obviously the Lakers are the world champions and have a lot of core guys back," said Roy Hibbert on what the difference is between playing a team like the 76ers and the Lakers.
So what happens when you play small ball against the reigning kings of basketball? Pau Gasol goes for 21 points and 13 rebounds, Andrew Bynum puts up 27 and 12, and Lamar Odom finishes the night with 12 points and 14 rebounds. That's three players accounting for double-doubles, with Kobe Bryant just a rebound shy with a stat-line of 29 and 9.
"It's difficult to match up with their size when we go small," said Troy Murphy who finished the night with 18 points but only five rebounds.
"I don't know, it is the coach's decision, and we are just going to go out with the line-up he has us play."
The Lakers hammered the Pacers on the inside, out-rebounding Indiana by a total of 20 boards. To add to insult, the Lakers finished with 54 total points in the paint, 12 second chance points, and even managed to out run the Pacers 24-13 despite having a bigger line-up.
"I think we were trying to take advantage of our ability to have two bigs on the court," said Lakers forward Bynum.
Both Bynum and Bryant would admit that the Lakers looked to benefit from the size discrepancies on the hardwood. Which makes you wonder, where was Roy Hibbert when this was taking place?
"I don't mind coming off the bench," said Hibbert, who finished the night with 18 points and six rebounds in limited time. "It keeps me focused, I come in the game more focused. It gives me the chance to see the game and make adjustments when I come in."
How good are the Indiana Pacers when Roy Hibbert is in their line-up? Until Hibbert entered back into the fourth quarter of a 111-92 game with 3:31 remaining, the Pacers were at a plus-minus score of zero during Hibbert's previous 24:52 of playing time.
In essence, the Indiana Pacers are at their best when the 7"2 soon to be superstar is running the floor.
So the question remains, why would a team choose to play small ball to attempt to salvage a season when Hibbert is there? Sure, the Pacers aren't going to play the dynamic trio of Gasol, Bynum, and Odom of the Lakers every night. But teams in the Eastern Conference such as the Magic with Dwight Howard, the Cavaliers with Lebron and Shaq, and the Celtics with Garnett and a strong set of big men will feast on this small Pacers line-up.
Even the eighth seed Chicago Bulls, who are supporting a 22-22 record that has them seven games above the Pacers, would push this line-up around in the paint with the skinny and ultimately goofy-looking Joakim Noah.
Is small ball a style a basketball a team should embrace after ending up with nine forwards/centers at the end of the past seven NBA drafts?
I don't believe so, and it sure sounds like the Pacers are not ready for it either.
"We've been playing since October, there are no more warm-ups," said Hibbert. "We need to come out playing every night."
