Game 1 analysis and Celtics preview

Turnovers kills them.  That was the difference in the game.  The team played the Pistons close the entire game but could never quite take the lead purely because of having too many turnovers.  They played well on offense.  They could have played better on D.  They got beat too often on the Piston’s penetration and kick out jumpers.  But the team kept in the game with the 2nd best team in the conference.

Mike Wells of the Pacers Insider (link below) said there are no such thing as moral victories in the NBA. It is all about wins and losses.  I think the total opposite.  This team is looking to restore the respect both within the NBA and the fan base.  This first game being competitive instead of a blowout (which it very well could have been) was a great sign that this team can compete.  This was a moral vicory because they are moving on from the past. They gaven the 2nd best team in the conference a good game even with 22 turnovers!! Come on now.  After last year of being dominated by the upper tier teams almost night in and night out.  This seemed like progress and was a moral victory.

The Good:

Danny Granger!! What a beast! He finally showed the aggresiveness and killer instinct I’ve been criticizing him for.  That aggresiveness was the last thing he needed to jump to that upper-tier of players.  He fought and clawed to get back into this game.  He looked like the superstar that was trying to take over down the stretch and he kept this team in the game.  He also showed the ability to take people off the dirbble and create fouls. (something else I criticized him for) He really didn’t settle for jump shots except for just a couple of occasions.  He showed the maturity to put up All-Star numbers this season.

Brandon Rush-He looked like a solid veteran coming onto the floor not a rookie. He was in the flow of the game as soon as he came in.  He played tough defense throughout and was not shy about getting to the hoop and trying to create shots.  He’s already a good shooter, but he showcased his driving ability.  Not huge numbers but great play.

TJ Ford-Not everybody would put him in this category with his 4 TOs and only 5 asts, but he looked like the leader for this team.  He had no problem stepping in and taking charge and managng the offense.  His comfortability and leadership made him a good thing.

Creating fouls-This is something this team did horribly with last year.  In the opener they did a good job of slashing to the basket and getting to the free throw line. Daniels, Granger, Jack, Ford and Rush all stood out as being aggresive going to the hoop.  They out shot the Pistons 29-16 from the free throw line.

The Bad:

Turnovers-I have to put this on here again.  They must and I mean MUST take care of the ball better.  no one really seemed to do that for this team.  This will be key because there are plenty of good defensive teams in the East.

Perimeter Defense-This team did not do a good job of closing down on shooters and often left people wide open. This shows by having Billups, Hamilton, and Prince all in double figures with Stuckey just missing out with 8.  Detroit also shot 46% from the 3-pt line.  This was a problem for the team last year and still needs to be fixed.

Roy Hibbert-He looked like a rookie out there.  He looked lost on both ends of the floor.  He did have a good spin move to create a bucket for himself, but besides that he didn’t reall show up.

Celtics Preview:

I don’t see how this Pacers team will be able to upset the C’s.  Boston has too many good perimeter players.  The Pacers perimeter defense showed me nothing against Detroit that said they could stop anyone.  Now you have the likes of Ray Allen and Paul Pierce coming to IN.  I think those too will ech have big nights.

The PG matchup is going to be one to watch.  These two might be the quickest in the NBA (besides Chris Paul of course).  Rondo and Ford will be running all night long and the matchup will hopefully lean toward the Pacers. 

The interior matchup looks to lean slightly toward the C’s just because of KG.  The Pacers did a good job on the inside v. Detroit, but Sheed and Amir Johnson are no Kevin Garnett.  KG will be himself but I think the Pacers will keep him in check.

Look for Danny Granger to have another big night.  They say Paul Pierce locked down Kobe.  To be honest, it was mostly James Posey and it is a team defensive philosophy so it doesn’t exactly go on his shoulders.  Danny should be able to create on Pierce and hopefully take this game over like he did the last one.

The Pacers are going to come up short in this one, but I think it will be much closer than people think.  Much Closer.

Comment on the blog of email me at hosts@pacerscast.com to get your thoughts in on the upcoming game against Boston or anything Pacers.