The Pacers are at their best playing fast
by Tony East
The Indiana Pacers beat the Cleveland Cavaliers by 12 points over the weekend, but the game was much closer than that all night. It was a two-point game with about four minutes to go, and the Cavs were mounting a comeback.
Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton’s late-game heroics put the game away, but the blue and gold almost conceded a comeback despite holding a seven-point lead in the middle of fourth quarter. It was a much more difficult victory than the final score suggested.
The Cavs comeback came during a time when the game slowed down. That style drastically benefits Pacers opponents. “They kind of dictated the pace tonight,” Haliburton said after the game. “We just kind of let them dictate the pace tonight, which is something we don’t want to do… we just had to figure it out.”
Indiana wants to play fast. They finished fifth in pace last season and currently rank fifth again. They’re at their best when they get across halfcourt in just a few seconds and get into their offense early. In transition, the Pacers are lethal.
They overcame a slower game in Cleveland. But two nights later, they couldn’t repeat the outcome with the Chicago Bulls in town. The Bulls took their time on offense, slowed the game down, and most importantly, they kept putting the ball in the net. Between 40 made shots and 26 made free throws for Chicago, the Pacers had to take the ball out of the net before playing offense 66 times. Against Cleveland, that number was just 58.
The Bulls offensive sets were slow and methodical, too, which requires more effort to stop. That style, combined with their accuracy, slowed the game down a ton. The Pacers couldn’t speed it back up.
“I don’t think we played up to our speed… we could have been a little faster,” guard Bruce Brown said after the game. Chicago won by seven.
Indiana had a good number of possessions, but they were often slower. Late in the game, it was even worse. The Pacers averaged 13.57 seconds per offensive possession throughout the night, their slowest of the season per pbpstats. That’s well below their average pace.
In general, the Pacers got the shots they wanted. Their rim or three frequency, per pbpstats, was higher than any other game this season. It just took a lot of effort to get those shots, and they were more contested than usual as a result.
Indiana finished well at the rim but went 12/46 from deep. That’s too many misses to overcome. Most of their looks were fine, but because they were playing out of rhythm due to the speed of the game, more of their jumpers were forced than usual. That benefitted Chicago.
“Played their game instead of our game tonight,” Pacers wing Aaron Nesmith said in the locker room after the game. He wanted that game back. He thinks the blue and gold could have won.
Indiana can’t let other teams dictate the pace. They’ve got to play fast and keep the ball moving. They went 4-8 in their 12 slowest-paced games last season. The Pacers can’t get caught being reactive to a game’s pace.
“Just get the ball out quick, get stops, rebound,” Nesmith said of what the Pacers can do to play faster. Head coach Rick Carlisle agreed. “Get stops is the number one thing to speed the game up,” he said after his team lost to Chicago.
It isn’t easy to get out of the flow of a game. That’s why games tend to settle into a certain speed instead of one team flying around and the other one crawling. Pace is contagious.
The Pacers have to set it. It’s when they are at their best. All of their offseason additions fit into a team that plays a fast style, and it’s something Indiana wants to lean into. They can’t get slowed down by their opponents.
“Really just get stops and get out,” Brown said of how to play faster in slowed down games. He is one of the summer additions that thrives in transition.
Brown also noted that it’s important for the Pacers to get the ball to Haliburton to speed the game up. The All-Star is so hard to guard that he can set the tempo of individual possessions, and that sets the tone for a game. The Bulls deserve credit for making Haliburton work — he is the most important figure in Indiana getting out and running.
The Pacers know they can’t get lulled into unhurried games again. They know the solutions. Now, they need to execute.
Originally posted on All Pacers on FanNation