Charlotte Bobcats at Indiana Pacers preview -- Game 52

by David A. Arnott on Feb 9, 2011 11:35 AM EST

The Big Picture: Last night, the Indiana Pacers had the Heat on the ropes. It took a 27-15 fourth quarter for Miami to come back and win by five, a disheartening defeat for a team that started the season surprisingly well, but has been up and down (mostly down) since.

But as one of the teams the Bobcats are battling for a playoff spot, let's not feel too sorry for the Pacers. After all, that playoff spot looks good, smells good, and they'd step over their own mothers just to get one. And on top of that, both the team and we television viewers will have to contend with that whizzing VROOOOM! sound effect at Conseco Fieldhouse, meant to evoke the Indy 500, never mind Roy Hibbert, Darren Collison, and Danny Granger.

Musical Interlude: Black Sheep -- "The Choice Is Yours"

Key to Victory: Collison has earned his place among the better offensive point guards in the league, but he's plagued by many of the same issues that plague D.J. Augustin: can he play defense against anyone over 6-1? Or is his defensive deficiency a mirage caused by the difference between Mike Dunleavy and Brandon Rush? Is he best used as a scoring-oriented guard, a la Aaron Brooks, or is he better off subsuming that skill in favor of his less-developed creation skills that, nonetheless, provide more value by getting Granger, Dunleavy, and Hibbert better scoring opportunities? Or will Paul Silas short-circuit the head-to-head matchup I've just set up and decide to go with Shaun Livingston in crunch time again? Should he?

Detail That May Interest .08% of You: Over his four years at UCLA, Collison played with, and was often overshadowed by, no fewer than seven other future NBAers: Arron Afflalo, Jordan Farmar, Jrue Holiday, Ryan Hollins, Kevin Love, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, and Russell Westbrook.

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i think it would make sense

for DJ to play against Collison and have Diaw float over to help off screens

because let’s face it, it’s not as if Josh McRoberts is making teams shake in their boots

that leaves Liv to dominate AJ Price…

to answer your question about crunch time, I think it would be smart to use Liv because he would negate Collison and be able to post him up to either score or facilitate, but it would ultimately depend on how efficient DJ is being with his scoring

by adamcawa on Feb 9, 2011 12:15 PM EST reply actions

Maybe we should try Liv and DJ together some

With DJ playing mostly off the ball. Liv can create his own shot or dish out to DJ when open. Liv could also pickup pesky PGs that require better defending.

on behalf of tha dirty south: soul food, carolina blue, southern hospitality, and tha queen city

by southtunnel on Feb 9, 2011 12:46 PM EST via mobile reply actions

DEFEND THE 3

Watch out for Dunleavy and Granger from downtown. Need Kwame and Crash to be important tonight. Get Hibbert in foul trouble as usual and us Hendo and Livingston alot as they are playing hot.

by chris in union county on Feb 9, 2011 12:57 PM EST reply actions

Nobody is mentioning the Jax Factor.

Jackson got to watch the 2nd half of the Boston game from the locker room and saw the bench reserves he so frequently ignores render his ejection moot. If you look in the dictionary under “Alpha Male” the odds are Jack’s picture is there. With trade talks swirling, Jordan’s dissatisfaction evident, and his backups playing hungry to take his place, I’m expecting Jack to come out tonight and mark his turf with one of his best performances ever. By halftime the Pacers will think there are 3 Stephen Jacksons on that court.
(assuming Stern doesn’t call between now and gametime to tell Jack that he’s been suspended for a game and fined an additional 25K or so just because he can.

P.S. - Is it an interim fling or a permanent bromance?

by Ourdaywillcome on Feb 9, 2011 1:51 PM EST reply actions

you never know with Jack.

He may pout tonight. All I know is, that I hope we see more old Crash tonight. I think Dj will light it up like normal, but Gerald Wallace is who I’d be worried about. We need old school Crash back. adamcawa and southtunnel both made excellent suggestions about Dj and Liv for tonight’s game. It’d be nice if we could rely on at least a 10 spot of points a night from Liv.

Fact: All you care about is points.

Blindly Optimistic follower of The Iowa Hawkeyes, San Francisco 49ers, Carolina Hurricanes, and the Charlotte Bobcats.

by HAWKEYESBABY on Feb 9, 2011 1:58 PM EST up reply actions

if Jax

manages to pick up a tech this game (you know because he wants to) i don’t see him in a Bobcats uniform after the all-star break

by adamcawa on Feb 9, 2011 2:28 PM EST up reply actions

Since when is DJ lighting it up the norm?

Are you ignoring an entire body of work in favor of a 1 month stretch of games? The “norm” is, if he’s wide open all game then he’ll light it up. If not then we’ll have another below average PG performance, or hopefully Livingston.

on behalf of tha dirty south: soul food, carolina blue, southern hospitality, and tha queen city

by southtunnel on Feb 9, 2011 4:23 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

facepalm

man I don’t even know why I post anymore. Apparently everything I say is wrong.

Fact: All you care about is points.

Blindly Optimistic follower of The Iowa Hawkeyes, San Francisco 49ers, Carolina Hurricanes, and the Charlotte Bobcats.

by HAWKEYESBABY on Feb 9, 2011 5:39 PM EST up reply actions

Jack was having a strong game against Boston before he was ejected.

As long as he picks up where he left off (sans the silly yip-yappin’), he should be fine.

Hopelessly scouring the internet for a free copy of Screamin' Jay Hawkins' "Brujo." and "Hurricane Coming" by CCS.

by Newsinz on Feb 9, 2011 2:26 PM EST up reply actions

I can't wait for the day when I can listen to "The Choice is Yours" without thinking about hamsters

Lemonade was a popular drink and it still is,
I get more props and stunts than Bruce Willis
- Guru, of Gangstarr

by Ben Swanson on Feb 9, 2011 2:41 PM EST reply actions

I didn't even think of that commercial until you mentioned it.

That’s how my son identifies with that song, but I have much fonder memories of it. Whenever I hear that song, the first thing I usually think about is everybody in the club squatting down to the floor when the third verse starts.

Hopelessly scouring the internet for a free copy of Screamin' Jay Hawkins' "Brujo." and "Hurricane Coming" by CCS.

by Newsinz on Feb 9, 2011 4:50 PM EST up reply actions