Matchups vs Indy

[Guest]

Teague>Hill Harris> Stephenson George>KorverSmoove=WestHorford> HibbertBench ATL>IndyCoach Drew=VogelI like our chances a lot. On paper at least. Thoughts?

[coachx]

If George is healthy then I can't see Korver, Stevens, or Jones containing him. If his abdominal strain is an issue then we catch a break..........but if he is healthy then Drew may be forced into Smith defending George and Ivan defending West.

Hill and Stephenson are good defenders......we may have the nod on paper but I hope it plays out that way on the floor. Lets hope that cortisone shot Harris took in his ankle doesn't wear off before this series is over. The Pacers like to get physical.......the Hawks don't like to get physical. We will need heavy doses of Ivan and will miss ZaZa's physicality. Petro will have to step up b/c Ivan can't play C vs. their two 7 footers.

The Pacers are an excellent half court defensive team. We have to up the tempo and run whenever possible.

Teague>HillHarris> StephensonGeorge>KorverSmoove=WestHorford> HibbertBench ATL>IndyCoach Drew=VogelI like our chances a lot. On paper at least. Thoughts?

Edited April 18, 2013 by coachx

[frizzledizzle]

Eh... I'm bias but I guess I see it like this.

Teague = Hill

Harris < Stephenson

Korver < George

Smith = West

Horford = Hibbert

Drew < Vogel

Hibbert shot like 40% all season and over the last 30 games averaged 17 points on 50% shooting. He raised his field goal percentage to 44.8%. He's a different player since the all-star break. And I didn't know you guys played Devin Harris at shooting guard but that's a mismatch. George/Stephenson are 2 of the best wing defenders in the NBA. It's why guys like Carmelo and Harden shoot 30% against the Pacers. They shut down pure scorers, I get the feeling Stephenson can hold Harris and he's much larger than him. He has 36lbs on Harris. George is superior to Korver in every way other than shooting 3's. I actually think Korver would still get his but PG is just a better player. West and Smith are opposite players and are good at what they do. Hibbert didn't have his normal year this year but like I said, he changed completely over the last 30 games. Horford is probably better overall and will get his jump shots but when it comes to banging down low, Hibbert has the advantage. The Pacers were #1 in points allowed, field goal percentage, 3 point percentage and rebounding all season on defense. If you're just going by scoring, the Hawks would probably have the advantage but we're talking about one of if not the best defense in the NBA. Defense doesn't show up on the stat sheet when rating players.

By the way, someone said Ivan would probably be starting? So I'm not sure if that's the correct line up or not anyways. And the reason I give the edge to Vogel is because his starting line up is made up of two 22 year olds and two 26 year olds after losing the teams best player going into the season. They still competed for the 2 seed all year and beat the Heat 2-1. Were up 2-1 on them in the playoffs last year too. Pacers actually are a legit team despite the small market and no superstars. David West and Paul George are underrated though.

Edited April 18, 2013 by frizzledizzle

[coachx]

I don't think Ivan will start..........but I do think he will play alot defending West and with Smith defending George. Especially if Korver is not hitting his 3's or if George or West can't be stopped.

[Admin]

Eh... I'm bias but I guess I see it like this.

Teague = Hill

Harris < Stephenson

Korver < George

Smith = West

Horford = Hibbert

Drew < Vogel

I agree with all of that except Horford is better than Hibbert and over their careers has easily gotten the better of the matchup. It's arguable that Vogel is better than Drew and I'd probably put them closer to equal but I can see a Pacers fan thinking that Vogel is better. George has a major advantage over Korver, unless Korver is putting on a shooting clinic and then it's closer. Stephenson is better than Harris but there are games when Harris can still take over. West won't be able to stop Smith but West will also put up big numbers against Smith like he always does.

Oh and I don't expect Ivan to start. I would expect the lineup would be:

Teague

Harris

Smith

Horford

Petro

In which case that changes match ups a lot.

[frizzledizzle]

I don't think Ivan will start..........but I do think he will play alot defending West and with Smith defending George. Especially if Korver is not hitting his 3's or if George or West can't be stopped.

If Paul George just doesn't come around, he might be stopped. He's been struggling as of late and I think he has just hit a wall from trying to do everything. If he focused more on scoring, he could score more than he does but when you're grabbing 8 boards, dishing out 4 assists, and getting 2 steals every game, you're bound to wear down. I know he's 22 which is young and he has taken advantage of Granger being out but he isn't used to doing that much. I think it just caught up to him and he's exhausted. Or maybe it's the abdominal strain he has. He also had something wrong with his finger I believe. I think it all just caught up to him. Aside from Granger, the Pacers were healthy all season before getting injured right at the end. West missed a few games, George is having issues and Hill has a problem with his groin. So, we'll see how they rebound. They had a nice season til the finish.

[Dragitoff]

Stephenson may be bigger (36lbs) than Harris, but is he quicker? That's where Devin helps the Hawks immensely. When he is attacking the basket and beating his man off the dribble, he is deadly. Same for Teague.

[frizzledizzle]

I agree with all of that except Horford is better than Hibbert and over their careers has easily gotten the better of the matchup. It's arguable that Vogel is better than Drew and I'd probably put them closer to equal but I can see a Pacers fan thinking that Vogel is better. George has a major advantage over Korver, unless Korver is putting on a shooting clinic and then it's closer. Stephenson is better than Harris but there are games when Harris can still take over. West won't be able to stop Smith but West will also put up big numbers against Smith like he always does.

Oh and I don't expect Ivan to start. I would expect the lineup would be:

Teague

Harris

Smith

Horford

Petro

In which case that changes match ups a lot.

I tend to agree Horford is better but it's just what Hibbert does defensively doesn't show up on paper. He alters shots when people drive to the basket and he boxes out so guys like Paul George can get 7.6 rebounds a game. Offensively, Horford is better, no question. Hibbert does have a nice hookshot though and his presence in the paint might be overlooked a little. I know Horford and Smith have the advantage as far athleticism goes. Horford can shoot, although David West is actually a better shooter than Smith. For players around or over 400 mid range attempts, I believe West has the highest field goal percentage. David West can hit mid range jump shots all day. And he can bang and score down low. I just think Hibbert's size and defense is a little underrated is all. Ironically, that's how Horford will exploit him. He's just so big that he won't be able to get out to defend on some of Horford's shots. I think the mistmatches makes for an interesting series.

[AHF]

I am not sure there will be a more important matchup than Hibbert v. Horford. If Horford let's Hibbert use his mass to get him out of position and beat him on the boards, this series is probably over. If Horford has the edge with his significant advantage of athleticism (as has been the case more often then not) then the Hawks will have an excellent chance. Horford's elite midrange game is especially important since so much of Indiana's defensive success is predicated on Hibbert defending the paint.

[frizzledizzle]

Stephenson may be bigger (36lbs) than Harris, but is he quicker? That's where Devin helps the Hawks immensely. When he is attacking the basket and beating his man off the dribble, he is deadly. Same for Teague.

I don't know if Stephenson is quicker but I don't think he's slower. He's 22 years old, was a 5* recruit and owns the record for points scored in the state of New York. His game isn't built around being a good shooter though he has gotten better. His game is built around athleticism and finishing at basket. There have been multiple times in transition with guys in front of him, he'll just run through a pack of defenders and kind of nudge someone off him as he's going to the back and he puts it off the glass and in. Think mini Lebron James. I'm not trying to compare him to Lebron but I'm saying he's big, quick and athletic. His game built around attacking the basket but he has improved immensely as a shooter. He barely attempted and made 3's until this season. He's shooting a decent percent from 3 now. He's shooting 33% from 3 and has made 62-188. Why this is important because last season he shot 4/30(13.3%), in his rookie season 0/5 and in college 16/73(21.9%). He's young and him coming into the starting line up was unexpected without Granger. He's starting to live up to his 5* hype after leaving his freshman season and being picked in the 2nd round.

[frizzledizzle]

I am not sure there will be a more important matchup than Hibbert v. Horford. If Horford let's Hibbert use his mass to get him out of position and beat him on the boards, this series is probably over. If Horford has the edge with his significant advantage of athleticism (as has been the case more often then not) then the Hawks will have an excellent chance. Horford's elite midrange game is especially important since so much of Indiana's defensive success is predicated on Hibbert defending the paint.

No question Horford is more athletic and Hibbert will struggle to defend his shots. I've always thought Smith and Horford have an easier time going up higher to grab boards over Hibbert and even West. The one positive for the Pacers is that Hibbert and West eat up a lot of space and Paul George is a great rebounder. George's athleticism is on par with Smith's and so Hibbert and West might be able to box out a bit for George to grab the board. It really is just an interesting match up because it's more physical vs. finessee or strength vs. athleticism. However you want to look at it. Both will have an advantage in certain ways because of it.

[benhillboy]

We're gonna have to make the proper adjustments on time and at least keep them off our defensive glass. These teams are pretty evenly matched, so it's gonna come down to execution and effort. I give us the edge in both of those areas if Korver can get his shots off and Devin and Teague keep their foot on the pedal in transition. I wouldnt worry about Al, he's gonna get his usual numbers, maybe a tad more. Asking Teague to play spirited defense and Josh to refrain from shooting jumpers may be asking a little too much but I can dream. I expect our bench to outscored theirs every game, so that could be the difference, although Mack getting minutes scares me.

Edited April 18, 2013 by benhillboy

[AHF]

No question Horford is more athletic and Hibbert will struggle to defend his shots. I've always thought Smith and Horford have an easier time going up higher to grab boards over Hibbert and even West. The one positive for the Pacers is that Hibbert and West eat up a lot of space and Paul George is a great rebounder. George's athleticism is on par with Smith's and so Hibbert and West might be able to box out a bit for George to grab the board. It really is just an interesting match up because it's more physical vs. finessee or strength vs. athleticism. However you want to look at it. Both will have an advantage in certain ways because of it.

I agree with all that. They are matchups that Atlanta has to win if it wants to contend for the series because the 1-3 matchups are significantly in favor of Indiana. Horford needs to step up and not disappear. Josh needs to play smart. He can't try to match West on the jumpers and can't let West enjoy superior positioning on the floor (which could neutralize Josh's athletic advantage). In an ideal world, Horford would pull Hibbert out of the paint after punishing him with some jumpers and Josh would focus on driving into the paint (either shooting or distributing the ball on the drive).

[Guest]

Eh... I'm bias but I guess I see it like this.Teague = HillHarris < StephensonKorver < GeorgeSmith = WestHorford = Hibbert Drew < Vogel Hibbert shot like 40% all season and over the last 30 games averaged 17 points on 50% shooting. He raised his field goal percentage to 44.8%. He's a different player since the all-star break. And I didn't know you guys played Devin Harris at shooting guard but that's a mismatch. George/Stephenson are 2 of the best wing defenders in the NBA. It's why guys like Carmelo and Harden shoot 30% against the Pacers. They shut down pure scorers, I get the feeling Stephenson can hold Harris and he's much larger than him. He has 36lbs on Harris. George is superior to Korver in every way other than shooting 3's. I actually think Korver would still get his but PG is just a better player. West and Smith are opposite players and are good at what they do. Hibbert didn't have his normal year this year but like I said, he changed completely over the last 30 games. Horford is probably better overall and will get his jump shots but when it comes to banging down low, Hibbert has the advantage. The Pacers were #1 in points allowed, field goal percentage, 3 point percentage and rebounding all season on defense. If you're just going by scoring, the Hawks would probably have the advantage but we're talking about one of if not the best defense in the NBA. Defense doesn't show up on the stat sheet when rating players.By the way, someone said Ivan would probably be starting? So I'm not sure if that's the correct line up or not anyways. And the reason I give the edge to Vogel is because his starting line up is made up of two 22 year olds and two 26 year olds after losing the teams best player going into the season. They still competed for the 2 seed all year and beat the Heat 2-1. Were up 2-1 on them in the playoffs last year too. Pacers actually are a legit team despite the small market and no superstars. David West and Paul George are underrated though.

Stephenson may be bigger than Devin but he has to catch him in order to defend him. Devin is fast and when he is aggressive which is often Stephenson will have trouble. If the Hawks play to their speed with both Teague and Harris they will leave Indy in the dust.Paul George is individually better than Korver, Stephenson and Dahntay combined but he will have to work on offense and defense this is where DS veteran savvy MAY prove useful, George will be chasing Korver thru tons of screens. Horford is better - Al was on a tear after the Allstar break. If Hibbert comes out to guard 15 footer Al goes right by him if he doesn't Al's 25 footer is money.Al does have trouble with big centers in that they can just shot over him but that is where we may have to double if Hibbert is hitting shots. how is Hibbert's passing out of a double team? Do you have reliable jump shooters when he passes out?Our pace of play is important - if it's a really slow half court games Indy wins, we must play fast and run at every opportunity.

[frizzledizzle]

how is Hibbert's passing out of a double team? Do you have reliable jump shooters when he passes out?Our pace of play is important - if it's a really slow half court games Indy wins, we must play fast and run at every opportunity.

That's actually how the Pacers play a a lot. PG will come off screens, Hill will create his own shot, West will create his own shot and so on. But, the Pacers like to pass it down to Hibbert and see if he can put a hookshot in. When they drop a defender to double him, he finds the open man. George is shooting 36.2%, Hill 36.8% and Stephenson 33.0%. West can also hit from anywhere inside the arc. Those aren't elite percentages from 3 but they're respectable and yes, Hibbert can pass out and they do make 3's if they're open. Hibbert is prone to being stripped though so you can steal the ball before he makes a pass or attempts a shot. But he's a good passer for a big man. He's also good at making hook shots. Ironically, he has clumsy hands. It's weird how he is so stable and good but at the same time is being prone to being stripped and having rebounds taken away. That's his flaw.

Edited April 18, 2013 by frizzledizzle

[HalfHawk]

http://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/h2h_finder.cgi?request=1&p1=hibbero01&p2=horfoal01#stats::none

This match up... I like it.

Edited April 18, 2013 by SmooveZilla

[HalfHawk]

http://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/h2h_finder.cgi?request=1&p1=hibbero01&p2=horfoal01#stats::none

 

This match up... I like it. 

 

 

Player	G	W	L	GS	MP	FG	FGA	FG%	3P	3PA	3P%	FT	FTA	FT%	ORB	DRB	TRB	AST	STL	BLK	TOV	PF	PTS
Al Horford	15	11	4	15	33.5	7.1	12.6	.566	0.0	0.0		1.9	2.5	.757	2.1	8.6	10.7	3.1	0.6	1.4	1.3	1.9	16.1
Roy Hibbert	15	4	11	15	26.9	3.9	9.7	.397	0.0	0.0		1.9	2.5	.784	2.9	4.5	7.4	1.9	0.3	1.2	1.5	2.1	9.7

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table Generated 4/18/2013.

[Nicholasp27]

Wins every category but ft%

[Admin]

No doubt that we have a major advantage in the front court with both the starters and the bench but they have a big advantage at SG and SF. Josh is going to have to actually play defense on West and not let him have big games like he normally has against us.

[Kimsey]

The starters can hang and even out compete theirs. It's the bench where Indy will separate from us. Ivan should start at 4 and Jenkins at 2.

Let Devin and KK come off the bench and launch all those wayward 3s.