Pacers Best Sixers In Tourney Clash

The fun thing about playing the same team twice is that you can just re-use talking points. Before the first game, I wrote that the keys against Philly would be keeping them off the line, winning the offensive rebound battle, and pushing the pace. After the game, I wrote that Pacers failed to succeed in those areas, which ultimately spoiled a solid offensive performance.

We know that the Pacers emerged victorious in the second game, so lets see if those keys made a difference.

Limiting Fouling

Um, let's just pretend this wasn't a key and quickly move on. You can check out Philly's free throw rate in the Four Factors graphic below if you want statistical proof of what you already know, we fouled the *!$% out of them. So much so that Nesmith played crucial minutes guarding Embiid (which he did admirably).

Offensive Rebounding

The single biggest difference between the two games is Philly's offensive rebounding. In the first game, Philly put up the best offensive rebounding numbers the league has seen this season. In the second game, it was in the bottom 12%.

Seriously, look at the difference that made. On Sunday, the Sixers averaged 56 points per 100 misses. Yesterday, that number was down to less than 5!

Kudos to the Pacers for refusing to get bullied twice in a row. As much as the offensive brilliance will get the headlines, responding to failure like they did in game 2 is what will make the team a legitimate threat come spring.

Pushing the Pace

The Pacers did a much better job at imposing their tempo last night. The first game had a total of 199 possessions, compared to 214 in the win. As you'll see from the transition numbers below, it wasn't the most effective night for the team as far as scoring on the break, but the frequency was way up. Funny how getting rebounds helps with that.

You could tell that running was a point of emphasis, as Haliburton was constantly looking to get the ball down the court before the defense was set. Even off of Philly makes, he was throwing touchdown passes. The assist below led to a Nick Nurse technical foul if I remember correctly.

Slowing Down the Two-Man Game

While this wasn't one of my Official Keys to the Game™️, I linked a great Caitlin Cooper video in the article yesterday where she breaks down how Maxey and Embiid destroyed the Pacers in the first leg and what the team could do to counter. Her suggestion was to use more help to shut down their empty side pick and roll and force the ball elsewhere. The Pacers have been somewhat dogmatic about "guarding their yard" this year in an effort to limit rotations and thereby opponent three point attempts.

Because we're talking about Caitlin, it's no surprise that her advice was spot on and we saw the Pacers increase their presence at the nail to disrupt Maxey's drives and send more help to cut off Embiid's rolling.

When I checked the stats, I expected to see that Philly took more of their shots from three and less in the midrange. Nevertheless, you could argue that the Pacers got a better shot distribution last night than the first game, with the Sixers taking less threes and more shots in the midrange.

Could this be an indication that the Pacers should try to split the difference between last year's defense and this year's?

Possibly, but it must be noted that those extra "midrange" shots largely came from the space between the restricted area and the free throw line. It's not like the Pacers were forcing a ton of 15 foot jumpers. It must also be noted that the Sixers got a whopping 34 points from the charity stripe. So, it makes sense that Philly was passing up threes to get into the lane.

Fun Stuff

Fun wins come with lots of fun stats and facts. Here are a few of my favorite.

Now the Pacers am become death, destroyer of DEFG%

A couple of days ago I posted something about how all the teams the Pacers have played were ranked near the bottom of the league in defensive metrics because.... Well that's what the Pacers do: they nuke defenses (see what I did there?).

The Sixers – though they started high enough to not drop to the bottom of the rankings – were no exception.

It got me thinking: what's the highest combined point total for an NBA team in a single season, adding up points for and points against? I didn't find that stat with a quick search but I did find that the Pacers are averaging the most points per game of any team in history and are averaging the sixth most against. Got to think we have a shot at the record, whatever it may be.

Point Deity

Tyrese Haliburton is doing things that are simply astonishing. He's averaging basically 25-4-12.5 (2 turnovers) on 54%-44%-93%. His offensive efficiency for how much he has the ball is just damn near perfect.

He's by far the best set up man in the league and he just set the record for most assists in a two-game span with no turnovers (a totally cherrypicked stat but who cares?).

Long live the Tyrese Haliburton era.

Myles Turner, Head Held High

Listen, we all know Embiid is a bad matchup for Turner. Hell, he's a bad matchup for everyone, but Turner especially has struggled with the MVP. Last night – though Embiid gave him fits for three quarters – Turner got one back. Myles took over in the 4th, scoring 15 much needed points that allowed the Pacers to pull away.

Obi Toppin Sighting

Obi Toppin played like many expected he would when the Pacers traded for him. He was a finisher extraordinaire, flying in transition and darting along the baseline to create easy looks for his team.

TJ 4K

McConnell passed 4,000 career points in his home state of PA last night. Congrats to the ultimate competitor.

Discovering Theis' "Personal Reasons"

Daniel Theis did not dress last night on account of personal reasons. As it happens, those reasons are that his contract was getting bought out and he is planning on signing with the Clippers.

It's unclear what the Pacers plan to do with the open roster spot, though reports suggest that the Pacers' scouting department has left no stone unturned in the search for Theis' replacement.

The Sandler signing seems speculative at best, so for now I'll just say: auf Wiedersehen Daniel, good luck in LA!

Nesmith Deep Dive

If you have time, I highly recommend reading this deep dive on Nesmith's growth. It goes into detail with lots of video clips on the drivers of his newfound success.

Finding a Role: Aaron Nesmith | Swish Theory

On July 1st, 2022, Aaron Nesmith had a major change in his outlook. After being a lottery choice by the Boston Celtics and beginning to establish a rotation spot at the end of his sophomore season, he was dealt over the offseason to the Indiana Pacers as part of a package for current Trailblazers gu…

Swish TheoryCharlie Cummings