Posts Tagged ‘frank vogel’

HAWKS AT PACERS, 8 P.M. ET

May 1, 2013  ·  7:15PM

TV: NBA TV

  • Indiana has been on its heels since Atlanta Coach Larry Drew shifted to a big lineup in Game 3 with Johan Petro at center, shifting Josh Smith to small forward (where he’s matched up with Indiana’s Paul George) and Kyle Korver to the bench. The change has neutralized the Pacers’ size advantage up front, energized Smith and frustrated George, who shot 37 percent and committed nine turnovers in the two losses in Atlanta. Drew will continue to go big for Game 5 tonight but wants to increase the tempo. “I’d like to speed it up even more,” he said. “We want to run, attack the rim and get them in an up-and-down match.”
  • The Pacers’ chief trouble spot has been the first bench rotation. Atlanta launched an 18-0 run late in the first quarter of Game 3 and a 22-3 run in the same stretch of Game 4. Indiana Coach Frank Vogel said he has some adjustments “up our sleeve” for Game 5 but declined to offer specifics other than to say there will be “some tinkering” with the second unit. One possibility is replacing the struggling Gerald Green with Sam Young or Orlando Johnson. Indiana’s reserves combined for 39 points on 13-for-52 shooting (.250) in Games 3 and 4.
  • While Atlanta wants to pick up the pace, Indiana needs to regain its defensive command. The Pacers have allowed opponents to score at least 90 points in 12 straight games, including the last eight of the regular season. Indiana was 31-6 when holding opponents to fewer than 90 during the season compared to 18-26 otherwise. “We’ve got to get the three-ball under control, second shots are hurting us and we need to do a better job in transition,” said Vogel.
  • Whichever team has led after the first quarter has won all four games in this series. … Indiana was outscored 111-70 in the first half in Atlanta, 62-35 in the second quarter. … The Pacers have dropped their last 13 games in Atlanta, while the Hawks have lost their last seven postseason road games.

– Conrad Brunner

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HAWKS AT PACERS, 7:30 P.M. ET

April 24, 2013  ·  6:40PM

TV: NBA TV

  • What ailed the Hawks in Game 1 will not be cured by a lineup change. Coach Larry Drew will stick with the same starting five (Jeff Teague, Devin Harris, Kyle Korver, Josh Smith, Al Horford) as in the opener despite Indiana’s dominating performance in a 107-90 victory. “We thought about it,” Drew said, “but decided to go with the same lineup.” Of the NBA-high 29 lineups the Hawks used during the regular season, the current grouping had the most success, going 11-5.
  • Indiana Coach Frank Vogel said Drew’s decision to stick with the same lineup doesn’t mean the Hawks won’t change some things. They could use more zone defense than in Game 1, when they tried it on only a handful of possessions. And Drew could use Dahntay Jones or DeShawn Stevenson earlier off the bench to provide defensive support against Paul George, who had a triple-double in Game 1. “There’s a million things you can adjust without changing lineups,” Vogel said. “I’m sure we’ll see some different looks.”
  • George was the first player since Magic Johnson with the Lakers in 1982 to produce a triple-double with three field goals or less, as he shot 3-for-13 and missed all five of his 3-pointers. “It would be good,” George said, “if my shot goes down.”
  • Atlanta’s Smith missed practice Monday with a mild sprain of his right ankle but returned Tuesday and is expected to start. “I don’t know what the percentage is,” Drew said, “but he was moving around very well (at shootaround) this morning.”
  • Indiana point guard George Hill landed hard on his sore hip in the first quarter of Game 1 and had his practice time monitored but will start once again. Pacers power forward David West limped to the locker room midway through the second period with a mild ankle sprain but returned less than three minutes later and is not listed on the injury report.
  • Indiana’s biggest challenge in Game 2 could be mental, maintaining the edge and intensity that carried them in the opener. There is definite opportunity for a letdown. “We know Game 2 is going to be harder, a tougher game,” George said. “It was a great win, great to start off on the right foot but you really have to throw that game out. You know they’re going to change things, bring a lot of intensity to the game. I know they’ve got to do a better job getting to the line and being physical with us, so we’ve just got to expect more out of them in the next game.”

- Conrad Brunner

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HAWKS AT PACERS, 1 P.M. ET

April 21, 2013  ·  12:27PM

TV: TNT

  • The Hawks will use their fifth different lineup in five games against the Pacers in Game 1 of the first-round playoff series today in Bankers Life Fieldhouse: Jeff Teague at the point, Devin Harris and Kyle Korver at the wings and Josh Smith and Al Horford up front.  That lineup went 11-5 during the regular season. “I wanted to go with what we’ve been best with throughout the season,” Coach Larry Drew said. “Smaller, we’ve been faster, we’ve been quicker. It’s surely something we’ll have to keep an eye on throughout this series because they’re so big, but we’re going to have to be us.”
  • Indiana will have a substantial size advantage up front with 6-9 power forward David West and 7-2 center Roy Hibbert, but could struggle to defend the smaller, quicker Hawks. “It’s not anything you do from a secret standpoint, you just have to go out there and play physical,” Drew said. “We realize we’re going to be giving up some size at certain positions but that doesn’t call for us to go out there and back down. You have to be prepared to play physical basketball come playoff time. That’s just the way it’s always been.”
  • Atlanta’s two wins against the Pacers came with Zaza Pachulia starting at center, but he’s out with a torn Achilles, as is guard Lou Williams (knee). As it has for all but five games this season, Indiana will play without Danny Granger (knee).
  • Though Indiana point guard George Hill struggled with a sore hip and groin late in the regular season, he did not play in the finale and had his practice time restricted, so Coach Frank Vogel said he is close to full strength. “If he doesn’t get banged or tweaked,” Vogel said, “I expect him to be at 100 percent.”
  • Home court is particularly important to the Pacers in this series, because they have an 11-game losing streak in Atlanta that dates back to 2006.
  • Indiana finished the season with five losses in six games and trailed by at least 20 points in each. “We’ve worked to make sure we’re tightening the screws on the things that were hurting us defensively, remind them what we’re capable of when we play with passion,” Vogel said. “We lost five of six but we won five straight before that. It’s part of the ebb and flow of the season.”

– Conrad Brunner

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NETS AT PACERS, 7 P.M. ET

April 12, 2013  ·  6:36PM

TV: League Pass

  • The Nets hope to move a step closer to securing the No. 4 seed while keeping alive their slim hopes of overtaking No. 3 Indiana tonight but will do so without a key starter, as Gerald Wallace will miss the game with a lower left leg contusion. Keith Bogans will start in his place.  “It makes our matchups very tough,” Coach P.J. Carlesimo said. “We’ve got people going to have to defend bigger people or stronger people than they normally defend and we’re a man short. This is the kind of game Gerald usually would play big minutes because we would keep him on Paul (George) or whoever gets going for them.”
  • Indiana (49-29) can clinch the third seed with a victory, but aren’t giving up on the No. 2 seed. They trail the Knicks (51-27) by two games with a head-to-head matchup looming Sunday in New York. “When you’re on a run, there’s always an opportunity to stumble,” Coach Frank Vogel said. “We just want to continue to put ourselves in position, should they stumble, to capitalize on it. We’ve never lost sight of the 2-seed but tonight the focus is the 3-seed.”
  • Brooklyn’s Deron Williams will be the latest matchup challenge for Indiana’s George Hill. In the last three games, opposing point guards Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City), John Wall (Washington) and Kyrie Irving (Cleveland) racked up 90 points on 52 percent shooting against the Pacers, but Vogel said that doesn’t reflect directly on Hill. “When a point guard goes off, it has more to do with our bigs and our team scheme than what we’re doing on the ball,” Vogel said. “It’s never felt to me like, ‘Wow, George is being exposed. I’ll take George over most any point guard in the NBA to defend’.” Williams has averaged 23.2 points and 8.2 assists in the last 18 games.
  • The Nets are 2-0 in the season series in large part because of Indiana’s inability to close games. The Pacers led 75-69 in the first meeting Jan. 13 but were outscored 28-11 in the fourth quarter. In the rematch on Feb. 11, Indiana led 76-72 with 1:38 left in regulation but the Nets forced overtime and then pulled away, 89-84. “The issue we had in those two games were offense-related, more than anything,” Vogel said. “We’ve got to make sure we execute on the offensive end, move the basketball. We’ve been a little bit sluggish on the offensive end the last few games so it’s been a point of emphasis and hopefully we finish strong tonight.”
  • All-Star Paul George has slumped late in the season, averaging 8.0 points on 7-for-31 shooting (.226) in the last three. In the last 10, he has gone 14-for-60 (.233) from the 3-point line. “He had one bad shooting game and when he did that he felt like he had to make up for it and he started forcing and that compounded the issue,” Vogel said. “He’s just got to let the offense come to him.”
  • Ian Mahinmi (ill) and Hill (sore hip/groin) both missed practice Thursday but will play tonight for Indiana.

– Conrad Brunner

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JAZZ AT PACERS, 7 P.M. ET

December 19, 2012  ·  6:15PM

TV: League Pass

  • Finding the right combination off the bench has been a struggle for Indiana Coach Frank Vogel, but the Pacers’ reserves produced 36 points Tuesday in a loss in Milwaukee – their most since mid-November. The Pacers’ bench ranks 25th in scoring (26.1), 27th in field goal percentage (.386) and 30th in 3-point percentage (.286).
  • Tyler Hansbrough has come to life since his younger brother Ben has moved into the second unit rotation. In those four games, the elder Hansbrough has averaged 8.0 points on 63 percent shooting, a marked improvement from his previous averages of 5.9 points on 38 percent shooting. Vogel said the surge is likely coincidental, though “there is the running joke that he’ll make the jump shot if his brother passes it to him,” said the coach.
  • Eastern Conference Player of the Week Paul George is making a run at Player of the Month for December. In eight games since bottoming out with a scoreless night at Golden State, George has averaged 22.6 points, 7.8 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.63 steals and 1.13 blocked shots, shooting 49 percent from the field and 44 percent from the 3-point line. “I put a lot of work in it,” George said, “so I would’ve been upset with myself if I continued to play the same way I played last year.”
  • It’s a reunion week for the Pacers. After facing former teammates Mike Dunleavy and Marquis Daniels in Milwaukee, they see ex-point guards Jamaal Tinsley and Earl Watson with the Jazz tonight. Tinsley has salvaged his career by emerging as a reliable veteran in Utah. “He’s been a great pro, a great teammate,” said coach Ty Corbin. “He does all the little things you need to do to be successful in this league.” Tinsley is averaging 19.3 minutes, 2.9 points and 5.1 assists.

– Conrad Brunner

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CAVALIERS at PACERS, 7 p.m. ET

December 12, 2012  ·  6:27PM

TV: League Pass

  • In an effort to solve his ongoing second-unit problem, Indiana Coach Frank Vogel has opted to double his dosage of Hansbroughs. Ben Hansbrough, the younger brother of Tyler Hansbrough, will replace D.J. Augustin as the backup point guard starting with tonight’s game. “We’ll see what it does for the second unit,” Vogel said. “Maybe a different guy or style of play can change things.” The younger Hansbrough, an undrafted rookie, was the Big East Player of the Year at Notre Dame in 2010-11 and spent last season playing professionally in Europe.
  • One of the team’s touted offseason free-agent pickups, Augustin has been stunningly inept, averaging 13.0 minutes, 3.2 points and 2.3 assists, shooting .266 overall and .213 from the 3-point line. He has career averages of 10.3 points, 4.3 assists, .402 shooting overall and .366 from the arc. His demotion could be short-term but in the meantime Augustin needs to remain engaged while working to find his game. “It’s always a concern how a player is going to handle it when he’s taken out of the rotation,” Vogel said. “He’s got to stay bought-in, he’s got to stay sharp and he’s got to stay confident.”
  • With Kyrie Irving’s return, the Cavs are closing in on having their full complement of players. Irving missed 11 games with a broken left index finger, but came back Tuesday and scored 28 points with 11 assists as Cleveland beat the Lakers 100-94 to snap a four-game losing streak. Cavs Coach Byron Scott said there will be no need to ease Irving back into the flow. “His easing back was last night when I threw him in there,” Scott said. “Once the doctor says you’re OK and you’ve practiced, you’re ready to go.”
  • The Cavs are awaiting those developments for rookie guard Dion Waiters, who will miss his sixth straight game with a left ankle sprain.  Cleveland also will be without reserve guard Omri Casspi (5.2 points, .442 from the 3-point line), who remained at the team hotel with a stomach ailment. Daniel Gibson, listed as a game-time decision with a hyperextended right elbow, said he will play.

– Conrad Brunner

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