Early in the second half last night, Deron Williams did just about everything a ball-handler can do to paralyze an entire team’s defense. He maneuvered around the Pacers’ attempt to defend the Nets pick-and-roll like Baryshnikov, drawing both defenders and freezing every other Indiana player into an awed trance. The whole lane opens up for Sheldon Williams and D-Will delivers a perfect player. Then, Sheldon Williams does exactly what you might expect a guy who had 0 points, 3 turnovers and 5 fouls in 23 minutes to do: throw up all over his damn self.
The above play is essentially the mathematical inverse of this one. And of note is the fact that my favorite part about both plays is a two-handed power-dribble. Paul George uses his to set up a coiling action that allows him to better spin and delivery his fury. Sheldon uses his to display his earned disgust with himself after the play is blown dead due to his embarrassing turnover.
I know what you’re thinking: everyone plays great against the Nets. While that may be true, seriously, Paul George plays great against the Nets. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, no player has shot better against any other NBA team this year than George has against the Nets.
Last night, reports Elias, “Paul George shot 8-for-11 from the field, scoring a career-high 24 points for the Pacers in their 106-99 home win over the Nets. On January 2, George shot 8-for-10 against New Jersey in his only other 20-point game of the season. George’s .762 field-goal percentage (16-for-21) against the Nets is the highest by any player against any team this season (minimum: 15 field goals made). The next-best percentage belongs to Gerald Wallace, who is 17-for-23 (.739) against the Kings.”
Another guy who tends to play well against the Nets is Dahntay Jones. He was effective, if not a standout, last night on 3-for-6 shooting for 6 points, but on January 2 in New Jersey, the state where he is from, he scored 11 points on 5-for-6 shooting. Moreover, last season, he scored his season-high 18 points on 7-for-10 in Newark.
I think every NBA player has a good feeling when they wake up and see that the Nets are on their schedule that night. But these two guys seem to have that extra bounce in their step even.
Anthony Morrow caught fire and nearly ruined a second half that looked like it was en route to blow-out city. Morrow hit 3 threes on his way to 15 fourth-quarter points, but it’s hard to really kill the Pacers too much for that. Dude got hot. It happens. Fortunately, they stayed poised at a time that would have likely been a choke job in year’s past. D-Will, who scored 34 points on 20 shots, also notably got the refs on his side after getting a tech. And on a night during which Johan Petro made 3 jump shots, Indiana missed 10 free-throws.
No one is going to bake any cookies for a rested 13-and-6 team that beat the New Jersey Nets at home. Not saying this is anything to get excited about. For this team, if they are actually as good as a lot of people think they might be, this game was simply a day at the office. Beat a terrible team and fly to Minnesota. But individually, most everyone played well and the team built enough of a cushion that even the combination of some in-game oddities (Petro making anything), a rash of 50/50 calls going toward New Jersey (after Deron complained his way into a technical), a superstar playing like one (D-Will beasting) and a hot hand (Morrow) still weren’t enough to do anything but give Frank Vogel some heartburn.
They let New Jersey back in it, and that’s no good. But they clamped down on defense when the game was on the line — the Nets only scored 2 points in the final 2:28 — and finally got just enough points to leave the building without hating themselves. With all the Super Bowl distractions, I’m not sure we could expect these guys to be well-oiled in a game that was tough to get up for. But they won even when they couldn’t score in the fourth (they went 5 minutes in the middle of the quarter without putting a point on the board) or make many free-throws. Ugly? Yup. A win? Yup.
On to the next one.
Here is how each guy played individually tonight. Agree? Disagree? Express your thoughts below in the comments or yell at me (@8pts9secs) or Tim (@TimDonahue8p9s) on Twitter.
David West -34 MIN | 3-4 FG | 5 REB | 4 AST | 5 TO | 6 PTS Statistically weak night for West, as he had as many TOs as he did rebounds to go with 6 pts against a front-line of ex-Mr. Kardashian and the Williamses Sheldon & Shawne.
Danny Granger - 41 MIN | 6-15 FG | 9-9 FT | 7 REB | 5 AST | 21 PTS The FG% may upset those who didn’t watch but 1 miss was at the end of a shot clock, 1 was a long pull-up to end a quarter and 1 was a missed layup in traffic that he recovered to earn FTs. Also dove out of bounds to get his team another key possession late. Another excellent outing.
Roy Hibbert -32 MIN | 7-12 FG | 14 REB | 5 TO | 18 PTS Roy is probably going to be an All-Star. His mid-lane post-ups were torture for NJ and his work protecting the rim was stand-out. Got flushed on by DWill but swatted a Humpries dunk and two Deron layups.
Darren Collison -23 MIN | 2-7 FG | 4-5 FT | 3 AST | 8 PTS Screw the numbers, this guy controlled the offense. He is really getting a feel for how to run a team and it was on full display all night, initiating sets that led to movement and points.
Paul George -33 MIN | 8-11 FG (4-6 3PT) | 4 REB | 24 PTS Best offensive game of his career? The best highlight dunk in Pacers history? Either way, he couldn’t miss and his 3-point stroke was soaking wet. Stripped Deron late with clutch D also.
Dahntay Jones -12 MIN | 3-6 FG | 0 REB | 2 AST | 6 PTS This guy is slowly finding his role and has oddly morphed from a dude who was signed as a defensive specialist into a dude who can make things happen in the half-court off the bench. Will need that sans Hill.
Louis Amundson -9 MIN | 4-4 FG | 4 REB | 1 AST | 9 PTS Didn’t miss on 4 FGAs, and he notably made a slick outlet to Danny right after George’s leak-out dunk, but Granger bobbled it off his leg. Would have repaid the favor, as Danny fed him for a layup on the break earlier.
George Hill -24 MIN | 1-5 FG | 2 REB | 3 AST | 2 PTS Who cares about this game now? We now know he has a “chip fracture” in his left ankle, whatever that means. Out indefinitely. Bad news for a team whose second unit was just re-discovering itself.
Tyler Hansbrough -21 MIN | 3-7 FG | 4-6 FT | 3 REB | 10 PTS 10 points on 7 shots will do. He wasn’t as productive on the glass as you would like in 21 mins, but he put the ball in the hoop and got to the line. After a rough stretch not so long ago, that’s what you want to see.
Lance Stephenson – SG12 MIN | 1-2 FG | 2 REB | 5 AST | 2 PTS Two All-Star-level passes: the perfect over-the-top outlet to hit Paul George in stride for the dunk and a little no-look dump-off across the lane to Amundson. This kid has a ton of talent.
Great pass by Lance Stephenson to find a streaking-like-Victor-Cruz Paul George to put the exclamation point on a wonderful third quarter by the Pacers. George does the rest, catching the outlet in stride, taking one power dribble (which really ties the dunk together) before turning his back to the rim with disdain while bringing he ball down so he can better unleash some spring-loaded fury on the rim. Wowzers.
