Instant Coffee: Pacers Force Game 7 and Grant Hill Retirement

Instant Coffee: Pacers Force Game 7 and Grant Hill Retirement

EquiposPlayoffsNBA13_1280_1366132958397_38142_ver1.0_1280_720

The Pacers outplayed the Heat in the first half of Game 6 and were still down 1 at home at halftime. At that point, I was thinking they were in danger of another 3rd quarter explosion from Lebron James like Game 5. Instead, the Pacers went on an explosion of their own in the third and outscored the Heat 29 to 15. The Pacers made some bonehead turnovers at the end of the third and early in the fourth quarters that allowed the Heat to go on a run to cut the lead to 4 but the Pacers made the plays they needed to make down the stretch. Emerging superstar Paul George has stepped up big time in this series and made some big shots to stall the Heat run.

The Pacers have really outplayed the Heat for most of the series. It is only due to the greatness of Lebron James that the Pacers have not already won the series. Lebron got absolutely no help from his teammates again in Game 6. Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh combined for 15 points. It is shocking that those 2 All-Stars appear overmatched as it has turned the big three into a one man show. The Pacers also made the adjustments they needed to hold Udonis Haslem scoreless and shut down the rest of the role players. Lebron James will show up in Game 7. He will need a Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, and a couple of the other role players to follow his lead or the Heat’s season will crash and burn. The good news is that they are at home and role players are usually more comfortable and play better at home.

The Pacers need to keep on doing what they are doing in Game 7. The Heat do not match well against them. The Pacers front line is completely overwhelming the Heat. The Pacers back court has been inconsistent. There is a direct correlation between how well George Hill and Lance Stephenson play and wins. However, they do not have to have great games. They only need to have decent ones. If the backcourt does its job and Paul George continues to play like a superstar, the Pacers have a great chance of winning Game 7. On defense, the Pacers need to continue to stop Lebron’s supporting cast. It is impossible to stop Lebron but it is clear that the Pacers can stop the rest of his team.

This series reminds me of the 1998 Eastern Conference Finals between the Bulls and the Pacers. The series went back and forth and culminated in an intense Game 7. In that series, the Pacers had a big lead in the second quarter and a 5 point lead late in the fourth before the Jordan led Bulls came back late to take it. I can see a similar Game 7 occurring in this series where the Pacers will have the Heat on the ropes a couple of times and Lebron will have to lead his team back. Regardless of the result in Game 7, expect more Michael Jordan comparisons afterwards on Sportscenter. I will also note a couple of things about the current version of the Pacers compared to the 1998 Pacers. They are both tough teams. The 1998 Pacers were deeper but they did not have a player as good as Paul George who could go head to head with another team’s superstar in every aspect of the game. Reggie Miller is one of the greatest clutch shooters in history but he did not nearly have the athleticism or defensive prowess that George possesses. George can be the difference in what happens in this series.

I can definitely see the Pacers winning Game 7. However, I will give a slight edge to the Heat as they still have the best player in the sport in Lebron James and playing at home. Either way, it is a must watch Game 7.

Quick Thoughts on Grant Hill

If you missed the TNT pre-game show, you missed Grant Hill retiring from the NBA. When I heard him make the announcement, I had the following thoughts:

Hill is one of the greatest college basketball players of all time as he carried his team to 3 Final Fours and 2 Championships. The highlight of his pass to Christian Laettner to beat the Kentucky Wildcats en route to their second of back to back championships will forever be played during the NCAA Tournament. He was drafted by the Detroit Pistons and quickly established himself as a superstar in the NBA. He could do it all with scoring, rebounds, assists, and steals. The first 6 years of his career were spectacular. I looked up those stats and they were even greater than I actually remembered.

In his 6th and final year in Detroit, he injured his ankle and decided to come back early to try to help his team in the playoffs. Tim Duncan also had a serious injury at the end of that season. Instead of trying to come back early like Hill, Duncan sat out and made sure he was healthy. Based on the great career Duncan has had and the championships the Spurs have won, he obviously made the correct decision. Unfortunately for Hill, he did not make the same decision and was never the same after the injury.

When Hill was a free agent, Tim Duncan and Tracy McGrady were also free agents. One of the rumors that offseason was that all 3 would team up to create a superteam, similar to what the Miami Heat eventually did. Duncan ended up staying in San Antonio. Nevertheless, we were robbed of Hill’s brilliance too early due to that injury. We were also denied the opportunity to see how good Grant Hill and Tracy McGrady could have been in their primes. During his announcement, he also told the TNT crew that he regret coming back too early from injury and it is the reason he advises Derrick Rose to only come back when he is ready.

We will never know how great Grant Hill’s career could have been. However, we do know how great he was at the beginning. We also know that he is a man of great character as he has always shown class and fought hard to come back as an NBA player to play 17 years when he could have packed it in a long time ago with the money he made and the injury he sustained.

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>