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Open thread: Regular season game 7


The essentials:
Pacers (3-4) at Wizards (1-5)
7 p.m.
Verizon Center
CSN

This year:
October 31: Pacers 119, Wizards 110 (OT).

Last year:
November 8: Wizards 117, Pacers 91.
March 14: Wizards 112, Pacers 96.
April 18: Wizards 98, Pacers 95.

Notable Pacers numbers this season (pound the salt):
16th in expected winning percentage (.433).
4th in pace factor (98.1 possessions per game).
23rd in offensive efficiency/offensive rating (100.5).
11th in defensive efficiency/defensive rating (102.4).

Notable Pacers numbers last season
21st in expected winning percentage (.398).
9th in pace factor (91.1 posessions per game).
30th in offensive efficiency/offensive rating (104.2).
11th in defensive efficiency/defensive rating (107.7).

Key links
Indy Cornrows.
Pacers Pulse
Pacers Pulse: Pacers need to play full 48 minutes
Ivan blogs about practice, Eddie Jordan, and Tom Thibodeau
Bill Simmons makes no sense (this is a future post)
Indy Cornrows blog preview.
Pacers Pulse blog preview.
Competition discussion: Indiana

Starting lineups:

Pacers
PG: Jamaal Tinsley
SG: Mike Dunleavy
SF: Danny Granger
PF: Troy Murphy
C: Jermaine O'Neal

Wizards
PG: Gilbert Arenas
SG: DeShawn Stevenson
SF: Caron Butler
PF: Antawn Jamison
C: Brendan Haywood

Tonight's lines:
Pacers at Wizards: Wizards by 5
Over/Under on Big 3 scoring: 61.5 points.

As mentioned yesterday, the schedule really opens up for the rest of the month.  Our next seven opponents are a combined 12-27, so if we can't win get back to .500 by the end of this stretch, we really are a worse team than we thought.

There's really no excuse for not winning tonight.  Indiana's reeling, having lost four straight, and is on the second game of a back to back after being drilled by the Celtics at home last night.  Jim O'Brien's up-tempo offense has crumbled a bit against tougher opponents, and guys like Mike Dunleavy are falling back to earth.  Jermaine O'Neal is back, but he's been his overrated self, averaging just 13.2 points and 8 rebounds per game while shooting 39 percent from the field.  Simply put, he's no longer an impact player, and I'd argue he hurts the Pacers now because he slows them down.

The reason the Wizards lost the first game was that they couldn't cut off the three-point line or stop Jamaal Tinsley in the fourth quarter.  Those have to be the points of emphasis, especially with Tinsley.  Gilbert's gotta devote energy to the defensive end and let Caron Butler do more offensively, especially if Mike Dunleavy is guarding him.

Transition defense will also be key.  Indiana, under O'Brien, has become a team that runs for three pointers, not layups.  Guys absolutely have to be cognizant of that, so don't sink as far into the paint as normally.  

Offensively, I think we'll be fine, so long as the shot selection improves.  O'Neal is a defensive presence, but he's not as good as he used to be, and we did a fine job driving to the rim in games O'Neal played last year.  Gilbert can't do as much as he did in the first Indiana game; Jamison, Butler, and the rest have to play better.

But seriously, this just has to be a win.  If it's not, we have problems.

This is an open game thread, so recall here when giants Rik Smith and Gheorghe Muresan used to match up against each other.

GO WIZARDS!

0 recs | Comment 26 comments

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Display:

Picks
Pacers
Over

What is Ivan blogging about? (Hopes someone gets the joke and runs with it)

Bullets Forever: Your place for the very latest in Wizards news and PhD-level analysis.

by JakeTheSnake on Nov 14, 2007 3:02 PM EST   0 recs

Come Back, Harvey
What the Wizards wouldn't give right now for the low-block stylings of Harvey Grant.
svpstyle.com

by ScottVanPeltStyle on Nov 14, 2007 3:40 PM EST   0 recs

Hot Shot Harvey
Classic picture. Who would've guarded Harvey on the other end? Steve Stipanovich? Wayman Tisdale? Please.

p.s. Wayman's web site (http://www.waymantisdale.com/) is as smooth as his game ever was.

by jvflail on Nov 14, 2007 3:54 PM EST to parent up   0 recs

wiz, over
and the reason the wizards lost the first game is b/c they couldn't sink their free throws.

If Mike Dunleavy lights us up like he did last time, my sense of childlike wonder will officially have been crushed forever.

by sierradave on Nov 14, 2007 3:49 PM EST   0 recs

Wizards, Over
Lets hope Eddie starts restricting Gilby's minutes - I'm thinking about 35 mins tonight.
The Washington Wizards: providing career scoring nights for unknown opposing bench players since 2004.

by mamemimo on Nov 14, 2007 4:32 PM EST   0 recs

Hey, not to be picky, but...
Shouldn't I be 1-1 in Games on the side there? I picked the Nets to win. Unfortunately they did.
The Washington Wizards: providing career scoring nights for unknown opposing bench players since 2004.

by mamemimo on Nov 14, 2007 4:36 PM EST   0 recs

But they only won by 2
You're picking against the spread, not the games itself.  I believe the spread was 5 or 6.
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.

by Pradamaster on Nov 14, 2007 7:35 PM EST to parent up   0 recs

I did not know that.
Maybe I should check what the spread is before I make a prediction.
The Washington Wizards: providing career scoring nights for unknown opposing bench players since 2004.

by mamemimo on Nov 15, 2007 1:12 AM EST to parent up   0 recs

Oh yeah
Don't forget the Wizards are retiring Earl Monroe's number tonight.
Bullets Forever: Your place for the very latest in Wizards news and PhD-level analysis.

by JakeTheSnake on Nov 14, 2007 5:18 PM EST   0 recs

wizards, over
i'll give the prognostication game a shot.

by DarrellWalkerFan on Nov 14, 2007 5:35 PM EST   0 recs

Wiz, Under
I'm hoping for some solid bench production.

by Aldo on Nov 14, 2007 6:40 PM EST   0 recs

Tuff Juice looks great
It's like he's the December, 2006 Tuff Juice.
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.

by Pradamaster on Nov 14, 2007 7:37 PM EST   0 recs

Blatche has to shot fake there
Granger should not have stuffed him.
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.

by Pradamaster on Nov 14, 2007 7:47 PM EST   0 recs

Gilbert
First half: A good sign, methinks.

by crucifictorious on Nov 14, 2007 8:16 PM EST   0 recs

Great half
I like the "big 3 plus tall 2" lineup that they showed to end the quarter.  Putting Blatche and Brendan out there together provides some real defensive presence while still leaving us with all the offensive weapons.

And yeah, 20 points on the half for Gilbert.  I remember those days...

by sierradave on Nov 14, 2007 8:24 PM EST   0 recs

I remember those days too...
Things were so different back then.  The Bulls and Heat actually won games.  Isiah and Steph were (relatively) model citizens.  The Wizards played a 7-foot woman at center.  

by crucifictorious on Nov 14, 2007 8:41 PM EST to parent up   0 recs

and the wizards' defense
didn't force opponents into multiple 24-second violations...

First dominant game of the season.  Never seen the defense look this solid.

by sierradave on Nov 14, 2007 9:01 PM EST to parent up   0 recs

I think I remember those days
Do you think KG is ever going to get traded out of Minnesota?  Not in this lifetime!
Bullets Forever: Your place for the very latest in Wizards news and PhD-level analysis.

by JakeTheSnake on Nov 14, 2007 9:02 PM EST to parent up   0 recs

OMG
Jamison just D'ed up!  Jamison just D'ed up!

Jake... someone... It was at 9:40 or so in the 4th quarter.  WE.  NEED.  YOUTUBE.

by sierradave on Nov 14, 2007 9:03 PM EST   0 recs

Good game by Wiz
Wiz led comfortably throughout.  I think the Pacers had 5 assists total tonight.  Wow.

by Aldo on Nov 14, 2007 9:26 PM EST   0 recs

No minus
Mason had the low +/-: +1

And Gilbert can have 3 TOs if he keeps getting 11 assists.

by thebigc1982 on Nov 14, 2007 10:48 PM EST   0 recs

Yeah
Gil was awesome tonight.
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.

by Pradamaster on Nov 14, 2007 10:57 PM EST to parent up   0 recs

rotation
I didnt get to see the game but it sounds like it went well.  Im curious as to what lineups eddie was throwing out there.  Haywood, butler, arenas, and jamison all got near 35-40 minutes and stevenson, butler, daniels, and blatche got 20-25.  Sounds like they played blatche and haywood together sometimes(and it worked!), when did eddie put songaila in?  

by Wooz on Nov 14, 2007 11:04 PM EST   0 recs

with Blatche
sometimes you saw Blatche, Daniels, and Songalia.  Sometimes Daniels wasn't in there with them.

Most interesting lineup was definitely the big 3 plus Blatche and Haywood.  That had Caron playing shooting guard, essentially, which meant you had jamison playing small forward and Blatche playing his natural position of power forward.  He was an absolute defensive force against Jermaine O'Neal, and the twin towers effect with him and Haywood is something we haven't seen since Kwame was here and in the midst of one of his rare good streaks.

by sierradave on Nov 15, 2007 12:21 AM EST to parent up   0 recs

reply
hearing that blatche and haywood played well together is very encouraging.  If they both had good but not great years playing together, theyd still be one of the top frontcourts in the east.  

by Wooz on Nov 15, 2007 5:01 PM EST to parent up   0 recs

Nick Young...
...had better start taking some of Mason's minutes, at least by midseason. Mason really doesn't seem to do much except shoot threes most of the time. There are a few nights when he's on, but there are nights like tonight when's he nothing more than a body on the court.
The Washington Wizards: providing career scoring nights for unknown opposing bench players since 2004.

by mamemimo on Nov 15, 2007 1:15 AM EST   0 recs

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