Now two games into the NBA postseason, two changes are obvious for more Pacers success.
One, Paul George needs some assistance offensively. And two, the Pacers need to minimize the impact of Raptors center Jonas Valanciunas, a player who looks like an All-NBA guy in this series.
George was the storyline after the Pacers’ road win in Game 1 Saturday afternoon. It was his first postseason game since a serious compound leg fracture, and he took full control in the second half.
Paul George is having to do it all in the series, lead the team in scoring and keep Toronto’s top scorer in check.
He tried to do the same Monday night, but he was all they had. George led all scorers for the second straight game, scoring 11 of his 28 in that third period.
“Just making it easy, not forcing it,” George said of his offensive success.
Over the final two quarters, the other four starters managed eight points. EIGHT.
George Hill missed both of his shots, Monta Ellis was 1-for-4 with three points, and Lavoy Allen made a field goal. Even Ian Mahinmi, who was limited because of foul trouble initially and back soreness ultimately, hit three free throws for three points in only five second-half minutes.
In addition to George’s 33 on Saturday, he had four teammates reach double figures in the win. On Monday, though, a 98-87 win for the Raptors inside the Air Canada Centre, only Monta Ellis did. He had 15.
The winning formula also included success from distance. They made 11-of-21 tries and outscored the Raptors by 21 points form range on Saturday. But not in Game 2.
The Pacers connected on four of their 20 3-point attempts while allowing five 3s.
Their perimeter defense has been good. They’ve been good in pick-and-rolls, and maintained extended pressure. For instance, the Raptors had the fifth-best 3-point percentage in The Association during the regular season at 37 percent. However, in this matchup, they’re at 24 percent and no player has made more than two in a game.
The difference has undoubtedly been in the paint, where Valanciunas has won his battles. No, he’s dominated his battles.
This fourth-year Lithuanian averaged almost 13 points and nine rebounds per game during the regular season. He’s bullied his way in the lane, kept plays alive and created extra possessions. He’s been good for an average of 17.5 points and 17 rebounds per game through two games.
“He’s been huge — literally,” PG said of JV. “We’re doing a good job on Kyle (Lowry) and DeMar (DeRozan) but the third guy, Valanciunas, has stepped up. He’s what’s causing us the problems right now and we got to figure it out. Playoffs are all about adjustments and we got to figure out Valanciunas out.
“That’s where we got to help out bigs, At the same time, they got to work. It’s not going to be easy, they got to work and come ready to work against him.”
[Quotable: Pacers and Raptors after Game 2]
As Paul said, DeRozan, who scored 10, hasn’t been a factor on the offensive side of the floor. DeRozan’s a two-time NBA All-Star who averaged a team-high 24 points per game during the regular season. And he has yet to get in any kind of grove. He’s thrown up 37 shots and seen 10 go in, and he’s missed all five 3-point attempts.
So now the Pacers return home for the next two games in what is now a five-game series. They won their first regular-season home meeting by 16 points and lost the second by six in an extra session.
They do have home-court advantage, thanks to that Game 1 win, 100-90. But for Indiana to pile up several more wins in the series, they need to play Valanciunas tough. The most difficult thing he’s battled is foul trouble in both games, in part due to Solomon Hill’s feistiness off the bench.
Ian Mahinmi has a sore lower back and hasn’t looked his active self yet in the series. His backup, rookie Myles Turner, landed hard on his back but did return on Monday. It’s not an easy assignment, no, but they need to be more physical with him, and put a body on him more often to keep him from getting easy put-backs.
Consider, Valancinuas has five offensive rebounds while the entire Pacers team had six. In each game, the Raptors have finished +16 in the paint.
Perhaps getting an early lead is one thing that would help, as JV is not a great jump-shooter — he really doesn’t like to move away from the paint — and the Raptors would then need to lean on their backcourt duo of Lowry and DeRozan.
George has gotten his and he’s done so at an effective 54 percent (20-for-37). But he needs a little help, ya know?
“There’s no stopping Paul George,” said Kyle Lowry, he finished with 18 points, nine assists, and seven rebounds. “He’s going to get 25, 30. We just have to make it a little more difficult for him.”
As the unofficial spokesman of the team, George offered a realistic view following their Game 2 loss. They’re not satisfied with splitting the first two games, they’re disappointed because they were right there in the third quarter and let it slip away. Take both games, and the Raptors are down … and just about out.
“I’m upset about this one,” said George. “Usually you walk away from a trip 1-1 and feel good about it, but I’m kind of upset about this one because a lot of stuff that we gave up tonight was preventable. The game was setup the same way (as in) Game 1 for us to rally back and win this game but we weren’t tied in, I think our focus was lost, and we gave up some plays that we really shouldn’t of. They outworked us.
“That’s everything that we can control and we didn’t do so tonight.”
It’s clear where the Pacers go from here. Work to get George some assistance and keep the Raptors’ No. 3 guy in check.
[…] upset about this one,” Pacers forward Paul George said, via VigilantSports.com. “Usually you walk away from a trip 1-1 and feel good about it, but I’m kind of upset about […]