Post-Game Grades: Pacers Beat the Cavs For Real For Real This Time

The Pacers came out flat and it was kind of hilarious how badly they were playing. I believe they had 19 points after the first 17 minutes. Really ugly stuff against probably the worst team in the team not run by the greatest player of all time. (Without Kyrie anyway.)

But then they woke up and blew the game open in the third quarter. You can focus on the beginning or the end. The end is what matters. The fact is that good teams playing at home should dismantle bad teams. That’s what Indiana did. That outcome can, and does, occur in many ways throughout the rigors of an NBA season. But not even the 1996 Bulls beat all the teams they were supposed to beat wire-to-wire.

Just be happy with the final score and hope they do it again tomorrow in Brat City.

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,22 MIN \| 4-7 FG \| 2-2 FT \| 6 REB \| 1 AST \| 10 PTS Highly efficient if not uber-productive. But Jawed his way into a double technical with Tristan Thompson, which came right as Indiana started to pull away with a 19-5 run to open the 3rd, during which West scored 6 of his pts.
	Danny Granger, 7-15 FG \| 3-3 FT \| 4 REB \| 3 AST \| 3 TO \| 18 PTS Torched the 3rd quarter, scoring 9 of his 18 during an under-3-min stretch as the Pacers took the Cavs behind the woodshed. Wasn’t needed after that.
	Roy Hibbert, 25 MIN \| 6-10 FG \| 0-0 FT \| 10 REB \| 2 AST \| 12 PTS 12 pts on 10 shots works and he is becoming increasingly present in the paint. Blocked a few shots and changed a few others while grabbing misses at a 14.4-per-36-min rate. For the uninitiated, that’s more than Love and Dwight average.
	George Hill, 26 MIN \| 4-11 FG \| 5-5 FT \| 4 REB \| 7 AST \| 15 PTS You could mention that he missed 7 shots but that would be nit-picking. Hit enough 3s and FTs for that not to matter and racked up dimes while grabbing some boards and only turning it over once.
	Paul George, SG 21 MIN \| 0-6 FG \| 0-0 FT \| 1 REB \| 1 AST \| 0 PTS Yuck.

	Dahntay Jones, SG 22 MIN \| 1-6 FG \| 1-2 FT \| 1 REB \| 3 AST \| 3 PTS Good thing they didn’t need his help.
	Leandro Barbosa, 24 MIN \| 5-8 FG \| 2 REB \| 4 AST \| 13 PTS Right on.
	Louis Amundson, C 16 MIN \| 3-5 FG \| 9 REB \| 0 AST \| 6 PTS Thems a many rebounds. 20.25 per 36 for Lou. Though garbage time makes it easier, eh?
	A.J. Price, G 22 MIN \| 2-8 FG \| 0-0 FT \| 4 REB \| 2 AST \| 4 PTS Sure.
	Tyler Hansbrough, 4-10 FG \| 8-8 FT \| 1 REB \| 3 STL \| 16 PTS Getting it done. Get a board though.
	Jeff Pendergraph, F 3 MIN \| 1-1 FG \| 1-2 FT \| 2 REB \| 3 PTS Classic Pendergraph.
	Kyrylo Fesenko, C 7 MIN \| 0-1 FG \| 2-4 FT \| 3 REB \| 0 AST \| 2 PTS FESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS. He is now officially a Pacer.
	Lance Stephenson, SG 3 MIN \| 0-2 FG \| 1 REB \| 0 AST \| 0 PTS Wasn’t really paying attention at the end. What color shoes did he have on? Adjust the C grade accordingly depending upon the answer to that question.

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	David West,22 MIN \| 4-7 FG \| 2-2 FT \| 6 REB \| 1 AST \| 10 PTS Highly efficient if not uber-productive. But Jawed his way into a double technical with Tristan Thompson, which came right as Indiana started to pull away with a 19-5 run to open the 3rd, during which West scored 6 of his pts.
	Danny Granger, 7-15 FG \| 3-3 FT \| 4 REB \| 3 AST \| 3 TO \| 18 PTS Torched the 3rd quarter, scoring 9 of his 18 during an under-3-min stretch as the Pacers took the Cavs behind the woodshed. Wasn’t needed after that.
	Roy Hibbert, 25 MIN \| 6-10 FG \| 0-0 FT \| 10 REB \| 2 AST \| 12 PTS 12 pts on 10 shots works and he is becoming increasingly present in the paint. Blocked a few shots and changed a few others while grabbing misses at a 14.4-per-36-min rate. For the uninitiated, that’s more than Love and Dwight average.
	George Hill, 26 MIN \| 4-11 FG \| 5-5 FT \| 4 REB \| 7 AST \| 15 PTS You could mention that he missed 7 shots but that would be nit-picking. Hit enough 3s and FTs for that not to matter and racked up dimes while grabbing some boards and only turning it over once.
	Paul George, SG 21 MIN \| 0-6 FG \| 0-0 FT \| 1 REB \| 1 AST \| 0 PTS Yuck.

	Dahntay Jones, SG 22 MIN \| 1-6 FG \| 1-2 FT \| 1 REB \| 3 AST \| 3 PTS Good thing they didn’t need his help.
	Leandro Barbosa, 24 MIN \| 5-8 FG \| 2 REB \| 4 AST \| 13 PTS Right on.
	Louis Amundson, C 16 MIN \| 3-5 FG \| 9 REB \| 0 AST \| 6 PTS Thems a many rebounds. 20.25 per 36 for Lou. Though garbage time makes it easier, eh?
	A.J. Price, G 22 MIN \| 2-8 FG \| 0-0 FT \| 4 REB \| 2 AST \| 4 PTS Sure.
	Tyler Hansbrough, 4-10 FG \| 8-8 FT \| 1 REB \| 3 STL \| 16 PTS Getting it done. Get a board though.
	Jeff Pendergraph, F 3 MIN \| 1-1 FG \| 1-2 FT \| 2 REB \| 3 PTS Classic Pendergraph.
	Kyrylo Fesenko, C 7 MIN \| 0-1 FG \| 2-4 FT \| 3 REB \| 0 AST \| 2 PTS FESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS. He is now officially a Pacer.
	Lance Stephenson, SG 3 MIN \| 0-2 FG \| 1 REB \| 0 AST \| 0 PTS Wasn’t really paying attention at the end. What color shoes did he have on? Adjust the C grade accordingly depending upon the answer to that question.