Post-Game Grades: Pacers Beat Clippers

The Good – The Pacers never really let this become a game, and oh my goodness are Paul George and Lance Stephenson fun to watch.

The Bad – David West can’t make stupid decisions like he did today. The Pacers won, so it’s not the end of the world, but these are the kind of things that can swing a playoff game.

MVP – Paul George with a side of Lance Stephenson. Holy efficiency.

LVP – J.J. Redick. 4-17 won’t help you win very many games, so give credit to the Indiana wings for making life tough for J.J.

X-Factor – C.J. Watson provided a nice offensive spark off the bench, and was his usual solid self in other aspects.

Defining moment – Paul George’s dunk. All I want is for George and LeBron to compete in the Dunk Competition. Is that too much to ask?

Disagree? Let me know @JrMarkyMark

West was ejected after an almost kind of mini fight with Blake Griffin at the end of the second quarter. Nothing terribly vicious, but West can’t let these kind of things happen in the future. Outside of the ejection, he wasn’t much of a factor.

Paul George, SF

36 MIN | 12-17 FG | 7-7 FT | 6 REB | 2 AST | 3 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 36 PTS | +15

Did you see that dunk? Is that Vince Carter in his prime or Paul George? Can that happen every night? Please? George was great in every aspect. Crazy efficient offensively, good as always defensively, and he brought some flash to a game that was never terribly close or exciting.

Sources: Paul George is good at basketball.

Roy Hibbert, C

26 MIN | 2-11 FG | 0-0 FT | 11 REB | 2 AST | 0 STL | 5 BLK | 2 TO | 4 PTS | +14

Good enough, I guess. Hibbert struggled offensively, but his rim protection was great, as evidenced by the 5 blocked shots. You can live with a 2-11 night once in a while if you’re also getting 11 rebounds and 5 blocks.

George Hill, PG

28 MIN | 2-5 FG | 2-2 FT | 3 REB | 3 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 6 PTS | +6

Chris Paul didn’t play, but Darren Collison is an awfully good backup. Nothing on the box score will amaze you with Hill’s efforts, but he was his typical self on defense. When George and Stephenson are this good, Hill doesn’t have to be a stud.

Lance Stephenson, SG

41 MIN | 8-17 FG | 6-7 FT | 12 REB | 7 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 4 TO | 22 PTS | +12

You know Stephenson wanted the triple double, but he fell just a few assists short.He may have been outdone by Paul George, but Lance was still great. His court vision was particularly fun to watch tonight, and his effort running through screens on defense against J.J. Redick is much appreciated.

Luis Scola, PF

15 MIN | 2-5 FG | 4-4 FT | 4 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 8 PTS | +13

How nice is it to have a guy like Scola on the bench when West gets ejected?He clearly needed a lot of help guarding Blake Griffin, but Scola did enough to keep Blake in check.

Chris Copeland, SF

2 MIN | 1-1 FG | 0-0 FT | 0 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 1 BLK | 0 TO | 3 PTS | -4

Garbage time, but HEY HE SHOT 100% FROM THREE!

Danny Granger, SF

27 MIN | 4-13 FG | 2-2 FT | 4 REB | 2 AST | 0 STL | 1 BLK | 0 TO | 12 PTS | +16

Granger struggled from the field, but it was awesome to watch him guard Blake after West got ejected. By no means should he be a good cover on one of the league’s most athletic big men, but Granger fought defensively and had that look of determination in his eyes. He’s not the man on this team anymore, but it’s awesome to watch him embrace his role and do whatever is asked of him.

Ian Mahinmi, C

20 MIN | 0-0 FG | 0-0 FT | 2 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 1 BLK | 1 TO | 0 PTS | +6

In typical Mahinmi fashion, he provided a big body and some rim protection while Hibbert got some rest, and not much else.

Donald Sloan, PG

2 MIN | 0-0 FG | 0-0 FT | 0 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 0 PTS | -4

Garbage time.

C.J. Watson, PG

21 MIN | 5-8 FG | 0-0 FT | 2 REB | 1 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 11 PTS | +11

Very nice game from Watson. Much like Scola, he’s a great guy to have on the bench. Such a luxury.

Orlando Johnson, SG

3 MIN | 0-1 FG | 0-0 FT | 2 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 0 PTS | -4

Garbage time.

Rasual Butler, SG

3 MIN | 0-1 FG | 0-0 FT | 0 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 0 PTS | -4

Garbage time.

Frank Vogel

Didn’t have to do a whole lot, but putting Granger on Blake Griffin was an interesting strategy. Scola couldn’t guard him, so at least making Blake defend out to the perimeter on Granger was a solid move. Playing Granger at power forward situationally might be something Vogel looks to do in the future in preparation for the Miami Heat.Could have gone to Hack-a-Jordan if the game was close, but there was no need. Plus, who wants to watch that?

Three Things We Saw

1. Paul George is so much fun. From buzzer beaters to spectacular dunks, this guy is great. He brings it on both ends of the floor every single night, and you don’t have to be a fan of the team to root for him.
2. Danny Granger played some power forward, and held his own against Blake Griffin. Hopefully David West won’t continue to get ejected, but this is a nice wrinkle in Indiana’s rotation.
3. Wow, the Clippers need a quality backup big man. It’s times like this that you really appreciate Luis Scola.