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Roy Hibbert: Doing the Dirty Work as Pacers Keep Streaking

By William Furr

Mar 6, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Chicago Bulls center Pau Gasol (16) takes a shot against Indiana Pacers center Roy Hibbert (55) at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 6, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Chicago Bulls center Pau Gasol (16) takes a shot against Indiana Pacers center Roy Hibbert (55) at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Indiana Pacers went 4-0 in week 19, beating the hapless New York Knicks to twice in three days apart (105-82 in Indianapolis and 92-86 in New York), putting down the tanktastic Philadelphia 76ers 94-74 at Banker’s Life Fieldhouse, and downing the injury-riddled Chicago Bulls 98-84 at home as well.

This was a home heavy week for the Blue and Gold (three of four at home) and featured two terrible teams (one of them twice) and an reeling “contender,” but an undefeated week is good for business regardless.

Let’s take a look at what we learned in week 19!

The Indiana Pacers Remain HOT 

One would think the Indiana Pacers could get used to this kind of winning again. The good guys have won 11 of their last 13 games, and currently hold down the 8th seed.

The Pacers were +63 as a team last week, winning by an average margin of (roughly) 16 points per game. In the one game they were ever really in danger of losing (the Knicks game in New York), the Pacers “flipped the switch” in the fourth quarter and made plays seemingly at will to finish the game out.

  • Roy Hibbert finished his three-game week (he rested against the Knicks in Indiana) +48.
  • Super reserve Luis Scola continued to not act his age and finished +37.
  • Rodney Stuckey hasn’t stopped shooting in a month and clocked in at +40.
  • George Hill looks like “IUPUI Mode” is permanently engaged.

This is a team gelling and looking better each game, and making a move at the right time.

Roy Hibbert is Doing the Dirty Work

Roy Hibbert took a game off for rest purposes last week, but in the other three games, Hibbert averaged 2.7 blocks and 9.7 rebounds while finishing the week at +48.

Yes, Hibbert shot the ball terribly (7-of-25, a meager 28%), but made his free throws (9-of-11, 81.8%), and delivered the defense that is expected of him while upping his rebounding.

Hibbert has been a lightning rod for basketball fans for years, but is doing a lot of good things for the Pacers right now. If he can shoot even a little better, he’ll be back to his “All Star” level of early last year.

Good Roy makes the Pacers a much more dangerous team.

Rodney Stuckey Has Cooled Off … a Bit

Rodney Stuckey has been producing at an otherworldly level for the past few weeks, inciting a lot of excitement among Indiana Pacers fans that he might’ve “figured it out” in a sense.

But Stuck’s shooting cooled off in week 19 (20-of-50, an even 40%, and 37.5% from deep) and returned to about his career norm, but his positive influence didn’t stop just because he was hitting fewer shots from the floor. He shot 17 free throws for the week, hitting just over 88%, and finished the week +40.

Even without the hot shooting, Stuckey’s attacking and aggressiveness seem to be contagious within the team, and the Pacers are happily benefitting from his determination to get to the rack and make the opposition pay.

The Pacers Have Figured Out This “Turnovers are Bad” Concept

The Pacers averaged 11.3 turnovers per contest last week, with a high of only 12. Early in the year, the Pacers were seeming to lose 18-to-20 turnovers each and every game. Donald Sloan and the bench mob did an admirable job keeping the Pacers competitive, but ball protection was a significant issue, as it has been in seasons past.

Since George Hill’s return, the Pacers have seemed to take ball protection seriously; seeing a positive assist-to-turnover ratio for the entire team is a welcome sight! They finished with a solid 1.7:1 ratio for the week, accumulating 77 assists total, and George Hill posted nearly a 4:1 ratio himself.

The Indiana Pacers Week Ahead

Games: vs Orlando (3/10), vs Milwaukee (3/12), vs Boston (3/14)

Prediction: The Indiana Pacers go 3-0, raking their win streak to 8

Last Week’s Prediction Results: 4-0

Season Long Prediction Results:  37-22

What to Watch For: GODNEY STUCKEY, remaining the what to watch for leadoff for at least another week while his play remains strong… Ian Mahinmi, shooting a (greatly) improved 6-of-11 from the free throw line last week… Luis Scola, snagging 5 steals in 4 games last week, and occasionally leading a one-man fast break… PAUL GEORGE, still aiming for a March 14th return against the Celtics? … George Hill, currently carrying a PER of 20.9; not a superstar level, but significantly higher than his number last year (13.4), providing more evidence of how different of a player he truly has been this year… The 2014-15 Indiana Pacers, scoring the ball at a respectable rate, a sentence I never expected to write…

Next: The George Hill Effect: How He Has Ignited The Indiana Pacers Offense

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