8p9s AMA Mailbag: Playoff Time Questions in Pacers Land

Welcome back to the 8 Points 9 Seconds mailbag, where we take your Indiana Pacers questions and make you feel internet famous because we answered them!

We’ll be using a consistent email for this process: 8p9sAMA@gmail.com. You can feel free to shoot questions over to that email or reply on Twitter to @8pts9secs or @will_furr using hashtag #8p9sAMA or visit our Facebook page to leave comments.

You’ve got questions? We’ve got answers.

Pacers Español: Do you think the Pacers have any chance of beating Toronto/Cleveland in a 7-games series?

Any chance? Sure! Absolutely. There are reasons for optimism. If they play the Cavs, these facts offer a slight ray of hope:

• They are a flawed team without much quality depth.

• Kyrie Irving/Kevin Love both have health questions persistently surrounding them.

• LeBron James is finally starting to look human-ish, and his jumper has been broken (until recently anyway). He was a worse 3-point shooter than Monta Ellis this year, and attempted the fewest free throws since his rookie year.

• LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love have never quite figured out how to play together, and play a stagnant brand of offense that plays into Frank Vogel’s hands.

And here are some reasons for optimism if the Pacers play the Raptors:

• This group has yet to make it out of the first round, and was crushed last year by an inferior team.

• The team with the best player typically wins the playoff series, and Paul George would be the best player in this series.

• DeMarre Carroll has just returned from injury and certainly isn’t back to form, nor is he integrated back into the team concept.

• Luis Scola, while crafty, is not a playoff starter and can be exploited in many matchups.

• Jonas Valančiūnas, while a skilled offensive player, is not exactly a paint protector.

• DeMar DeRozan is extremely reliant on free throws and isn’t nearly as effective when not getting to the line.

However, it’s important to note, there are some reasons to doubt the Pacers getting an upset in the first round, namely: The Cavs and Raptors are much, much better teams, and have been since December.

The Pacers haven’t strung a consistently good stretch together in months, and have to beat one of these teams four times in seven games, and at least once on the road. It’s possible. It’s very, very unlikely. But it’s certainly possible.

Josh S: What would have to happen for the Pacers to upset either Toronto or Cleveland? 

Sticking with the format from above, here are some of the keys to an upset if the Pacers play the Cavs: 

• Ian Mahinmi and Myles Turner MUST stay out of foul trouble and do their best Roy Hibbert impersonation when protecting the rim.

• The Pacers must turn LeBron James into a jump shooter, and sag off him as far as need be.

• The Pacers cannot let Kyrie Irving or Kevin Love win a game on their own. They will get points, but the Pacers can’t let them have a 40-50 point game.

• The Pacers have to defend the deep ball and not let guys like Channing Frye, J.R. Smith, and Matthew Dellavadova go on runs.

• The Pacers have to hit the long ball. It seems strange to say, but this Frank Vogel team lives and dies by the 3. One of Rodney Stuckey/Monta Ellis/Solomon Hill probably has to shoot above their season average each win.

• Paul George has to avoid foul trouble and malaise and keep his cool.

• The Pacers have to hit their free throws.

• The carelessness with the ball leading to turnovers needs to stop.

And here are some additional keys to an upset if the Pacers play the Raptors:

• Ian Mahinmi has to hold his own against against Jonas Valančiūnas.

• The Pacers cannot let DeMar DeRozan eat at the free-throw line.

• Paul George has to play without fouling.

• The Pacers can’t let whomever is playing power forward for Toronto — Luis Scola, Patrick Patterson, or even DeMarre Carroll — abuse them from deep.

• Paul George needs to consistently win his matchup.

• The Pacers need to take advantage of the Raptors complete lack of big man defense by exposing Valančiūnas/Scola/Patterson.

• The Pacers have to hit the long ball at a reasonable rate.

• The carelessness with the ball leading to turnovers needs to stop.

Josh H: With C.J. Miles shooting the way he is, would Vogel consider Paul George at the 4 again and Miles at the 3 to start the playoffs?

As fanciful as that sounds, and as much as we might enjoy the thought of Luis Scola trying to chase Paul George or C.J. Miles around the floor, guarding bigs is probably what caused C.J. Miles’ massive midseason slump and myriad of injuries.

Vogel might be tempted, but I’d doubt that he puts Miles or Paul George into harm’s way again. The Raptors have the manpower to match if the Pacers go small as well.

Pete: Are the Pacers problems largely effort/focused based? If so, could they turn it around for the playoffs? 

The Pacers best hope in this regard is that they spent the balance of the season playing to their opponents. They beat the Spurs, played the Warriors relatively tough, and were close in every Cavs game. They also lost repeatedly to awful teams.

If it is a case of the Pacers playing to the level of their opponents, they should be better off in the playoff hothouse. I don’t think the Pacers have an effort problem, in most cases. They have an execution problem, and seem to execute better against better teams. Let’s hope the trend holds true for the blue and gold.

Dale T: Do the Pacers resign Lawson in the offseason? 

This is a big question on many Pacers fans minds. Lawson has looked O.K. when he’s played with the Pacers, but he was a dumpster fire in Houston, and the Pacers don’t have much positive game tape due to the time he missed with his ankle injury and respiratory issues.

If Lawson continues to be just O.K. in the playoffs —i.e., moderately helpful — I imagine the Pacers could retain his services at a discounted rate.  If he excels in the playoffs, he might come back as the started Larry Bird has wanted at point guard.

My guess is that he is fine in the playoffs and comes back on a reasonable deal and that Larry Bird looks to move one of the trio of George Hill/Monta Ellis/Rodney Stuckey this offseason.

Dylan D:  Should Solomon Hill get more minutes due to his recent success? 

I’m fairly confident Solo will get his minutes in the postseason, regardless. He’s supplanted Jordan Hill in the rotation and will probably get 20-25 minutes a night at the power forward position. If he keeps hitting corner 3s, the Pacers are a very different team.

Ian C: Could Larry Bird type a 13-page letter?

It’s my guess that, if Larry Bird felt as wronged as Sam Hinkie did in this scenario, he would only need two words in his resignation letter.

Rob B: Assuming a first-round exit, what happens this offseason? 

Free agency, probably a draft. Some people will make trades. The Pacers will probably be one of those teams. It’s entirely possible that the possible trade could maybe possibly involve someone with the surname Hill plying his employment elsewhere, making room possibly for the son of law to command the first unit troops for the Pacers of Indiana. (We’ll talk about this more after the playoffs end.)