Game 1 between the Indiana Pacers and Cleveland Cavaliers tips Saturday, and history suggests the Indiana Pacers and Nate McMillan have less to change than they may believe.
The playoffs are a whole different animal compared to the regular season. Nonetheless, what works for a team in the first 82 games, will be exactly what works for them in a 7-game series.
My point is, this; do not try and reinvent the wheel when you enter the playoffs, and do not overthink things just because of the magnitude of the games. There’s a reason the Pacers are in the playoffs with a chance to knock off the King’s Cavs.
So please Nate McMillan, embrace what this team is, play to those strengths, and rely on the blueprint that past Indiana teams have relied upon to beat LeBron’s Miami squads.
That blueprint was sagging off of LeBron James, letting him shoot the 3, and simply trying to deny him the ball whenever the chance comes. This puts the responsibility on guys like Kyrie and Kevin Love, and Indiana can live with those guys beating them.
Historically, LBJ’s emotions can get the best of him, which that takes him out of his game. And guess who’s back? Lance “blow in your ear” Stephenson, and he is ready to get another shot at the King.
Another significant aspect of the gameplan was aggression and toughness. Guys like Lance Stephenson, Danny Granger and David West did not back down from LeBron, and it got to him. Historically, LBJ’s emotions can get the best of him, which that takes him out of his game. And guess who’s back? Lance “blow in your ear” Stephenson, and he is ready to get another shot at the King.
Actually, he is born ready. Protecting the rim and digging in on defense are essential for Indiana. But, nothing is more important than showing the Cavaliers that the Indiana Pacers are not afraid of the almighty Cavaliers, and especially not LeBron James.
The script has been written for Indiana before, and we have the talent to compete. McMillan an and the players must recognize, and be who they are.
2013 ECF: Game 1
As we all know, overcoaching has hurt us in the past.
If you don’t recall, ask Frank Vogel. In Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, Vogel opted to put 7’2′ Roy Hibbert on the bench in the waning moments of the game. Long story short, LeBron exposed that move, and laid the ball up to win the game as there was nobody quite able to defend the rim like Roy in the game.
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Roy was the master of verticality, but Vogel benched him because Chris Bosh was at the 5, and he wanted to mimic their version of small ball. This was a highly criticized move, and likely cost the Pacers a trip to the Finals.
Even though this took a great deal of wind out of Indy’s sails, they did surmount a comeback, and took the first seeded Heat to 7 games. Ultimately, they lost, but that Game 1 was in the back of every Pacers fans minds the entire series, and left us all wondering about what could have been.
Nate McMillan needs to keep this egregious mistake in mind as we approach Game 1. Embrace who the Indiana Pacers are. If Ty Lue and the Cavs boast a lineup that is different than Indiana’s then so what? Let’s roll out a lineup that combats what they do, and a lineup that the team is accustomed to. Don’t overthink it.
Advice to McMillan
The 2013 Pacers almost overcame that blunder, but came up shorthanded. The 2017 Pacers do not have the same margin for error that that team did though, and that is why McMillan has to stay true to himself and to this team.
This team is different. This team is just rounding into form, and no one is really sure how dangerous they are, except themselves. That is what makes them so scary. They have nothing to lose and must embrace that.
By this point, the players know the X’s and O’s that have carried them on their recent winning ways. Also, the second unit is in good hands with Lance running the show. The task at hand for McMillan is keeping the Pacers identity the same, and convincing this team that they are not inferior to Cleveland.
Get these guys to play for something greater than themselves, and good things will happen. The future of this organization and future of Paul George’s time in Indy may be decided by this series, but that is if Indiana wins.
They are supposed to lose, and everyone knows that. It’s doubtful that Paul George makes a decision based off of a loss in this series, but a win may just change everything. It will remind PG of the good ol’ days, and keep him hopeful of the days to come. So let’s shock the world, and beat LeBron and the Cavs.
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But please, Nate, remember how this team got to this point, and make the necessary changes. Do not overcoach!