Larry Bird’s Mistakes Set Up the Indiana Pacers for Mediocrity

McMillan Making the Same Mistake Over and Over

For the longest time it looked like McMillan was making due with the roster given to him. For Monta Ellis, at times it was the role more than anything else that was the problem.

But then we watched the same train wreck over and over.

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The end of the regular season and the four games in the playoffs were frustrating to watch for many reasons, but Monta Ellis getting so many minutes was one of the most infuriating. He wasn’t passing the eye test nor were the stats defending his play in any way.

While some of his numbers were buoyed by the other starters, his on/off numbers were worse than Lance Stephenson or Glenn Robinson. When the Cleveland Cavaliers were cruising, Ellis was usually on the court. Ellis proved a defensive liability, and wasn’t doing much offensively either.

We knew from the regular season this didn’t work, but Monta remained in the starting lineup until Game 3. Even then, he still got more minutes than his play warranted. Almost any lineup without Monta Ellis was successful, and the starters plus Lance Stephenson was particularly good.

While there were plenty of issues with the roster not fitting together, McMillan’s mistakes only exacerbated them. It was one thing when he needed to juggle lineups due to injury, but he had options once Glenn Robinson came back and didn’t use them. Not saying that is a firing offense, but it certainly deserves an explanation.

While Bird can only be held so responsible for the coaching aspects, he is still responsible for the outcome of his decisions.