2. Impressive defense
I'm just as surprised as you are. For a team that has been known for their lack of defense so far this season, the Pacers were very impressive on that side of the floor against Miami. Sure, some of it was due to Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro being out, but that shouldn't take much away from how good Indiana was on defense.
While Miami's shooting numbers aren't exactly bad and don't indicate much defense on Indiana's part, the play-by-play and eye test seems to disagree. Many of Indiana's runs this game were fueled by solid defensive pressure and forcing turnovers. Obi Toppin was at the forefront of this, finishing the game with four blocks and not only sparking Indiana's runs on the offensive end but doing his part on the other end, too.
Pacers 10-0 run has started with defense:
— Alex Golden (@AlexGoldenNBA) December 3, 2023
-Toppin blocks Butler
-Toppin blocks O. Robinson (Shot Clock Violation)
-Turner blocks Martin
-Turner contests O. Robinson at the rim
Toppin also played fantastic defense on Jimmy Butler, by far and away the Heat's biggest offensive threat. On a night where Butler scored 33 points and shot 12/23 from the field, Toppin did the best job guarding him. Rick Carlisle employed the strategy of matching Butler's minutes with Toppin's and it paid dividends in the end, with Obi holding Butler to just 4/11 shooting, accounting for seven of his 11 misses on the night.
Rick Carlisle just matched Obi Toppin’s minutes with Jimmy Butler and Obi responded with arguably the best game of his career. Butler was 4-11 with Obi as the primary defender.
— Hot Hand Theory Podcast (@HotHandTheory) December 3, 2023
22 pts (7-8)
2 rebs
2 asts
4 blks
1 stls
Check out the two-way highlights you won’t find elsewhere!! pic.twitter.com/SbeHXk8VVw
It is no secret how bad the Pacers have been on defense to start the season. Occasionally they will show flashes of defensive potential, such as the Detroit Pistons fourth quarter and tonight, but the key will be to keep it up for extended periods of time. Indiana clearly has capable defenders on the team in Bruce Brown, Myles Turner, and Andrew Nembhard just to name a few.
However, the key that Rick Carlisle needs to figure out is how to make these players feel locked in and how to make these defensive schemes work. While the defense on Saturday wasn't mind-blowing or anything (Miami shot 54% from the field and 48% from deep), it was the little things that kept the Heat at bay and allowed the Pacers to take advantage on offense, which is what they do best.