INDIANAPOLIS — It could have appeared unusual that Rick Carlisle appeared joyful, even gleeful, to announce Tuesday throughout his pregame information convention that his All-Star level guard Tyrese Haliburton has a slight pressure in his groin, however that was due to what he reported, specifically that the harm was not.
It was not, Carlisle repeatedly mentioned, an issue with Haliburton’s left hamstring. The Pacers — and Haliburton — apparently thought it was a left hamstring pressure Sunday night time when he was pulled from the Pacers’ recreation in opposition to the Cavaliers at halftime. That is what they reported on social media and that is what they posted Monday on the harm report when he was dominated questionable to play on Tuesday. And the explanation that was regarding was that Haliburton strained his left hamstring in January of final season, missed 10 video games and by no means fairly felt one hundred pc the remainder of the yr, then strained the identical hamstring in one other location in the course of the Japanese Convention Finals and ended his season with a two-game lead. So for Carlisle, studying that Haliburton was now not happening that path was trigger for celebration.
“This is superb information,” Carlisle mentioned.
Then, after the Pacers misplaced, the primary recreation Haliburton missed in its entirety this season 127-117 to first place Cavaliers at Gainbridge FieldhouseCarlisle made it clear he hoped this would not be the primary of many video games with out final yr’s NBA assists chief.
“Clearly we’d like Tyrese again wholesome,” Carlisle mentioned. “He’s top-of-the-line gamers on this planet.”
That being mentioned, over the course of the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons, the Pacers have needed to learn to stand up to lengthy stretches with out Haliburton within the lineup. In 2022-23, they misplaced 9 video games in a 10-game stretch he missed with knee and elbow accidents. Final yr, they did a lot better in his absence, profitable six of the ten video games he missed in January together with his hamstring harm. They is probably not with out him as a lot this season and the truth that he performed the primary 40 video games of the season with out lacking a recreation is an apparent good signal. However any participant might be injured at any time and the Pacers must show they’ll adapt to personnel losses higher than they did throughout their 10-15 begin to the season after they been hit by accidents to protect Andrew Nembhard and wing Ben Sheppard. and Aaron Nesmith and facilities James Wiseman and Isaiah Jackson.
The six quarters the Pacers performed in two video games in opposition to the NBA’s greatest group confirmed loads of good indicators, but in addition some areas the place they might be susceptible. Throughout that span, they picked up their most spectacular win of the season on Sunday and elevated their profitable streak to 6 video games earlier than snapping it on Tuesday. Nonetheless, they’ve received 12 of their final 16 video games and sit in sixth place within the Japanese Convention with a 22-19 file and have a greater sense of who they’re and what they’re half after they’re not do not need their participant franchise.
“Clearly we all know what Ty can do, what he brings to our group, as a facilitator, as somebody who brings vitality to the court docket,” the Pacers All-Star ahead mentioned Pascal Siakam. “We simply have to determine the right way to play.”
On Sunday night time, the Pacers staged a surprising comeback to beat the Cavs after Haliburton left. After falling behind 53-40 at halftime, they elevated their defensive strain, took over all the court docket and outscored the Cavs 68-40 after the break to change into the primary group this season to carry Cleveland beneath 100 factors for the match. Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson admitted he and his group merely weren’t prepared for the strain.
“Rick is so good,” Atkinson mentioned Tuesday in his pregame press convention. “It was actually good on his half. In all probability with Tyrese out, ‘Nicely, we will deliver (Ben) Sheppard in and we will strain the entire court docket, ? It was actually good, actually good for them . I am unable to say I anticipated that.”
On Tuesday, nonetheless, the Cavaliers particularly anticipated it when the Pacers began the sport with the identical lineup they began the second half with on Sunday. Nembhard moved from shooter to playmaker within the beginning lineup and Sheppard moved from the second unit to the primary. The Cavs nonetheless had some points, committing 15 turnovers after having 13 in Sunday’s recreation. The Pacers ended up with 24 turnover factors and 26 quick break factors, numbers properly above Sunday’s totals. Nevertheless, Cleveland did not present the wear and tear and tear on their legs as soon as they bought the ball within the half court docket the identical manner on Tuesday as they did on Sunday and so they had been rather more environment friendly scorers.
After making solely 11 of 39 discipline objectives within the second half on Sunday (28.2%), together with 2 of 17 from 3-point vary, the Cavaliers did not have practically the identical difficulties placing the ball within the bucket on Tuesday. They completed 43 of 89 from the ground (48.3%), 15 of 44 (34.1%) from 3-point vary and 26 of 31 from the free throw line for 1.23 factors per possession, which is precisely to their season common as essentially the most environment friendly group within the NBA. They opened the sport with seven 3-pointers within the third quarter and bought some spectacular work from All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell, who completed with 35 factors on 12-of-23 capturing after ending with 19 on Sunday.
“For good stretches of the sport, we adopted the sport plan,” Siakam mentioned. “We did every part we had been imagined to do. Donovan was sizzling from the beginning. He slowed down just a little bit, but it surely was a kind of video games.”
Carlisle mentioned he is seen numerous issues he likes to see on protection, however not essentially the outcomes. The Pacers introduced aggression and power, however they allowed some open seems and on Tuesday night time, the Cavs did simply that.
“I believed we competed onerous,” Carlisle mentioned. “We have not at all times been notably good in competitors. We have labored onerous, however they only performed more durable tonight.”
On the offensive finish, they bumped into bother when the Cavaliers carried out a 2-3 zone protection with prolonged ball strain, utilizing it extensively within the second half. The Pacers did not do badly in opposition to it, they only did not do properly sufficient to maintain up with what the Cavs did. They made 22 of 45 discipline objectives and eight of 17 3-pointers within the second half – two objectives extra and one lower than the Cavs – however Cleveland was additionally in a position to foul extra continuously whereas taking the ball to the aim. rim. The Pacers took what the zone gave them, which regularly meant jumpers on the foul line, however they missed a number of. It additionally made it more durable for them to journey Siakam’s sizzling hand. Siakam scored 21 factors within the first half on 9-of-11 capturing, however scored two factors on 1-of-5 capturing within the second half.
“We had photographs,” Carlisle mentioned. “We have now to check out it. Look, the zones are designed to surrender dangerous photographs. We had numerous actually beauty within the paint, however not on the rim. We did not have any not spilled a lot. We are going to proceed to review it. We have now seen numerous areas. We count on to see extra.
The Pacers already noticed numerous zone when Haliburton performed and the purpose guards with him – Nembhard and backup TJ McConnell – aren’t a lot worse suited than him. Each proved earlier than and on Tuesday that they’ll navigate a zone, get into the lane off the dribble and make the mid-range photographs that zone tends to permit. That mentioned, Haliburton is the Pacers’ most prolific 3-point shooter — his 116 3-pointers are 41 greater than anybody else on the group this season — and lacking that sort of exterior capturing makes the chance of enjoying within the extra acceptable zone.
“We have now to proceed to work on this,” Siakam mentioned. “Principally, they had been snug enjoying in a single zone the entire half. They did not need to defend us with the tempo and what we had been doing. They simply wished to sluggish us down, so we’ve to discover a method to keep us within the zone.”
For all their struggles, the Pacers discovered that their lineup this yr with out Haliburton gave them completely different lineup mixture choices that allowed them to play in very alternative ways. They used smaller lineups with Nembhard and McConnell on the court docket with Sheppard on the 3. In addition they used a a lot bigger lineup as a second unit with McConnell rolling with Siakam, energy ahead Obi Toppin, ahead Jarace Walker and middle Thomas Bryant. Siakam, Toppin and Walker had been all introduced in as energy forwards, however considered one of them served as a capturing guard and one other as a small ahead. This lineup performed 5 minutes collectively on Tuesday, however was one of many Pacers’ best within the recreation when it comes to internet ranking.
“We have now the power to do quite a lot of issues,” Carlisle mentioned. “… With this lineup, we will need to play huge sometimes. Once we try this, we will need to be strong, we will need to include, we will need to rebound properly as a result of it is a power and it’ll it’s important to generate good photographs.”
Carlisle’s hope is that he will not need to play with these combos for much longer and may quickly return to those he used with Haliburton. However the Pacers nonetheless have two video games earlier than leaving for his or her two-game sequence in opposition to the Spurs in Paris. They host the Pistons on Thursday in Detroit and the 76ers at residence on Saturday. If Haliburton takes a couple of extra days to relaxation his groin, these are two video games they’d nonetheless wish to play properly sufficient to win.
“It’s a recreation with out Ty so we’ve to proceed to enhance,” Siakam mentioned. “Everybody has to step in from the highest down. We have now to step in with him.”
This text was initially revealed on the Indianapolis Star: Pacers’ loss to Cavs reveals their limits with out Tyrese Haliburton
