Making it rain (Patreon)

By: Samson Folk I @samfolkk

A reminder: Caitlin’s deep dive comes later. This is just supposed to hold you over. 

Escalation! Siakam gets things started early by shifting Portis sideways – as if Portis had stepped on one of those Team Rocket floor tiles in the early Pokemon games – with a jab, and punching one home with authority. A bit of a stare down ensues between Siakam & Portis that results in Siakam getting a tech. No emotion allowed! Shortly thereafter Patrick Beverley makes a hard driving charge pushing Andrew Nembhard under the rim and hitting him with the popular too small motion before barking a few words of encouragement let’s say. Tech! No emotion! 

As ever, the over-policing of something leads to revolt!!! Portis does so by shoving and slapping Nembhard in a tussle, and gets himself thrown from the game! All the while the Pacers struggled to get into a rhythm in their halfcourt offense, which was exacerbated by the Bucks implementing a zone. On the other side the Bucks were fueling their offense on an overwhelming amount of short-middies - after the first quarter they were winning the short-mid range battle (Is that a thing? Definitely not) 12-0 against the Pacers. 

However, the Pacers aren’t typically trying to mine the short mid-range for all it’s worth. The Pacers want layups/dunks and threes, and they want them to come while playing fast. Enter, Obi Toppin. Ever the bellwether for Hot Girl Basketball, Toppin led the Pacers in scoring after the first quarter. He and Tyrese Haliburton had combined for 13 points, and they did it while playing fast. 

We’re halfway through the second quarter. I am astonished at both the lack of intensity the Pacers are playing with, and the fact that the scrappy Bucks continue to hang on by the skin, the teeth, and the short mid-range (9-11 from the spot). 

These are some pretty hapless hoops, ladies and gents. Your Pacers took a 67-64 lead into halftime, but they did so against a Bucks team that was without Damian Lillard, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and after a couple minutes of gametime, Bobby Portis. Turner’s jumper was hot early on and the team was shooting 12-22 from downtown as a whole, but it wasn’t inspiring basketball. 

The start of the third is where we got it. The thing we’ve all been waiting for: The Haliburton pop off from downtown. Two quick threes paired with some stops on the other end (Siakam & Nesmith putting the clamps on Lopez & Middleton) saw the Pacers jump out to a 10-point lead and establish a real grip hold on the game. Through the first 3 games Haliburton was 5-22 from downtown (22%) and in less than 20 minutes of gameplay in game 4, he equaled his total 3-pointers made for the series, and on elite efficiency. The Bucks, with no Giannis or Portis were forced to play more Lopez and more drop. Haliburton did hit a couple shots as the release valve on ball movement, but he was letting it fly over the top of Lopez who would lay in wait too far below the 3-point line. 

On the other end, we started to see the Bucks stretched past their shotmaking limits. The Pacers started to apply a bit more ball pressure (Nesmith, Nembhard & Siakam were good in particular) and a Bucks team that was missing so, so many of their most essential shot creators, well they struggled to create with any regularity. Their one saving grace, one of my fav bigs ever: Lopez. Staring down a 3-1 deficit, and with hardly any help out there, Lopez was mixing up in the post and stepping out above the break to the tune of 20 points on 12 shots. He was sublime. 

HOWEVER 

Not to be completely outdone at the 5 spot, Turner, erm, turned it on. He snapped off a crazy sequence where he buried Lopez under Gainbridge Fieldhouse, sealed off the rim, then hit a corner triple. In doing all that, he propelled the Pacers to their largest lead to that point, up 88-76. 18 points, 7 boards, 4 assists and a +17 from Turner at that point. Siakam checked back in and the Pacers successfully shaped and cut to a couple of his post-ups, and the surgery began. Going up 15, and would take a 13-point lead into the final frame.

The Bucks did go on a run to start the fourth quarter. The Pacers continued to look underwhelming, despite maintaining the lead. The thing is though, when your center starts teeing off from downtown and hitting everything? That gets all the attention. Whether it was the Haliburton/Turner pick n’ pop, or shaping to a drive, the ball kept finding Turner and he kept hitting. 6 for 8 from downtown is an absurdity, and the Pacers shooting 21-39 from downtown was something to behold. It’s hard to quiet the uneasy feeling that the Pacers are seriously underperforming, though. Whether it’s the Bucks with returning players, or a team in the next round, the Pacers will be met by a team of consequence at some point. There’s a lot to clean up. 

A win is a win. And a playoff win? Definitely a win. Can’t turn your nose up at this stuff. Just have to hope the Pacers take every possession as an opportunity to improve further. We’ll see. 

Have a blessed day.