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Pacers vs. Heat, NBA Playoffs 2013: Miami wins instant classic to take Game 1

2013-05-23T04:53:13Z

The Indiana Pacers fell in overtime to the Miami Heat in Game 1 on Wednesday night.

Stylistic dominance will be the storyline in the Eastern Conference Finals duel between the Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers as the teams battle for the right to play in the NBA Finals. The traditionally-built Pacers will put a lot of stake in big man Roy Hibbert, and the Heat will ride a unique small-ball spread offense that revolves around LeBron James' creativity.

Game 1 of their playoff series in Miami on Wednesday will be an awkward meeting between two teams feeling each other out. Erik Spoelstra and Frank Vogel will tinker with their lineups, work against the opponents' preconceived weaknesses and hope that their strengths coming into the game are still strengths.

Here's what could sway the series opener.

Will small ball work?

While it's mightily apparent Hibbert will be the key ingredient for the Pacers, there's a bit of lacking attention aimed at Chris Bosh and the Miami lineups. Hibbert can't get into foul trouble as a rim-protecting monster and because of the obvious advantage that the Pacers have on the rebounding front. Yet, it's Bosh and the rolling of the dice by Spoelstra that could counter the Indiana big man.

The Heat's small lineup could be equally deadly. Bosh has been quiet this postseason, averaging 13.2 points per game, but he could find himself with many opportunities as a stretch center. Bosh is shooting 46.7 percent from three-point range, though he's been selective in his attempts. His influence on the perimeter could pull Hibbert away from his shotblocking duties, all while giving Miami a consistent and efficient scoring option.

And none of that is to mention the ability for Miami to beat the turnover-prone Pacers in transition.

How does Indiana slow the pace?

The Pacers must find a way to keep the Heat out of transition. As the Heat showed all this season, they can turn grind-it-out games into blowouts with the flip of the switch. First and foremost, turnovers have to be avoided at all costs.

Secondly, the Pacers must balance their affinity to crash the offensive glass with getting back off missed shots. Long two-pointers and threes should lead to immediate retreats by Indiana's backcourt players, and even to an extent those in the frontcourt. The bad news is that the Pacers combine the fourth-most turnovers per game (15.9) of all 16 NBA postseasons attendees with the third-worst shooting percentage (42). Thus, taking good shots will be important as well, and that's not easy to do against a very good Miami defense -- not to mention Indiana's sometimes-lacking offense.

Stopping James from pushing the pace and finishing or finding teammates in transition is hard. Avoiding it altogether is ideal.

Who wins the backcourt battle?

Much of the Pacers' offense will run through Hibbert, Paul George and even David West to a degree. But Indiana must get consistent offensive production from its backcourt on both ends of the floor. George, after all, could be tasked with handling LeBron James, and his offensive game could suffer because of it.

George Hill has shown the ability to shift into a playoff gear, as has Lance Stephenson. For them to take turns and continue to do so will be huge, and defensively it's important they keep lightning-rod point guards Mario Chalmers and Norris Cole from getting hot. If the Pacers can outplay the Miami point guards all while keeping an injury-riddled Dwyane Wade from doing too much damage, they will be in good shape.

Time: 8:30 p.m. ET

TV: TNT

Odds: Miami opened as an 8.5-point favorite.

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NBA Playoffs 2013 schedule: LeBron James buzzer beater gives Miami 103-102 win

2013-05-22T22:23:51Z

Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals was an instant classic. For a second, it looked like Paul George would be the hero. Instead, LeBron James won it at the buzzer, giving Miami a 103-102 overtime victory.

Exactly a year ago, the Miami Heat entered May 22 deadlocked with the Indiana Pacers, 2-2, in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Miami would eventually fend off the upstart Pacers in six games en route to an NBA title, but one year ago was the reason that Indiana finds itself here today.

The Heat host a more mature group of Pacers this year, and the Eastern Conference finals tip Wednesday in Miami at 8:30 p.m. ET.

Danny Granger is sidelined after failing to come back from his knee injury, but his gritty spirit still lives in his teammates. Since last season, Paul George has grown into an All-Star, Roy Hibbert and Lance Stephenson have only gotten better, and the hard-nosed David West and George Hill have brought their usual toughness.

Miami has improved too. Erik Spoelstra's team has only lost four games since the beginning of February, and the pieces placed around LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh have melded well together. Ray Allen has been a formidable bench scorer, Norris Cole has come out of his shell during the playoffs and the midseason addition of Chris Andersen has bolstered the Miami frontcourt.

The Heat find themselves vying for their third NBA Finals appearance in a row after cruising past the Bucks in the opening playoff series of 2013. They found some resistance against an overmatched Chicago Bulls team but after a Game 1 loss did enough to down them with four straight wins.

The Pacers could likely find keys to success in the Bulls' defensive strategies, but they will hope that their lack of injuries and a less-lifeless offense can turn into a series win. In this year's playoff run, the Pacers were pushed to six games in the first round against the Atlanta Hawks and again to six in the conference semifinals against the New York Knicks. While winning on the road hasn't been Indiana's strength -- the Pacers are 2-4 on the road during this playoff run -- they appeared plenty capable of beating Miami in Indianapolis during the regular season. They went 2-1 against the Heat.

Time: 8:30 p.m. ET

TV: TNT

Odds: Miami opened as an 8.5-point favorite.

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NBA Draft 2013: Rudy Gobert and the hazardous intrigues of potential

2013-05-20T18:00:05Z

CHICAGO -- The 2013 NBA Draft combine can be an overwhelming scene if you're the type of person who doesn't normally hang around the very wealthy, tall and powerful people that make up the NBA's elite. Seemingly every organization in the league is represented at Chicago's Attack Athletics on Thursday and Friday as this year's NBA hopefuls go through a variety of drills and testing under the watchful eyes of the people who will determine their draft day fate.

The sights and sounds at the West Side gym are something to behold. Turn left and you'll see Tom Thibodeau and Mike D'Antoni talking shop and laughing about who knows what. Turn right and there's Rick Carlisle and Zydrunas Ilgauskas doing the same thing. Rockets mastermind Daryl Morey is standing in the back staring at his cellphone, while Nuggets GM and reigning Executive of the Year Masai Ujiri chats off to the side with a media member. Scouts are there watching closely or not really watching at all. Media folk from every outlet imaginable are trying to position themselves in the press scrum to ask the draft hopefuls the same four questions everyone is going to ask.

The noise of it all can be a bit funny if you have a certain perspective, though few would question the value of the event itself. The reason all of these rich and highly-recognizable people are hanging out on the West Side of Chicago is clear: they want to find the next diamond in the rough, the next player that fits a specific need and can possibly turn a good team into a great one.

The reason they're all here can be generally summarized in one corner of the gym, where staff workers are placing the device used to measure vertical leap on an elevated riser.

However high the contraption goes, it doesn't reach high enough to capture the wonder of Rudy Gobert. After all, Gobert is measured to have a standing reach of 9'7. They might need to get a second riser.

Those in attendance at the combine are among the first Americans to watch Gobert, a 7'2 center from France, play. Well, "play" might be a bit much; the combine is really nothing more than a high school fitness test mixed in with some light shooting drills. But there's still a reason this gym has turned into such a who's-who, and Gobert is a large part of it, literally and figuratively.

You have never seen anything in your life like Rudy Gobert shooting jump shots. His torso is impossibly long, and when he bends his knees and elbows simultaneously to take a mid-range shot, he most closely resembles a 7-foot praying mantis flinging a ball toward the hoop. His stroke isn't exactly ugly, but it isn't exactly pretty; his shots go in more often than you might expect but still not terribly regularly.

More than anything, watching Gobert shoot while a crowd of famous faces look on gets you to wonder what they're thinking. An old cliche says you can't teach height, and it just might be the most accurate cliche of all. Running on a treadmill won't make you any taller, and this is Gobert's inherent advantage over his competition.

He seems fairly skilled? He seems to be moving pretty well? It's hard to say, really, as with everything at the draft combine when the athletes are facing little resistance to what they're trying to do.

You just can't help but wonder about the general managers watching this. Gobert is hardly the first large French man to have a wingspan of 7'9. Do you remember Alexis Ajinca? The Charlotte Bobcats do. They selected the French center No. 20 in 2008 NBA Draft.

Ajinca would play only 71 games in four seasons in the NBA, posting a career average of 3.1 points and 1.6 rebounds per game. The next six picks that followed Ajinca were Ryan Anderson, Courtney Lee, Kosta Koufos, Serge Ibaka, Nicolas Batum and George Hill.

It's tough to say if anyone remembers the wingspans of those six players, but it doesn't matter much in 2013. All six are cashing checks and are important parts of NBA rotations. Who knows what Alexis Ajinca is doing, but he certainly isn't in the NBA anymore.

"The strength and the height," Gobert says when asked about the biggest difference between playing in the French league and playing in the NBA. "NBA five men are way taller. In France, [centers are about] 6'9, maybe 7-foot. In the NBA, they're a lot stronger, but also have a lot more height."

Gobert is soft-spoken and polite and looks like he couldn't be happier to be where he is. He knows that so long as he proves he can run and jump without tripping over his own two feet, he'll soon be a multi-millionaire. He speaks English well enough, but it's still a bit hard to understand him at times.

No matter the accent, Gobert is still able to communicate his thoughts clearly. He's been training for seven hours a day in Paris, working on his post moves, his face-up shot and doing heavy strength training. He thinks it's important NBA executives see him at the combine so they know he's more of a man than a myth. He loves watching Pau Gasol play offense and Joakim Noah play defense. He's well aware his role at the next level will be that of a rim protector.

Batum, a fellow Frenchman, has been giving him advice throughout the process, but advice won't change certain things. It won't change that Gobert, at 20 years old, might be the rawest player in the draft. It won't change that Gobert is 7'2 with a 7'9 wingspan and a 9'7 standing reach.

Gobert finishes with a 25-inch standing vertical leap and a 29" running vertical leap, numbers ESPN's Chad Ford calls "not great." After one testing session, Gobert talks about the experience thus far.

"I think there's more pressure," Gobert says, when asked about the difference between American and international players at the combine. "I was one of the top players in the country in France. There's more competition here. You can see it."

General managers can see it, too, but Rudy Gobert has something his American counterparts do not. You can't teach height, and that fact will change Gobert's life forever.

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NBA Draft 2013: Can Nerlens Noel man the middle?

2013-05-18T13:30:04Z

There wasn't an exact moment when the NBA started to hedge its way toward institutionalized "small ball." But if you were forced to pinpoint one, Game 1 of the 2012 Eastern Conference Semifinals might make the most sense. That's when the Miami Heat lost Chris Bosh to a lower abdominal injury against the Indiana Pacers, forcing the team to shift LeBron James from small forward to power forward and inadvertently stumbling upon its most potent lineup.

It's true that James is essentially a basketball category unto himself, but the effect of having a small, faster player with shooting ability at the four was unmistakable. This season, most teams took notice.

Kevin Durant couldn't bench press 185 lbs. a single time when he was going through the draft combine in 2007, but that didn't stop the Oklahoma City Thunder from sticking him at power forward in what might have been the team's most effective lineup. Carmelo Anthony is hardly a big-bodied banger down low, but the New York Knicks' offense proved to be substantially more deadly when he was shifted to power forward. There's no denying how dynamic smaller, faster lineups can be in today's game, a strategy that simultaneously allows a team to play its best athletes while also opening up the paint for those same players.

There is, however, one position that likely isn't getting smaller anytime soon. That would be center, where Earth's biggest and most athletic humans are still free to roam. This presents a problem for Nerlens Noel, the Kentucky big man largely presumed to be the No. 1 overall selection in the 2013 NBA Draft. There was questions about Noel's viability as an NBA center before the draft combine this week in Chicago, but those lingering doubts are now going to be amplified.

Nerlens Noel weighed in at only 206 lbs. Does an NBA center so slim stand a chance?

"I think I dropped a little weight from the injury," Noel said on Friday at the combine. "Not being able to work out as much as I was before the injury. I'm definitely looking to get back up. I've been able to do a little more now. I'm ready to start working out and get the muscle back in my leg."

The injury Noel refers to happened on February 12 against Florida. Gators guard Mike Rosario was off to a fast break when Noel caught up. As he leaped to block Rosario's layup, Noel's knee buckled and he fell to the ground in pain. Basketball fans were too accustomed to the scene to be fooled. Just like Derrick Rose and Iman Shumpert before him, Noel had a torn ACL. From this point on, his career would be defined by how he recovered from it.

Noel said he considered returning to school for his sophomore season to rehab his knee, but the allure of NBA millions eventually won out. Why do something for free when you can be paid handsomely for going through a similar routine? It's impossible to blame Noel for entering the NBA draft with a torn ACL, just as it's impossible to blame the general manager that selects him in the top five, and perhaps No. 1 overall. There is, after all, a lot to like about Nerlens Noel.

* * *

Following in the shadow of Anthony Davis is no easy task. Davis set college basketball ablaze during his one year at Kentucky, winning freshman of the year, the Wooden Award for the best player in the sport, and helping lead what might have been a historically good Wildcats team to a 38-2 record on the way to a national title. Noel was supposed to be the next Anthony Davis, a stud big man recruited by John Calipari who would give Kentucky an immeasurable physical advantage over its competition.

Things don't always work out as planned, and Kentucky's season was a premium example. The Wildcats never found their footing in 2012-13, and Noel's ACL injury precipitated a fall that led Kentucky all the way to a first round loss in the N.I.T. to Robert Morris.

While Noel might not have been as dominant as Davis before tearing his ACL, he was still pretty damn good.

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Noel's shot-blocking instincts are considered second-to-none, a point he hammered home by swatting 4.4 shots per game at Kentucky, just a shade under what Davis averaged. Noel shot 59 percent from the field (mostly on dunks and putbacks) to average 10.5 points per game to go along with 9.5 rebounds per game. Noel didn't take the college game by storm the same way Davis did, but it's fair to point out Kentucky's guards weren't nearly as good at getting the ball inside.

Now Noel is ready to take the next step. The question is, how does he measure up to the physical marvels playing center in the NBA?

* * *

"225 is where I was about," said Noel on Friday at the combine. "That's where I got to in the offseason while I was at Kentucky. I'm definitely looking to get back up there and I know it won't be hard. I put on weight pretty fast."

Noel better hope he can while still retaining the athleticism that makes him a special prospect. Because in the NBA, even 225-pound centers are scarce. At Noel's current weight, he'd be comparable to pro shooting guards.

Just what will Noel be up against when he finally plays in an NBA game? A quick look around the league reveals a lot.

Marc Gasol won Defensive Player of the Year for the Memphis Grizzlies. He's listed at 265 lbs. Pacers center Roy Hibbert is 280 lbs. Dwight Howard is 260 lbs. From Andrew Bogut to DeMarcus Cousins, you'll be hard-pressed to find a center who isn't 40 lbs. heavier than Noel's targeted weight. Even Tyson Chandler, always noted for his slender body, is 240 lbs.

"You get what you see. Everything is a work in progress." -Nerlens Noel

There are some smaller centers, like Chicago's Joakim Noah. But even at 235 lbs., Noah is distinct by his guard-like skills. Noel doesn't have the handle or passing ability that makes Noah such an offensive weapon for the Bulls. Or does he?

When asked if he feels like his offensive skill set is underrated -- from his ball-handling to his face-up shooting to his passing ability -- Noel doesn't feel the need to defend his reputation.

"Nah, you get what you see," he says. "Everything is a work in progress."

* * *

If there's a pro center who Noel really compares to right now, it might be Milwaukee's Larry Sanders. Sanders was the Bucks' breakout star this season, finishing second in the league in blocks and proving to be a disruptive rim protector. That's what Noel could someday do for an NBA franchise. The question is, is that enough to warrant the No. 1 overall pick?

The injury concerns are also legitimate. Noel's injury is the same one that caused Bulls star Derrick Rose to sit out the entirety of the 2012-2013 season, though it's worth noting Rose was cleared by doctors to return in late February but opted to sit out and make a full recovery. Will Noel also choose to take his time?

"Nah, I doubt it will take 12 months," he said. "I'm definitely looking to get on the court as soon as possible so I can contribute to whatever team I go to.

"I got one of the best physical therapists in the country and I'm sure he wouldn't have me doing anything that wouldn't bring me along and wouldn't get my leg back to normal. I trust everything he says and everything he tells me to do. I'm going to do it 100 percent."

Noel is only now starting to get back to the court, where he's slowly starting to take free throws. He believes he'll soon to cleared to start jogging as he continues his rehabilitation. He tells reporters he's ahead of schedule, but of course Rose once said the same thing.

Noel has done all he can to put himself in a promising position on draft day. Now it's up to the fate of a few ping pong balls and the backbone of his brave GM to decide his NBA fate.

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Charlotte Bobcats to change name to Hornets, according to report

2013-05-18T03:44:21Z

The Charlotte Bobcats have begun the process of changing the team name to the Hornets, according to CBS Sports. The Charlotte Hornets played in North Carolina as an expansion team from 1988 until 2002 when owner George Shinn moved the franchise to New Orleans. With the New Orleans franchise rebranding to the Pelicans next season, the door is open for Charlotte to reclaim the team name. That's exactly what is happening.

The Bobcats took their name from Robert Johnson, the man who brought them into existence in 2004 as the owner of the expansion franchise. Johnson sold his shares to minority owner Michael Jordan in February of 2010, making Jordan the first former player to own an NBA team.

The rebranding is a welcome change for the Bobcats, who finished with the worst record in the NBA in 2011-2012 and the second-worst record in 2012-2013. As the Hornets, Charlotte reached the Eastern Conference Semifinals four times between 1993-2002.

NBA deputy commissioner Adam Silver said a potential name change would take at least 18 months to implement.

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