Jim Johnson: Pacers get out of rut with 103-83 win over Mavericks
By JIM JOHNSON
ISL Correspondent
INDIANAPOLIS — Every team goes through it at one point or another, especially in basketball. They go through a rut and a little skid from time to time.
With the Indiana Pacers, the skid happened to be right out of the gate and has lasted the first two weeks of the regular season.
The team as whole is in a rut, especially center Roy Hibbert, but with a 103-83 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night, this could be the start of the Pacers climbing out of a hole that they’ve dug for themselves.
David West and George Hill each scored 15 points in the win. Hibbert had 14 points and eight rebounds after struggling the last several games.
Even though Hibbert made just 5 of 15 shots against the Mavericks, there were good signs, such as his aggressiveness on offense in the second half.
We continue to emphasize to his teammates that we’re going to start really clicking when he starts really going, Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. He took a big step tonight. He has stretches every year where he struggles. He’ll be fine. We have to continue to get him the ball. He’s a big key to his success.
If Hibbert and other players get into a rut each season and if teams get into a rut each year, it’s probably best that this rut is coming now rather than later.
Obviously, there’s potential in the Indiana Pacers. We’ve seen it since Vogel took over the team nearly two years ago. The Pacers haven’t changed much with the only adjustments coming to the players off the bench during the offseason.
Sure, they’re playing without forward Danny Granger, a former All-Star and the team’s perennial scoring leader. But more importantly than having Granger, it’s the way Hibbert plays that will determine the success of the Pacers this year.
Vogel said it himself, and he’s taking the steps that he should as a coach to get things rolling again.
He made adjustments to the Pacers offense – something that was clearly needed because it wasn’t working for six of the first nine games of the year.
I didn’t like being 30th (last) in scoring and 30th in field goal offense, Vogel said. I didn’t like guys standing around. I didn’t like the speed in which we were running our offense. I didn’t like the lack of physicality in our screening. There was a lot to not like. So changes were needed.
Hibbert is still only averaging 8.8 a game and only had two points at halftime.
Are they out of a rut? It’s hard telling, and the next two games are on the road when they play at New York on Sunday and at Washington Monday.
It’s hard to tell if the skid they’re in is over. We’ll know more when they can string together more than a single win – something they haven’t done yet this season.
