First Thoughts: Atlanta 90, Indiana 69
By CHRIS GOFF
ISL Correspondent
Let’s take a quick look at how the Atlanta Hawks routed the Indiana Pacers 90-69 on Saturday night at Philips Arena in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference first round series. The Pacers still lead the series 2-1.
WHY IT HAPPENED: The Pacers badly struggled on offense and couldn’t make a solid pass when they needed one, let alone a shot. Paul George scored 16 points but was just 4-for-11 from the field. Roy Hibbert had an ineffective night, scoring eight points and grabbing nine rebounds, but he didn’t score in the first half. In fact, George and David West were the only Pacers with more than four points before halftime. Al Horford had a huge night with 26 points and 16 rebounds. Reserves Ivan Johnson, Anthony Tolliver and Kyle Korver combined for 20 points, and the Pacers’ depth simply did not have an answer.
WHAT WE LEARNED: After convincing performances in Games 1 and 2, the Pacers figured they were past their late-season struggles. They thought if they got to the free-throw line, attacked the offensive glass the same way they had in Indianapolis, and limited the Hawks’ opportunities in transition, they would earn a win and take a historically insurmountable 3-0 lead. The only problem is that depended on Atlanta’s defense playing the same way it had for the past month, not the stout version that showed up on Saturday. The Pacers finished with a season-low 69 points and shot a season-worst 27 percent from the field. Josh Smith played extremely well, and George could not get going the same way he did in the first two games. The Hawks played to their season norm on defense, leaving the Pacers lost and inept on offense. What has to concern Pacers coach Frank Vogel is that the Pacers’ defense still does not look as sharp as it did for most of the season. Smith, Horford and Johnson got mostly clean looks and missed just 19 shots combined in 40 attempts. Vogel will have plenty to examine in the film room after this one. Atlanta shot 43 percent from the field and earned 28 free throws after taking just 34 in the first two games. Coach Larry Drew made the Hawks bigger, stronger and better defensively by inserting 7-footer Johan Petro into the starting lineup and sending Korver to the bench, allowing Smith to go against George on both ends.
KEY NUMBER: The Hawks outscored the Pacers 50-30 in the paint.
TURNING POINT: After starting the game on an 8-1 run, the Pacers were outscored 26-6 over the final 9 1/2 minutes of the first quarter. Instead of adjusting his rotation to fit the circumstances, Vogel sent George out with four reserves in the second quarter, and Atlanta scored the first six points of the period to fuel the blowout.
NEXT: The Pacers practice on Sunday to try to recover mentally in time for Game 4 on Monday night in Atlanta.
