| ||
 |
vs. |  |
 Tinsley |
Point Guard |
 Udrih |
 Dunleavy |
Shooting Guard |
 Salmons |
 Granger |
Small Forward |
 Garcia |
 ONeal |
Power Forward |
 Moore |
 Murphy |
Center |  Miller |
 Daniels |
Sixth Man |
 Jones |
 O'Brien |
Coach |  Theus |
Pacers need to stop donating at charity stripe
By Conrad Brunner | Jan. 11, 2008
Saturday, 10 p.m. ARCO Arena TV: FSN-Indiana Radio: WFNI 1070-AM |
Heading into Saturday's game against the injury-riddled Kings in Sacramento, the Pacers are on a staggering streak at the line. Not since Nov. 30 at Seattle, a string of 20 games, have they outscored an opponent from the line. They've been outscored by 188 points, an average deficit of 9.4 per game, in that span. On their current road trip, they've been outscored 90-39 at the line, a deficit of 51 points; their three losses have come by a total of 45.
"A lot depends on the personnel and the strength of the personnel," said Coach Jim O'Brien. "For instance, we use Troy (Murphy) as a perimeter guy. Some teams might use the power forward as an inside guy. It's really the style of the individuals. What are their strengths? I think that is what's more of a factor.
"If it was a situation where we weren't attacking the paint and you'd say, 'Geez coach, maybe one of the reasons why you're shooting foul shots is you're not scoring in the paint,' well, that's not the case. We are scoring in the paint, certainly in the top half of the league. It's more of a style, going from one individual to another. We just are not necessarily guys that are going to bang it to the point where they get to the foul line a lot."
Danny Granger leads the Pacers in free-throw attempts (155) but ranks 45th in the NBA. Jermaine O'Neal historically has been a free-throw generator, averaging 6.3 per game in his Pacers career but, as his game has moved away from the basket his attempts have dropped to 4.0 this season.
While part of the problem is related to a relative lack of players that have the ability to consistently draw fouls either through penetration or post-ups, it also is attributable to a defense that has trouble in those same two areas. The Pacers lead the league in fouls committed (24.9 per game). It isn't just a matter of finding ways to get to the line more, but also sending opponents to the line less.
For the season, the Pacers (16-21) have been outscored in 31 of 37 games from the line with one tie.
Though it's commonly called the charity stripe, the Pacers need to figure out a way to give a little less and get a little more.
Personnel shortages will affect Saturday's game. Jamaal Tinsley(sore knee), Jermaine O'Neal (sore knee), Kareem Rush (sore back) and Travis Diener (sprained ankle) all missed Friday's practice. All except Diener, who is listed as doubtful, could play, though O'Neal missed Wednesday's 129-122 overtime loss in Phoenix. Indiana will be without backup center David Harrison, who'll be serving the first of his five-game suspension for violating the NBA/NBPA Anti-Drug Program.
The Kings (14-20) have been decimated by injuries and are missing their three top scorers: Ron Artest (out 3-4 more weeks after left elbow surgery), Mike Bibby (who hasn't played yet after preseason thumb surgery) and Kevin Martin (who's missed 17 games with a groin pull). Nonetheless, they've started to come around of late, winning two in a row at home after two narrow road losses (by four in Cleveland and one in Chicago).
Brad Miller has stepped forward of late, averaging 21.4 points, 9.6 rebounds and 5.2 assists in the last five, and John Salmons has become a primary scorer, averaging 23.0 points in the last seven.
KEY TO THE GAME
O'Brien liked what he saw from the small lineup in Phoenix and said he'd like to make it a more commonly used personnel group, which means a return to the regular rotation for Shawne Williams. How O'Neal would fit with such a lineup around him remains to be seen but it looks like an experiment worth trying in order to get the roster's more talented players on the court more frequently.
TRENDS
Marquis Daniels has shot .364 from the field, 1-of-12 from the 3-point line and averaged 6.4 points in his last 10 games. Mike Dunleavy has shot .578 from the field in the last four. In 17 starts, Jeff Foster has averaged 9.6 rebounds and the team has gone 10-7. Win 18 games as a reserve, he has averaged 7.3 rebounds and the team has gone 5-13. Granger has averaged 21.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, .556 shooting overall and .524 from the 3-point line in the last four. Troy Murphy has averaged 11.6 rebounds in the last five but totaled just 32 points on 11-of-43 shooting (.256). O'Neal has averaged 9.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and .378 shooting in his last four. Jamaal Tinsley has gone 0-of-20 from the 3-point line in his last five. The defense has yielded 117.3 points per game on the current road trip.
SERIES
This is the first meeting this season. The Pacers lead 35-31 overall but are 9-12 in Sacramento. Indiana has been swept in four of the past five seasons.
INJURIES
Pacers - G Jamaal Tinsley (sore L knee) is probable; F-C Jermaine O'Neal (sore L knee) and G Kareem Rush (sore lower back) are day-to-day; G Travis Diener (sprained R ankle) is doubtful; C David Harrison (NBA suspension) is out.
Kings - F Ron Artest (L elbow surgery), G Mike Bibby (R thumb surgery), G Kevin Martin (strained R groin) and F Shareef Abdur-Rahim (R knee surgery) are out.
