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Post by malice on Mar 21, 2014 12:24:31 GMT
After two exhausting seven games series in the playoffs what is your outlook in the upcoming series against the Heat? Do you see another seven game series or does one of the teams in this match-up have a significant edge? Hard to say. We've only played a single game more than the Heat, so I don't think that comes into play. Our defense is better... but I guess it all comes down to "can we stop the chuck?" I think no team has a better chance - as stated, we have some phenomenal defenders... but it will all come down to that single thing, and I think it will determine the builds of a lot of teams if one of the top chuck teams wins or loses in this match-up. 15 |
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shorty
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Post by shorty on Mar 21, 2014 20:28:33 GMT
The remaining road to the championship will have to go through some of the most explosive offensive teams in the league. Are the Pacers ready?
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Post by malice on Mar 22, 2014 0:13:38 GMT
The remaining road to the championship will have to go through some of the most explosive offensive teams in the league. Are the Pacers ready? As ready as we'll ever be. We have one of the best defensive line-ups in the league, and our offense is not too shabby either. KG and TP are two of the best scorers in the league, and Ron Artest is capable of putting a 30+ up on any given night. Chandler/Prince are two of the best at their position, and we have pretty solid back-ups. It just remains to be seen if the *chuck* is broken. 16 |
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Post by rookieoftheyear on Mar 22, 2014 18:07:15 GMT
What area of your team are you looking to improve this Free Agency period ?
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Post by malice on Mar 23, 2014 0:05:54 GMT
What area of your team are you looking to improve this Free Agency period ? Pretty much depth. The starting 5 is set, and it's a pretty good starting five at that. We don't have a lot of capspace, tho' a little was freed up with the movement of Radoslav Nesterovic to the Raptors. We'll be using our exceptions to add to our back-ups, hopefully some players will look at the roster we've assembled and decide that a one year deal would be a wise move to make. 17 |
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itnas123
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Charlotte Bobcats
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Post by itnas123 on Mar 23, 2014 0:42:47 GMT
Do you see your team next season getting as far as they did last season?
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Post by malice on Mar 23, 2014 0:58:49 GMT
Do you see your team next season getting as far as they did last season? Hopefully... one step further!  Completing a trade - like the one we did for did for Kevin Garnett & Tayshaun Prince - late in the season, always presents some difficulties as to finding the correct DC. A large part of the playoffs consisted of trying to do just that... but towards the end of the Finals (sigh), I think we got a few options that I liked, and hopefully fit the personnel we have. We'll compete at the very top levels, TC will be key - hopefully we get better (but I've been saying that every year and yet to have it happen!). To make the Finals - and then to win - takes a lot of luck alongside good management, a good draw... and meeting the right opponents. We came damn close to winning the chip last season, but also came damn close to being tripped up by your Bobcats in the first round. Stuff can turn on a dime. 18 |
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Post by rookieoftheyear on Mar 23, 2014 10:09:22 GMT
After adding Keyon Dooling, what role will he play for this team ?
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Post by malice on Mar 23, 2014 11:18:35 GMT
After adding Keyon Dooling, what role will he play for this team ? Good question. I have to admit to being a bit surprised he signed for an MLE, but it's fantastic that we have a good starter-level point guard as our back-up. But I envisage that we'll be able to find him minutes at the off guard position as well, and he'll be a focal point for the bench unit. Our depth is excellent at the moment - with players like Dooling, Sene, Sanikidze and Langdon providing support to one of the best line-ups in the league. 19 |
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Post by BoshtrichBurger on Mar 23, 2014 11:23:03 GMT
Will your team inherit a 'chuck' system like many other elite teams?
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Post by malice on Mar 23, 2014 12:59:02 GMT
Will your team inherit a 'chuck' system like many other elite teams? Hell no. We came within 1 point of winning the title. Two games finished with Indiana down by 1 point. We outscored Houston over the duration of the series 638 to 607. As mentioned in a response to a different question, we didn't really get the right DC until mid-way through the Finals (not that I believe there is any single "right" DC, but there sure as hell are some *wrong* ones!). I don't think there's any need to play a system that we're not really configured to perform. The Pacers will continue to lean heavily on our defensive prowess, and rely upon the offensive capabilities of guys like Tony Parker, Ron Artest and Kevin Garnett. 20 |
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shorty
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Post by shorty on Mar 24, 2014 1:33:14 GMT
Has KG shown signs that he might take an AK and massacre everyone after an entire career of dominance and intensity has led him to zero championships?
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Post by malice on Mar 24, 2014 2:23:31 GMT
Has KG shown signs that he might take an AK and massacre everyone after an entire career of dominance and intensity has led him to zero championships? No signs at all. This coming season probably provides him with the best chance he's had thus far at getting a chip - and that's where the franchise's focus will be. A starting unit of Tony Parker, Ron Artest, Tayshaun Prince, Kevin Garnett and Tyson Chandler is pretty hard to beat, talent-wise. Back-ups like Keyon Dooling & Mouhamed Sene. And a full season to test out a variety of different focal points coaching-wise will enable him a very good opportunity to take a tilt at a ring. We expect to be competing at the highest levels. 21 |
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Post by HyperYellow on Mar 26, 2014 2:21:33 GMT
You were quite vocal in your disappointment with a 9-5 record in the pre-season. Were you experimenting with DCs, or do you think the rest of the league is catching up with you?
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Post by malice on Mar 26, 2014 2:26:41 GMT
You were quite vocal in your disappointment with a 9-5 record in the pre-season. Were you experimenting with DCs, or do you think the rest of the league is catching up with you? Hmmm... not sure it's accurate to phrase it that way, but the result was largely an experimentation with the DC. That and having a longer rotation than I will normally use. I think the majority of the league has a very long way to go to catch up to this roster - tho' the regular teams will still be up there. That said, on any given day a team can play poorly and their opponents play well - and losses... unexpected losses... do occur. I'm aiming for 55+ wins this season, and I think this roster is capable of achieving that. 22 |
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itnas123
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Charlotte Bobcats
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Post by itnas123 on Mar 26, 2014 2:41:20 GMT
Do you see Artest as your the key man to your defense? What has he done differently in the offseason to improve his defense?
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shorty
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Post by shorty on Mar 26, 2014 2:53:24 GMT
KG has been arming himself with MVP trophies since the start of the league. With his decline in TC, does he have enough gas in the tank to go for another lengthy campaign?
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Post by entrapy on Mar 26, 2014 2:56:07 GMT
Who is the player you would love to have in a Pacers uni?
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Post by malice on Mar 26, 2014 2:56:58 GMT
Do you see Artest as your the key man to your defense? What has he done differently in the offseason to improve his defense? Ronnie's our... *spiritual leader* in terms of setting the D, but this is a team that has many elite defenders. But Ronnie is the best of them, and I guess with the preponderance of 'the chuck' - then Artest's the key guy. 23 |
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Post by malice on Mar 26, 2014 3:00:05 GMT
KG has been arming himself with MVP trophies since the start of the league. With his decline in TC, does he have enough gas in the tank to go for another lengthy campaign? The guy is intensity personified, but it's a nice compliment to Artest... and Tyson Chandler can be pretty *focused* as well. Prince and TP are a nice counterweight to those three. But KG. Yes, if any player has the ability to go night in, night out - it's Kevin Garnett. He's a beast, and despite being well-represented in trophies, there's one that he still has his sights set on... and I'm pretty sure that he's eager to get that one this year. 24 |
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Post by malice on Mar 26, 2014 3:03:20 GMT
Who is the player you would love to have in a Pacers uni? At the moment? Well, acknowledging that this is a completely fantastical question - and that we're incredibly satisfied with the roster as assembled, probably the only player I'd really like to have on my team who isn't is Timmy Duncan. That said, we're more than happy with the presence Tyson Chandler provides us. 25 |
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Post by rookieoftheyear on Mar 26, 2014 4:45:39 GMT
Coming off a trip to the Finals, is it championship or bust for the Indiana Pacers ?
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Post by malice on Mar 26, 2014 5:01:54 GMT
Coming off a trip to the Finals, is it championship or bust for the Indiana Pacers ? Pretty much. With so many players on the final year of their contracts, it's difficult to say exactly who will be wearing an Indiana uniform the next season. Ron Artest, Kevin Garnett, Tony Parker, Tayshaun Prince, Tyson Chandler, Viktor Sanikidze, James White, Trajan Langdon and Keyon Dooling all come off the books next season. Obviously a lot of them we'd like back, but we'll see what we see. 26 |
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Post by getbeard on Mar 28, 2014 5:49:16 GMT
Do you believe your defense oriented team gives you an advantage or disadvantage against the new "Chuck" era of basketball that seems to be sweeping the league?
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Post by malice on Mar 28, 2014 6:45:55 GMT
Do you believe your defense oriented team gives you an advantage or disadvantage against the new "Chuck" era of basketball that seems to be sweeping the league? Hmmm... I don't believe that *chuck* gives anyone a better/worse opportunity within the league... but if you're going to succeed (given how much it's being used), you had best be able to defend it. The Indiana Pacers are not really a "defense-oriented" team, I like to think of them as a *both-ends-of-the-floor* team: we have players who excel on D, and who are more than capable offensively too. I'm just utilizing a different gameplan to *chuck-ball*. 27 |
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Post by rookieoftheyear on Apr 1, 2014 2:47:05 GMT
What do you believe is the main reason behind Tony Parker's drop in production this season ?
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Post by malice on Apr 1, 2014 4:29:47 GMT
What do you believe is the main reason behind Tony Parker's drop in production this season ? And increase in TOs! At the moment, I'm going with Ron's absence. No Artest puts a helluva lot of pressure on TP, and I think changes the DC we need markedly. I'm not exactly sure what the best DC is for a sans-Artest unit, but what we were running sure as hell wasn't it. Hopefully, now that Ron's finished his month-long enforced sabbatical, we can turn this thing about. 28 |
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Post by rookieoftheyear on Apr 4, 2014 19:28:41 GMT
With almost your whole roster set to expire, which players will be prioritized ?
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Post by malice on Apr 5, 2014 1:17:05 GMT
With almost your whole roster set to expire, which players will be prioritized ? Kinda nuts, huh? I'd love to keep all, and I must admit that it worries me that I won't be able to. The thing for me to focus on, I guess, are guys that I don't have ready replacements for: and that's Ron Artest and Tony Parker. Robin Lopez and Mouhamed Sene are starting to look very nice, and are both very young (21). Whilst it would be terrible to see KG & Tyson Chandler leave, it wouldn't be as devastating as the departure of Ron or Tony. 29 |
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shorty
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Post by shorty on Apr 6, 2014 6:33:22 GMT
This might seem like an easy question after the beginning of the season, but which player on your team would you say is the most important to your team?
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