Four-time NBA champion and two-time All-NBA forward Draymond Green discussed his thoughts on the Indiana Pacers and their opening games of the first-round series against the Milwaukee Bucks on the latest episode of the Draymond Green Show.
“The Pacers talked a lot,” Green said to open a segment of the episode. “(Damian Lillard) had something to say.”
The Bucks beat the Pacers 109-94 in the first game. It was a tough night for Indiana, which struggled offensively and didn’t pick up the slack on defense until the second half. They trailed by as many as 30 points in the second quarter of the game.
Lillard was the dominant force guiding Milwaukee. He had 35 points at halftime – he alone kept pace with the blue and gold on the scoreboard for much of the first two quarters. “The first half was embarrassing. No excuses,” Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said after the game. “We just have to come out of this better. It was ugly, and we all own that.”
Green shared that he thought this was the best team Lillard had been on, even without the presence of Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo. Khris Middleton, Bobby Portis, Brook Lopez and Patrick Beverley were all effective for Milwaukee in Game 1.
“If I’m the Pacers, I’m a little worried,” Green said, noting that he thinks Lillard can do it again. The Milwaukee star finished the game with 35 points, six rebounds and three assists. Golden State’s star forward went on to say that he likes Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard and his defensive abilities, but Green thinks Nembhard is too small to guard Lillard.
Green, a four-time All-Star and former Defensive Player of the Year, was asked by his producer if he thinks the Pacers are an 82-game team (i.e. a stronger group in the regular season ) as opposed to a 16-game team. group (better in playoffs).
“They don’t defend. They haven’t defended anyone all year,” he said, noting that he thought the Pacers were an 82-game team. “Their offense is so powerful…Like I said to start this series, you have to defend come playoff time. You can’t just run in transition. You’re going to have to execute in the half court.”
He then reiterated his belief that Indiana’s high-powered offense comes from outrunning teams, which isn’t as easy in the playoffs when teams don’t turn the ball over as much. Green thinks the Pacers’ half-court execution needs to be better.
“I think the Pacers are an 82-game team, not a 16-game team,” he said. “They can’t make a lot of adjustments to what they’re doing.”
The Pacers believe they played poorly in Game 1 and will be much better in Game 2. They missed their first 13 three-pointers in the first battle of the series, which is difficult to recover from. With better execution against Lillard and polished offensive play, they should be better going forward.
Indiana will hope Tyrese Haliburton and the rest of his offense roll tonight when they try to even the series — and in turn, they’ll look to prove Green wrong.
- “‘Embarrassing’: Indiana Pacers have terrible playoff opening in Game 1 loss to Milwaukee Bucks”. CLICK HERE.
- Pascal Siakam is the key to the Indiana Pacers’ playoff success, on and off the court. CLICK HERE.
- “Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark meets Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton, receives praise from Rick Carlisle”. CLICK HERE.
- The Indiana Pacers were crushed in the first half in Game 1 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. CLICK HERE.
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