Basketball, She Wrote
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Pacers take the "driver's seat" in Game 4, cruise to 3-1 lead over Bucks - w/ Caitlin & Samson
🕑 Added 2025-04-28 20:35:01 +0000 UTCOn earning a "get right" win by attacking left - repeatedly
By: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_Cooper
In leading from start to finish and speeding ahead by as many as 26 points, the Pacers put themselves in the driver's seat, both at the macro-level, in taking a commanding 3-1 series lead over the Bucks, as well as in the micro-sense, with respect to their change in approach as drivers to cruise to a 129-103 win in Game 4.
For the night, after spending most of Game 3 left of center, Tyrese Haliburton recorded his third-most drives to his left in any game this season -- not so much because he was forced in that direction, but rather as a pre-emptive counter to being forced in that direction. Meanwhile, Myles Turner also got back on track, recording his third-highest rate of screen contact in any game this season, at 79.4 percent, while also rolling more and popping less by comparison to Game 3.
In addition to shooting 18-of-39 from three, the return to form of Haliburton and Turner was the most important "adjustment" the Pacers made. Still, from tinkering with double-team strategies against Giannis Antetokounmpo to adjusting the rotation in the absence of Bennedict Mathurin, there were other more tangible adjustments (no air quotes) that contributed to the win.
As such, Samson Folk is back to talk about the "get right" victory, breaking down Game 4 in reference to Game 3 as well as what comes next.
Here's are the relevant timestamps:
0:00 - Introductions
0:35 - Samson's availability as a difference-maker in this series
2:35 - Deep dive on what changed for Haliburton as a driver in Game 4
4:49 - Deliberately running action on the right side of the floor for Haliburton to attack left while still maintaining access to screens + determining factors in whether the screener rolls/pops
9:48 - Haliburton's resilience to stay on ball and Turner's screen adjustments
14:00 - Making an impact with impact + changes in execution out of counters that start with Haliburton away from the ball
19:09 - Thoughts on reinserting Ben Sheppard into the rotation + why there can be a place for both him and Jarace Walker in the rotation
29:25 - Tweaking the double-team strategies against Giannis + why last season's NYK-PHI series is informative as a template
40:29 - Inverted screens continue to be an agent of chaos (no screen, no scheme!)
46:39 - Giving Myles Turner his flowers
48:02 - Woah vs. Whoa, revisited
53:44 - More flowers for Myles Turner
56:36 - NBA games shouldn't start at 6:00 PM on week nights!!
1:01:47 - Banter + much love to the Pacers' fanbase
1:06:01 - Thank you and goodbye!
Comments
Thomas
The banter is great!
Caitlin Cooper
The Pacers generally have counters for what opponents throw at them, is what Samson is getting at.
PaversPaveToThePave
I truly appreciate you sticking up for us (and I truly assume me specifically) when you called out the NBA schedule makers. I’m fortunate I can leave a little early easily, but my doggie Celeste will get no time to see me before the game. 😢
Isaiah Fasoldt
Great pod! One question: I don't really understand what Samson means when he constantly says the Pacers are counter punchers. In boxing, it tends to mean people who wait for the opponent to make the first move and then react. In tennis, it's people who can't generate velocity on their own, so they use the opponents velocity against them. Not sure I understand what counter punching means in basketball? Does it mean the Pacers don't take the game to their opponents, but let their opponents take the game to them? Or just that they are good at problem solving their opponents' "punches"?
