In the middle of the third quarter against Milwaukee, the Pacers pass an 18-6 to take a lead of 19 points. In today's NBA, with so many 3-pointers, it's no longer enough to ensure success, but it remains a comfortable mattress. Doc Rivers then takes a timeout to stop the bleeding and attempt a zone defense.
He did well because over the next 18 minutes, the last of the game, his troops inflicted a 56-29 on the Pacers and won!
“Matches don’t last 30 minutes”, laments Rick Carlisle. “The last 18 have been catastrophic. It's our fault. We lost our aggression. We lost everything that allowed us to take the lead and we gave the Bucks an opportunity to not only come back but to win this game. And that's what happened. »
The Pacers also pointed to the impact of the Bucks' zone defense, which derailed the offense. “Our transition offense is so lethal. Our pace, our circulation is difficult to stop so they don’t want to run with us”believes Andrew Nembhard, who thus proves Doc Rivers right.
The zone certainly, but also a more porous defense
“We weren’t aggressive. They took shots and we slowed down our pace, but we didn't attack well. We didn’t attack the circle, nor take open shots”, regrets Pascal Siakam. “We didn’t attack the spaces enough”adds TJ McConnell. “Usually, when a player cuts, we serve him. We didn't do it in this part. »
The Pacers will end the match, during these fatal 18 minutes, with an ugly 11/34 shooting, including 4/15 at 3-pts and even six missed free throws. But Rick Carlisle insists: it's not just the Bucks' defense that explains this discomfiture.
“We shot too far from distance, we didn’t attack well and we have work to do, but we didn’t defend well either,” reminds the coach, despite recent progress. “Bad defense allows teams to score. So it's a double penalty. We have to defend better. This was a huge problem, really huge, in this match. »
