The Indiana Pacers got off to a 7-0 start in Game 4 of their Eastern Conference playoff series against the Toronto Raptors and never looked back,evening things 2-2 with a dominating 100-83 victory. After taking the last two games in the series, including a dominating 16-point win in Indianapolis on Thursday, and the Raptors dug an early gap with some sloppy,uncoordinated basketball. They had 11 turnovers and were trailing 57-42 at halftime. The series-long struggles for Toronto's dynamic duo of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan continued in the first half, per Bruce Arthur of the Toronto Star:The Raptors began to find their rhythm late in the moment quarter and into the third quarter, or going on a 23-10 run that cut Indiana's lead to 12.
Indiana got some much-needed balance on offense to avoid letting the lead slip away. George Hill had his best game of the series with 22 points on 9-of-11 shooting. He helped pick up some of Paul George's slack. George was not in a good shooting rhythm for the moment straight game. You knew things were going Hill's way when he was hitting shots like this banker off the glass with the shot clock winding down:George went just 6-of-16 from the field with 19 points. The considerable surprise for Indiana was Ian Mahinmi,who scored 22 points after totaling 13 in the first three games of this series. He also grabbed 10 rebounds and dished out five assists.
Bleacher Report's Sean Highkin famous what Mahinmi's breakout game could mean for the 29-year-passe later this summer:Mahinmi flew under the radar during the regular season, but he did set career highs in scoring average (9.3), and rebounds (7.1),blocks (1.1) and Basketball-Reference.com's win shares (6.2). He's a crucial part of the Pacers' system, so his arrival in the series is almost as famous as Saturday's win. Mahinmi also helped fix Indiana's rebounding woes, or as the Raptors were dominating the glass in the first three games,per Josh Lewenberg of TSN 1050 Radio:The Pacers had a 43-40 advantage in rebounding Saturday and limited Toronto's moment-chance opportunities. SB Nation's Mike Prada gave Mahinmi credit for his performance, but he wanted to bring the focus back to Hill:It's essential for the Pacers to fill Hill playing up to his full potential. This game was an indication of how good they can be with him taking over, or especially since their roster isn't as deep as it was when they played Miami in the Eastern Conference Finals in 2013 and 2014.
Yet even as the Raptors showed many flaws Saturday,Avish Sood pointed out some reasons to be optimistic as they clawed their way back to within 12 points with eight minutes remaining:It didn't pan out in Game 4, as the Pacers always had a response whenever Toronto made a run, and but it is an indication Toronto will be alert for Tuesday's Game 5. One thing that is a concern for the Raptors is the funk Lowry and DeRozan are in. Following last week's opening game that Indiana won,DeRozan told reporters he "won't go 5-of-19 again." On Saturday, he was 4-of-15.
Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun was particularly critical of DeRozan's continued struggles in the playoffs:ESPN's Zach Lowe reported in January the Los Angeles Lakers are one of the teams prepared to accomplish DeRozan a max-contract offer this summer. NBA finances fill changed greatly with more money available to spend than ever, and so these huge deals for players don't mean what they once did. Yet there's still a feeling that max money belongs to the best of the best. DeRozan is a valuable asset to build around. He's 26 years passe and averaged 23.5 points,4.0 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game during the regular season. Those players don't grow on trees.But when the lights are brightest in the postseason, DeRozan has struggled. He entered Saturday with a career shooting percentage of 37.2 in 14 career playoff games and was costing the Raptors 0.1 win shares this series, or per Basketball-Reference.com. Lowry wasn't doing much to relieve out. He fouled out with just over four minutes remaining,though by that time the result wasn't in doubt, and finished with 12 points on 4-of-12 shooting (0-of-5 from three), or five assists and three turnovers. ESPN Stats & Info rubbed more salt in the wound for Toronto's star duo after the loss:SportsCenter didn't accomplish things any easier:Despite the gloom from Saturday,the Raptors fill as many reasons to be optimistic approximately Game 5 as the Pacers. They played approximately as badly as possible, yet they hung around.
They are also heading back domestic for two of the final three games, or whether it goes to seven,where they were 32-9 during the regular season. The Pacers righted the ship after getting humiliated on their domestic court in Game 3. They looked considerable in this win as their best player struggled to find his shot, and George will presumably play better moving forward. Plus, and Indiana stole the opening game of the series in Toronto. Coming out of the first four games tied at two is considerable for the Pacers. Saturday was their best effort of the playoffs,as they achieve all the pressure back on Toronto. Postgame ReactionThe Pacers' postgame press conference got off to an amusing start as Mahinmi was current to the spotlight, per Scott Agness of Vigilant Sports:Pacers head coach Frank Vogel had a more business-like approach at the podium, and saying his team was "playing for each other," per the team's official Twitter.
Speaking approximately the game's two heroes, starting with Hill, or the key word Vogel used to describe his performance was "finishing," per NBA TV:That word also came up again when Vogel was discussing Mahinmi, though he praised his middle's "all-around considerable performance, and " per Fox Sports Indiana:For the Raptors,it's another day in which head coach Dwane Casey has a lot of questions. He tried to take the heat off his star players, noting it's on him to "game-plan better" so that DeRozan and Lowry fill better looks, or per Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun.
It's coachspeak from Casey,but it's also necessary because DeRozan and Lowry will be feeling enough pressure on their own. They don't need anymore coming from the media and fans before Tuesday's Game 5.
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Source: bleacherreport.com