The Pacers offseason to-do-list

Another lost season, another lost cause. After getting BLOWN OUT by the Miami Heat 117-92, a game in which they were down by as many as 40 points, the Indiana Pacers will be headed home in the Conference Finals again, and this is the third straight year that they were eliminated by the Heat. One thing I don't quite get, though, (besides the Pacers absolute lack of effort,) is the headline on espn.com. It reads: "For a third straight year, Miami ended Indiana's season. Friday's blowout also signaled an end to the rivalry."

What?!?! The Indiana Pacers are NOT just going to fade away and wither. Maybe they would if they had an average team President. But they don't have an average President, they have Larry Legend, the greatest Small Forward of All-Time, and also one of the greatest basketball minds of All-Time. He's the one that drafted Paul George and Lance Stephenson. He's the one that signed David West. He is the person that keeps this team relevant. 

Without him, even in today's weak Eastern Conference, the Pacers would likely be lottery-bound. But The Legend has an interesting predicament here. There's no way the Pacers are beating the Heat with their current core unless they improve their offensive game, and they also MUST improve their bench which is deprived of everything but frustration. Does he keep Lance Stephenson, the annoying hothead, who sometimes can't control himself?

If I were Larry Bird, I would think long and hard about whether or not to keep Stephenson. He's a good player and has potential, as witnessed by his incredulously frustrating inconsistency and occasional dominance, but is he worth $8-12 million dollars a year? That would definitely hinder what they can do to their bench. 

Also, right before the start of the playoffs, a story broke that Stephenson and 6th Man Evan Turner, (who is supposedly the "insurance" in case they can't re-sign Stephenson, even though Turner was benched in the Conference Finals,) got into a practice-floor fistfight. As in, a brawl. This sounds dangerously like the former Ron Artest, and as the Pacers have learned from past experiences, that kind of guy on a playoff-team never works out. Especially when he's the star.

There is also the matter of Roy Hibbert. He had an outstanding first half of the season, being one of the best Center's in the league, but then, in the second half of the season and the playoffs, Hibbert was frustratingly ineffective. He did have a few monster games (Game 2 against the Wizards and Game 1 against the Heat,) but besides that, he played like a bench-warmer, and had 5 games in which he was scoreless, which SHOULD NOT happen to an All-Star who makes $15 million dollars a year. The Legend is going to have to decide whether to keep Hibbert or look to trade him.

Then, there are two more things. 

One, George Hill. He is actually a pretty effective 6th Man, at SHOOTING GUARD. Unfortunately, the Pacers have Hill in the starting lineup and at POINT GUARD, a position he cannot play efficiently, since he is not a great ball-handler. What Indiana really needs is a true Point Guard, but they may not have the cap-space to sign one in free agency, and don't have many assets with which to acquire one in a trade.

The other thing is, of course, the infamously, mediocrely deflated bench. Basically, what Indiana needs to do is completely rebuild the bench, from the ground up. A full rebuild is needed when it comes to the bench. 

Why Paul George Could One Day Be A Top-Two Player

Watching Paul George play, if you're a Pacers fan, is excruciatingly frustrating. You see, George often mistakes himself for Lebron James. When he does so he starts to delve into 1-on-1 isolation plays on offense, but when guarded by James, and already being just an average shooter, George will take many mid-range jump-shots that clank off the rim and into the hands of an obliged and waiting Heat player.

One day, George may be near the level James is at offensively. He may get there...one day. But it is not his time yet. He is just a young 24-years old, still not fully equipped with the skill and stamina it takes to guard the best player in the world almost every possession, and carry the bulk of the offensive burden.

We could say, George is just a younger Rudy Gay. But that would not be accurate. Rudy Gay was an inefficient shooter, just like George currently is. But, Rudy was also always known (and rightfully so) for being an inexplicably bad defender. That is not the case with George, one of the best defenders in today's game, despite his youth.

Rather, George is more of a rich man's Kawhi Leonard. They are both lockdown defenders, and are both inconsistent, though good, shooters. The most frustrating thing with George though, is not all the Rudy Gay type isolation monstrosities he shoots. 

No, it is that George will occasionally and randomly rip off a Lebron-esque hot-streak where he simply cannot miss a shot. We saw one of those random outbursts in Game 5 against Miami, when he scored 21 of his 37 points in the 4th quarter. That's the most points in the 4th quarter of a playoff game since a guy named Reggie Miller. You know, that guy that is one of the 10 greatest NBA players of All-Time? 

We saw a hot-streak from George similar to the one in Game 5 against the Heat (though not as spectacular), in Game 4 against the Wizards during Round Two of this year's playoffs. When George caught fire and started hitting those jump-shots that he normally misses, you just knew there was no way Indiana was losing that game. 

The challenge for George as his promising career continues to unfold dramatically, is if he can sustain those runs of excellence, and if he can exude them consistently. Because if he improves his offensive game, the sky is the limit. 

Lance's World, II

                  I got it, coach.

All-NBA Team Picks

1st Team 

Guard, Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors)

Guard, Chris Paul (Los Angeles Clippers)

Forward, Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder) 

Forward, Lebron James (Miami Heat) 

Center, Joakim Noah (Chicago Bulls)

2nd Team 

Guard, James Harden (Houston Rockets) 

Guard, Goran Dragic (Phoenix Suns) 

Forward, Paul George (Indiana Pacers) 

Forward, Blake Griffin (Los Angeles Clippers) 

Center, Roy Hibbert (Indiana Pacers) 

3rd team 

Guard, Kyle Lowry (Toronto Raptors)

Guard, John Wall (Washington Wizards)

Forward, Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas Mavericks)

Forward, Kevin Love (Minnesota Timberwolves) 

Center, Dwight Howard (Houston Rockets) 

All-Rookie Team 

Guard, Victor Oladipo (Orlando Magic)

Guard, Michael Carter-Williams (Philadelphia 76ers) 

Forward, Giannis Antetukuempo (Milwaukee Bucks) 

Forward, Mason Plumlee (Brooklyn Nets)

Center, Gorgieu Deng (Minnesota Timberwolves) 

All-Defensive Team 

Guard, Tony Allen (Memphis Grizzliies)

Guard, Jimmy Butler (Chicago Bulls)

Forward, Paul George (Indiana Pacers) 

Forward, Kawhi Leonard (San Antonio Spurs) 

Center, Roy Hibbert (Indiana Pacers) 

Lance's World

If Paul George doesn't play on Saturday against the Heat (concussion), there's almost no way the Pacers can win.

Almost. 

I know what you're probably thinking: "How could they possibly win without Paul George, their best player?" I've got two words for you: Lance. Stephenson.

I wrote an article about the hot-headed Indiana Guard's transformation from bench-warmer to X-factor, which you can find here (link).

Right now, the Pacers' slogan is: "In Lance we trust." That's what really scares me. Last year Lance was an inconsistent, though still solid, starter for this Indiana team. Now? He's carrying the burden of not only stopping one of the most explosive scorers the game has ever seen, but also with the load of carrying the offense. 

You see, last year, when Lance played well Indiana mostly won, but even if Lance had a bad game they could still win. That is most certainly no longer the case. Even if Paul George plays, and plays well, there's no way the Pacers can survive if Lance gives them two klunkers in games 3 and 4. But Lance is different than your average inconsistent young Guard.

Because when he's at his best, he's on the same level as Lebron James and Kevin Durant. He's just never sustained it for a full game, let alone multiple games. The only way I could see the Pacers winning game 3 or 4 if George is out, is if Lance finds a way to sustain those unique outburst of excellence that he inconsistently exudes and takes the team on his back to put up 40-60 points and spur the team on until George gets back. 

The terrifying thing for Pacers fans is that Lance is arguably the most unpredictable player in the NBA. He could game out in Game 3 and go off for 60 points, or score 0 points and shoot 0-for-12 from the field. At this point, neither one of those would surprise me. As scary as it is to Pacers fans, this is Lance's game, and he's going to be the deciding factor as to whether or not Indy will go back home tied up at 2-2, or down 3-1.

It's all on Lance Stephenson. And as I've learned through his frustrating inconsistency, the only person that can stop Lance Stephenson is Lance Stephenson. 

Can Neymar restore World Cup glory to Brasil?

In (American) football, it is said that winning the Super Bowl is easier than consistently being in the hunt for a Super Bowl. Well in (everywhere but America) football, that is especially true. Take for example the 2006 France World Cup team. They made the finals. Then, in 2010, France failed to get out of the group stage. Italy, the 2006 champion and a world-powerhouse, also failed to get out of their group.

It's also well-known that being the host country means almost nothing, as last year's host country, South Africa, was eliminated in the group stages. In case you didn't know, the World Cup is being played in Brazil this year. And in case you didn't know, the new face of Brazil football is Forward Neymar Jr,.

The 2010 World Cup was a bad campaign for the Brazilians. They lost in the Round of 16, their worst World Cup finish in recent memory. Some of the leaders of that squad, Midfielder Kakà and Defender Maicon, were noticeably left off this year's World Cup squad. They also got rid of their coach, Douga.

Kakà wore #10. Neymar wears #10. Kaká was the face of Brazil soccer, now that role has been shifted over to 23-year old Neymar. He'll need to produce quickly on the world's biggest stage, or he'll be demoted to solid rotation-player.

Most top-tier Brazil soccer players never get a chance to be The Guy. Star Ronaldo (not to be confused with Cristiano Ronaldo) was the hero for Brazil in the 2002 World Cup. In the next World Cup, that role was handed over to Ronaldhino. Then to Kaká in the 2010 World Cup. And now, to the young Neymar.

It's not as if he's not used to playing in big games. He signed with FC Barcelona, one of the world's best clubs, last year and helped them earn 2nd place in the highly-competitive La Liga. But he was not the leader of that team, or even the best player. He was simply the magnificent sidekick to Lionel Messi.

Now, he not only is required to be a leader, but he must step up and play like his team's best player. Plus, there is an enormous amount of added pressure when you put on that jersey, and realize that you are representing your country at the biggest sports event in the world. Especially being the best player on a team that expects you to win it all.

Because of all the pressure that is on powerhouse teams such as Brazil, Spain, and Germany, I would not at all be surprised if a dark-horse team such as Belgium, Mexico, or Ghana made a run at the Cup and maybe even win it. It is much like College Basketball, where teams like Kentucky, Kansas, and Duke are expected to be in title-contention every year, and they lose all their stars every year to the NBA.

But teams like Wichita State, Creighton, and Butler keep their stars for all four years and are able to sneak up on inexperienced powerhouse teams. Just like in College Basketball, powerhouses are expected to produce immediately, and if they don't, new, and inexperienced players are brought in. But the Belgiums and Ghanas have the same players for a longer stretch of time, because their fans don't expect so much out of them. 

There is an enormous amount of pressure on Neymar to lead Brazil to World Cup victory, we'll find out soon enough if he can handle it. 

Eastern Conference Finals: Game 2

In case you didn't know, the Indiana Pacers crushed the Miami Heat, 107-96, on Sunday to take a 1-0 lead in the Eastern Conference Finals. Tonight is a critical game for Miami. If they drop down 2-0, then they'll need to win both of their games in Miami, something that has not happened in a playoff series against Indiana in the I-Was-A-Heat-"Fan"-Before-Lebron era. 

Two years ago these teams met in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, with the Heat as the #2 seed and Pacers as the #3 seed. After winning game 1, the Heat dropped games 2 and 3, before winning three straight games and taking the series, 4-2. Then the next year, they narrowly defeated the #3 seeded Pacers in 7 games in the Eastern Conference Finals. Overall, in their playoff series' against each other, the Heat have gone 4-2 at home. 

So falling back 2-0 in this series would be a potentially series-ending blow, because the odds are that they're not going to win both of their games in Miami. With that said, Indiana is not going to shoot 51.5 percent from the field in Game 2, and they're most certainly not going to have over twice as many free-throws than the Heat in Game 2. 

One of the underrated reasons why the Pacers won Game 1 so easily: ball-hog Forward Evan Turner was out with strep throat. Veteran Rasual Butler played some of Turner's minutes, but it really opened things up for Guard Lance Stephenson to be the primary ball-handler and orchestrate the offense for the second-unit much like he did during the team's red-hot first-half of the season. It seems as if the Pacers are better without Turner. The only problem is, if Indiana benches Turner completely, it will result in Turner becoming a locker-room cancer to a team that cannot afford any distractions. I expect Lebron James to put up 35+ points Tuesday night, and the Heat to go back to Miami tied up 1-1. 

Prediction: Pacers 82-87 Heat