It seems like we're getting more steals lately. Nic, Wes, and Dame have all had game changing steals over this last week. I think Crabbe had one too. Is this something new for our team or am I just noticing it more lately?
I wonder if Stotts has recently told the team to get a little riskier playing the passing lanes. Perhaps he likes that the players have finally shown a good grasp of his defensive concepts and philosophies (as shown by our marked improvement in defensive efficiency rankings), and has allowed our guys to gamble a bit more to make our defensive even more potent.
One thing is the Pacers don't take very good care of the ball. The other thing is defense is the "Work" of the game. Teams that play together longer tend to be better defensive teams and begin to trust each other. The natural progression is to take a few more chances because you know who is backing you up. Thus, teams with better working knowledge of each other tend to get more turnovers.
When were we dead last in steals? We are currently tied for 24th with the Bulls at 6.2 STL/G (118 STL in 19 games). Indiana is dead last at 4.9 STL/G (93 STL in 19 games). Through 19 games, we have 25 more steals (118 vs. 93) than Indiana. Over that last 10 games, we have 12 more steals (68 vs. 56) than Indiana. That means over the first 9 games, we had 13 more steals (50 vs. 37) than Indiana. Our STL/G has gone up over the last 10 games - 6.8 STL/G over the last 10 games vs. 5.6 STL/G for the first 9 games. But, our 5.6 STL/G over the first 9 games was substantially higher than Indiana's 4.1 STL/G over their first 9 games. If we were ever dead last in steals, it must have been VERY early in the season - like the first couple games of the season early. BNM
Leave it to BNM to put me in my place! Lol I thought I heard the mikes say that. I could have misunderstood what they were saying then. Regardless, being 24th and still one of the top 5 defensive team is pretty sexy. What that tells me is their defense can still improve! That's even more crazy!
Last year! Last year for a long time we were dead last in steals. Maybe not after the ASG but definitely before it. We were 26th before the game last night.
We finished last season dead last in steals - by a wide margin. We were dead last at 454 steals. Charlotte was 29th at 499 steals and Milwaukee 28th at 541. BNM
I dunno. I think it might be coincidence more than coaching. Stotts said that he doesn't value steals (which is baffling, IMO). Some of the steals last night were due to either (a) good defense or (b) sloppy play by the Pacers, rather than gambling. I can only recall two - Lillard jumping straight up to grab an entry pass, and Crabbe poking the ball free near half-court. Neither of those involved playing the passing lanes (gambling). I really think we need to add the passing lanes to our defense - getting into the passing lanes can either result in a steal/turnover (which often leads to easy transition points), or at the very least disrupt ball movement. Of course you don't want to over-extend, but a healthy balance could go a long way towards making our defense even better and provide us with some much needed easy scoring opportunities. The best defense is to not even let the other team get a shot up!
I agree Playing the passing lanes were one of the strengths the 1999-00 team had. The reason was all our players had long arms, excluding Might Mouse. The length is what causes disruption and keeps the other teams from not staying within their flow. I don't think we have to gamble as much as disrupt the offense with our length. When that timing on the defensive end syncs, then we will have the best defense in the league. On the flip side... Houston and GS rely on gambling a lot on the defensive end. I don't see their defense being top 5 by season's end because legs are more tired. Our team, like SAS and Memphis, use their length and disruption to create havoc. And it doesn't require as much energy to keep the defense strong throughout the season and in the playoffs.
Gambling and failing to get a steal really puts a strain on your low post/in the key defenders. The 1999-2000 team had some really stout internal defense. Lopez and LaMarcus are good, but can get into foul trouble if guards are driving in the lane a lot. I think that might be why we're not playing the passing lanes so much.
I'm gonna have to disagree with you on our internal defense around the rim. Aren't we one of the best? The 1999-00 team didn't have David Robinson guarding the paint here. In fact, I would argue that our current bigs are better rim protectors than that team. Now if we had Sabas in his prime, would be an entirely different story.
Two ways of looking at it. One is FGA in the paint, the other is FG% on those shots. We're still bottom 3rd for allowing shots in the paint (30.6), but at least we're 4th in FG% (54.7%) on those shots. So, to me, the truth lies in the middle - our interior defense is average. We can't continue to let teams get high-percentage shots near the hoop.
There's a third... Our lack to get timely boards. Last night was a prime example. We would play stellar defense, only to allow the other team the offensive rebound and put back.
