The Indiana Pacers have solidified themselves as one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference, the top defensive team in the NBA, and possibly being one wing scorer away from challenging for an appearance in the NBA Finals.
A lot of this has to do with their incredible starting lineup and the teachings of coach Frank Vogel. Vogel has brought a rough and tough attitude back to Pacers basketball that you see on nearly every possession of a game. They check guys cutting through the lane. They put their shoulders into opposing players as soon as a shot goes up. They cut you off from getting into the paint and if you do, a 7-foot-2 giant is there to protect the rim.
The starting lineup the Pacers have is arguably the best in the league. Last season, the Pacers had a starting lineup of Darren Collison, Paul George, Danny Granger, David West, and Roy Hibbert for 54 of their 66 games. It was a lineup that played 253 more minutes than any other lineup in the NBA. It was also a lineup that dominated with a net differential of plus 9.7. When Collison went down with an injury late in the year, they subbed in George Hill and got even better.
Hill's inclusion in the starting lineup created a five-man unit that had a net differential of plus 14.1 points per 100 possessions throughout the season. Hill kept his starting gig into the playoffs and eventually made Collison expendable. With Granger being injured for pretty much the entire 2012-13 season, the Pacers have been rolling with a lineup of Hill, Lance Stephenson, George, West and Hibbert and this lineup has been killing other teams.
Only the Oklahoma City Thunder's starting lineup has played more minutes this season, but even their dominance (+11.9 per 100 possessions) can match what the Pacers' starting lineup is doing (+12.7).
The reason this is so significant for Indiana is because its bench has been one of the worst bench units in the NBA this season. According to HoopStats.com, the Pacers' bench shoots 39.5 percent from the field, 34.1 percent from 3-point range, and 71.9 percent from the free-throw line. Those percentages rank 30th, 23rd, and 22nd, respectively. They don't have anybody coming off the bench that can make shots for them.
Considering this is a team that has an overall offensive rating of 101.6 on the season and a starting lineup that has an offensive rating of 108.5 when it's on the court, this appears to be a problem. The Pacers pride themselves on bully ball defensively and that's primarily how they win a lot of games. But if they struggle to score the ball when the starters aren't in, it means they have to be perfect on defense to advance in the playoffs.
Bring in D.J. Augustin (35.4 percent from the field) or Gerald Green (35.2 percent) into the backcourt and the product immediately suffers. Bring in Ian Mahinmi for Hibbert to give him a breather -- or to get him out if Hibbert is in foul trouble -- and the team just isn't the same. Tyler Hansbrough is the team's most effective bench player and he only makes 43.6 percent of his shots (although his defense and rebounding help bolster their five-man units).
In a game against the Atlanta Hawks in late March, the Pacers nearly blew a 28-point lead before securing the victory. After the game, Hibbert went on NBA TV and unloaded a rant about the bench players not respecting the game and the lead during the fourth quarter when their lead was cut down to six. He called the effort "unacceptable" and was furious that Atlanta's third stringers were able to have such an impact on the game.
When the playoffs come, coaches usually shorten their rotations and play their starters more minutes. You expect Vogel to do the same thing with his team. But that doesn't mean the Pacers don't have to worry about their bench players stepping up when they do come into the game. Augustin will have to provide 10-15 minutes of competent play on the brightest stage. Green will have to harness his potential in the dozen or so minutes he's out on the floor. If Mahinmi is asked to fill in for Hibbert during stretches of the game, he'll have to protect the rim and finish plays.
And while this isn't hockey where you see full line changes when the subs come in, staggering the substitutions can only give you so much relief. The Pacers will still be taking a product off the floor, when their starting unit is broken up during the game, that has fueled them to success this season. If the Pacers want to be taken seriously as a title contender, they have to find a way to make their bench players successful under the spotlight in the playoffs.
