SB Nation Atlanta: All Posts by Ethan Rothstein

Indiana Pacers buck traditional team-building methods

2013-05-21T18:00:06Z

Quick, name the last time a team made the NBA Conference Finals with no top-eight draft picks anywhere on the roster.

Did you guess the Detroit Pistons of the mid-2000s, famed for their workmanlike attitude toward defense and consummate team play? Rasheed Wallace (No. 4, 1995) and Chauncey Billups (No. 3, 1997) would disagree with you.

The Seven Seconds or Less Suns, Western Conference finalists in 2005 and 2006, probably could have come close without them, but Tim Thomas (No. 7, 1997) and much-heralded bust Nikoloz Tskitishvili (No. 5, 2002) were still receiving bi-weekly paychecks. Interestingly enough, it was Tskitishvili's last year in the league. So close, Suns!

Chris Morris (No. 4, 1988) ruined the 1996-1998 Jazz's claim to the throne. The 1985 Denver Nuggets, whose highest-drafted player was Calvin Natt (No. 8, 1979), were damn close, as were the 1987 Seattle Supersonics with just Xavier McDaniel (No. 4, 1985).

In fact, the last team to make it this far in the NBA Playoffs with no players selected in the Top 8 of the NBA draft was the 1983 San Antonio Spurs, whose highest-drafted player was Roger Phegley (No. 14, 1978). That team's core was led by Hall-of-Famers George Gervin (No. 40, 1974) and Artis Gilmore (No. 117, 1971), as well as Johnny Moore (No. 43, 1979) Phegley scored 4.6 points in 9.7 minutes per game that year and the Spurs lost to the Lakers with Magic Johnson (No. 1, 1979), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (No. 1, 1969), James Worthy (No. 1, 1982) and Bob McAdoo (No. 2, 1972).

If you correctly guessed the 1983 Spurs, you can have all my blogger cash.

Why is this important? Because on the 30th anniversary of the '83 Spurs, the 2013 Indiana Pacers have accomplished the same feat, with their highest-draft player, D.J. Augustin (No. 9, 2008), not even acting as one of their positive contributors.

What does it all mean? For one, high-lottery draft picks are incredibly important. Even back in the 1980s when they weren't valued nearly as highly (read: Worthy's draft rights being traded to the Lakers who already had Magic and Kareem), teams simply didn't make it very far without someone being drafted way up the board. From Charles Barkley to Gary Payton to Patrick Ewing and Rik Smits, key players, even if they're not franchise stars, are far more likely to be picked near the top of the draft.

For another, the Pacers of the last decade are incredibly good at finding sleepers who can turn into All-Stars, like Paul George (No. 10, 2010), Roy Hibbert (No. 17, 2008) and -- even though he's not playing this year -- Danny Granger (No. 17, 2005). They've also been brilliant acquiring undervalued players from other teams or on free agency, like David West (No. 18, 2003) and George Hill (No. 26, 2008).

This year's iteration of the Pacers isn't the first formed by architect Larry Bird to follow this formula to relative success. The last time the Pacers made the conference finals, in 2004, Kenny Anderson (No. 2, 1991) was riding the bench, but the key pieces -- Reggie Miller (No. 11, 1987), Metta World Peace né Ron Artest (No. 16, 1999) and Jermaine O'Neal (No. 17, 1996) -- were late first-round draft picks. In Artest/World Peace's and O'Neal's cases, they were underperforming for their previous teams.

Much of the Pacers' success is attributable to phenomenal coaching. In 2004, they were led by Rick Carlisle, who has since added the 2011 Larry O'Brien Trophy to his mantle and was on the bench of several of those late-2000s Pistons conference finalists. Frank Vogel took over midseason in 2011 for Jim O'Brien, led the Pacers to surprise qualification for the playoffs that year and has enabled his team to steadily improve each year since.

Vogel has to get some credit for turning Paul George from a promising-but-raw rookie into the multi-faceted All-Star and Best Player On A Conference Finalist he is today. Sure, George grew from 6'8 to 6'10 since being drafted, and we know he was imbued with a superlative work ethic from an early age. But -- as Sacramento Kings fans know -- few things are more important to a young players' development than their first organization.

Also, who thought Lance Stephenson would ever morph into the defensive stopper role? The once-Top 10 recruit who did next to nothing in his lone season in Cincinnati was seen as a puzzling selection in 2010. This was the same organization that had drafted Tyler Hansbrough (No. 13, 2009) and high-character guys like Hibbert and Granger. Why would they consider Stephenson given his character issues? But he has morphed into the shooting guard of one of the best five-man units in the league.

Have the Pacers discovered some new paradigm of success, or are they just one of history's greatest outliers? The answer is somewhere in the middle. Their model of player development is nearly unmatched -- San Antonio and Oklahoma City are really their only rivals here -- and the relentless focus on intelligent defense, as Tom Thibodeau and the Bulls can attest, is one way to ensure prolonged success, at least in the regular season.

No team in NBA history has had as much success rebuilding through the middle of the first round, key free agency moves and trades without any qualifying as a "blockbuster" than the Pacers. As crazy as that Top-8 draft pick stat is, here's one even crazier: the last time the Indiana Pacers drafted anyone inside the top 9, it was George McLoud (No. 7, 1989). Since that 1989 draft, the Pacers have made the Eastern Conference Finals seven times, including this season, and missed the playoffs just five times, four of which were in the team's aftermath of the Malice at the Palace.

Have the Pacers won a championship? No, of course not. There are only eight franchises that have won titles since 1984. But the Pacers have done everything but without the benefit of superstars.

Take note, NBA GMs who have been unsuccessfully tanking for years (lookin' at you, Bryan Colangelo and Geoff Petrie). This is how you build a franchise.

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NBA Western Conference Finals, Game 1: Spurs blow out Grizzlies, the GIF recap

2013-05-20T12:00:05Z

The San Antonio Spurs took a 1-0 lead in the Western Conference Finals Sunday afternoon with a 103-85 spanking of the Memphis Grizzlies. The Spurs took a huge lead in the first half thanks to three 3-pointers from Matt Bonner and stifling defense on Zach Randolph. It didn't matter to Gregg Popovich, who was steamed over a carry call. He was like "Ah, forget about it, we're winning by so many points!"

The Grizzlies climbed back in to within 10 points, but Randolph wasn't performing any better. The Grizzlies' leading scorer finished 1-8 with two points. Tony Allen will also see his pocketbook a little lighter, probably, after this maneuver.

In the fourth quarter, the Grizzlies just found themselves blown out of the water. The Spurs shot a blazing 14-29 from three-point range, and that was more than enough to keep the Grizzlies at bay without a helpful Randolph.

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Tracy McGrady plays first conference finals minutes of career, commits turnover

2013-05-19T21:54:58Z

While the Spurs were busy blowing out the Grizzlies, T-Mac got his time to shine. Finally, he was a winner. Finally, he was here.

A thousand welps.

Tony Allen trips Tony Parker

2013-05-19T20:59:44Z

Hubie Brown initially said "there's no way that was intentional" on the broadcast, but see for yourself. Tony Allen clearly intentionally tripped Tony Parker. Playoffs!

Gregg Popovich is done with the refs, doesn't care what the score is

2013-05-19T20:34:03Z

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich is livid because who the heck even calls a carry anymore? Sheesh.

NBA Playoffs schedule 2013: Pacers try to close out Knicks Saturday

2013-05-18T15:00:07Z

The final series of the NBA conference Semifinals resumes Saturday night when the Indiana Pacers, holding a 3-2 lead over the New York Knicks, try to close out the series at home at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. If the Pacers win, they will clinch a spot in the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2004. If they lose, they will be facing a situation that has to make Pacers fans very uncomfortable -- a Game 7 on the road at Madison Square Garden.

It doesn't matter if the series ends Saturday or Monday night, the ultimate winner will open on the road against LeBron James and the Miami Heat Wednesday night.

This series has been absolutely brutal to witness and, likely, participate in. It's been reminiscent of the mid-'90s Knicks-Pacers bouts that featured Patrick Ewing and John Starks going toe-to-toe -- sometimes literally -- withReggie Miller, Rik Smits and the Pacers. Game 6 should be more of the same, with hard fouls, low shooting percentages and a final score more resembling a football game than a basketball game.

Game Date/Time: Saturday, May 18, 8 p.m. ET

TV: ESPN

Odds: The Indiana Pacers are five-point favorites according to Odds Shark.

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NBA Playoffs 2013: Warriors tie series with Spurs, in GIFs

2013-05-13T12:00:06Z

The Warriors beat the Spurs in Game 4 of their Western Conference Semifinals series Sunday afternoon in a game that started at 12:30 p.m. local time on Mother's Day. The teams looked pretty much all game long like they overloaded their plate at the brunch buffet.

The Spurs opened up a double-digit lead in the first half as Andrew Bogut and Carl Landry both got in foul trouble and the shots were just not falling for the Warriors. Danny Green was playing tight defense on Stephen Curry, suffering from a sprained ankle. Green was also doing stuff like this on offense.

Manu Ginobili had his biggest game of the year, scoring 21 points and lighting it up from downtown.

The Warriors got it going in the second half, whittling an eight-point halftime deficit down to nothing almost immediately. The fourth quarter was a back-and-forth affair, and Stephen Curry missed some three-pointers he usually makes. But he did this so all was forgiven.

The score was tied with just about 30 seconds left and the Spurs had the ball, missed a shot when Andrew Bogut and Danny Green got in a little scrum for the rebound. The ball stayed in bounds and Jarrett Jack eventually recovered it and called timeout, giving the Warriors possession (they didn't score). The ball should have, however, gone back to the Spurs because Bogut's foot was on the line as he touched the ball. Because the play was never called out of bounds, it couldn't be reviewed.

Once the game went into overtime, the Spurs clearly had nothing left.

The Warriors completely dominated the period, and won Game 4, 97-87. Game 5 will be in San Antonio Tuesday night.

Manu Ginobili's airball displeases Gregg Popovich

2013-05-12T22:24:17Z

Manu Ginobili set his 2013 playoff high in scoring by midway through the fourth quarter in Game 4, but, uh, he appears to be a little fatigued. Gregg Popovich appears to be mega-depressed about it.

SB Nation Atlanta: All Posts by Ethan Rothstein

Indiana Pacers buck traditional team-building methods

Nature, nurture and Lance Stephenson

The Pacers are happening

More from SB Nation:

NBA Western Conference Finals, Game 1: Spurs blow out Grizzlies, the GIF recap

More from SB Nation:

Tracy McGrady plays first conference finals minutes of career, commits turnover

Tony Allen trips Tony Parker

Gregg Popovich is done with the refs, doesn't care what the score is

NBA Playoffs schedule 2013: Pacers try to close out Knicks Saturday

More from SB Nation:

NBA Playoffs 2013: Warriors tie series with Spurs, in GIFs

Manu Ginobili's airball displeases Gregg Popovich