We've got Indiana tonight in the second game of a back-to-back. I didn't get a chance to see any of the Pacers' opening-night 100-94 loss to the Detroit Pistons. It appears that the Pacers kept within striking distance until early in the fourth quarter, where Detroit went up 14 before Indy made it close.
Danny Granger (33 points vs. Detroit) is their star. Mike Dunleavy Jr., who scored 19 points per game last year, is probably out with a knee injury (as he was against Detroit), and his replacement, Marquis Daniels, isn't nearly as potent a scorer. Without Dunleavy, Indiana isn't great offensively, and we'll be able to give Paul Pierce help on Granger the way we've done recently with LeBron James.
The only real concern I have with Indiana offensively other than Granger is new point guard T.J. Ford. With the Toronto Raptors last year in the second game of our season, Ford absolutely torched Rajon Rondo, going for 32 points in what was a 98-95 Boston win. (Championship season flashback: The Celts won that game thanks to this Ray Allen three-pointer with the clock winding down. Keep an eye on Pierce in the lower right-hand corner of the screen, after he inbounds the ball. Love the confidence that PP has in Jesus Shuttlesworth!) Rondo simply could not stay in front of the uber-quick Ford that day, although Ford was held to just 12 points in the teams' second matchup a month later (the oft-injured Ford missed the other two games between the teams). If we can keep Ford in check, we should win handily. The Pacers' defense is hardly a concern -- dating back to last year, they've surrendered 100 points or more in 23 of their last 30 games (thanks, ESPN!)
The only other concern I have is that this is the second game of a back-to-back, and it involves travel, two things which can often conspire to make would should be an easy victory more of a nailbiter. However, Boston did extremely well in these situations last year. Of the 19 back-to-backs they played, they lost the second game only thrice; twice at Washington (our bugaboo opponent last year after a season-opening blowout), and once at Golden State. Included in the successful back-to-backs was a stretch where Boston won at Sacramento, what was then Seattle, Utah, and the Lakers in a span of five days (in the traditional post-Christmas western swing).
Helping matters is the relatively easy time we had with the Bulls. Pierce played 34 minutes, but no one else played more than 30. And Paul didn't really look like he was trying all that hard out there (he had a bucket or two late that he got with such ease that I think he could have scored a bit more last night had he applied himself). So we should be relatively fresh.
This one isn't on national TV, but I'll fire it up on NBA League Pass Broadband and try to give a detailed report, if it merits one, afterwards.
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