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Forbes
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Why The Indiana Pacers Run To The NBA Finals Is Unlike Any Other
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - MAY 27: Andrew Nembhard #2 of the Indiana Pacers reacts after a three point ... More shot during the second quarter in Game Four of the Eastern Conference Finals at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on May 27, 2024 in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by) One of the stats I've been keeping tabs on throughout this postseason is role player 3-point shooting. The reason for this is that, in the playoffs, defenses tend to focus on their opponent's best players and dare the other players on the court (i.e., the role players) to beat them from beyond the 3-point line. If one team's role players shoot much better than they did in the regular season, it can cause them to outperform expectations, and vice versa if they shoot much worse than what they usually do. With this in mind, this postseason, there has been one team that is benefitting from this boost more than practically any "underdog" in the 3-point era. This postseason, the Indiana Pacers are leading the tournament in role player 3-point shooting percentage (41.3%). They also have the highest difference between their regular season and postseason 3-point percentage (+5.3%). For those wondering, here is a full chart of all those numbers. Anyway, looking at these numbers, it makes sense that a team that finished with just the fourth-best record in the Eastern Conference was able to defy the odds and be the last team standing on that side of the bracket. Their complimentary guys are hitting their "dare shots" more often than any other team in the pool. What's interesting, though, is how little their hot shooting is being discussed. When we talk about the Pacers, we often talk about their speed, Tyrese Haliburton's splendor, or their great coaching. And while all those talking points deserve their own segments, very little has been made about guys like Aaron Nesmith, Andrew Nembhard, and Thomas Bryant shooting well above their normal averages. However, when you look at this through the lens of the entire pace-and-space era (which, for the sake of this article, we are defining as 2010-present), what is happening right now is basically unprecedented. Of the 32 teams to play in the NBA Finals since 2010, only five (15.6%) were not a top three seed in their respective conference (making them "underdogs" in the title contention sense). Here is the regular season and playoff role player 3-point % for each of those teams: The Pacers have the highest role player 3-point % and the highest difference between the two of any other team in this group. They are even higher than the Cinderella 2022-23 Miami Heat – a run that many people attributed to shooting luck. Of course, one could argue that the Pacers' difference is only higher because they have yet to play in the NBA Finals. With a larger data set, their shooting numbers will stabilize, and they won't look like as much of an outlier. To counter this, we've included the role player 3-point % for the other teams through just the first three rounds of the postseason: While the margin is far closer, this Pacers' team is still getting better shooting from their role players than the Heat team that made it to the NBA Finals as an eighth seed. How are the Pacers getting so much more out of their role players from beyond the arc than any other underdog of the 3-point era? One explanation could be that their beautiful, movement-heavy offense is producing more good looks for their role players. After all, the better the shot, the better the chance that it falls. When you compare the number of wide-open 3-point attempts for Indiana role players to those of the other underdog teams, you will see that this hypothesis does indeed stand the test of scrutiny. This still doesn't explain, though, how the Pacers' role players are shooting way better on threes in the postseason despite attempting fewer open threes (14.3) than they did in the regular season (15.6, per We could be looking at a classic case of Robert Horry Syndrome. Horry was famous for consistently elevating his play during the game's second season. Maybe the Pacers have a couple of his spiritual descendants on their roster? Nesmith certainly looked like Big Shot Bob in his iconic Game 1 against the New York Knicks, and this is the second straight season where Nembhard has upped his 3-point % in the postseason. Lastly, there is the argument that this could all be a byproduct of shooting variance. 3-point shooting is a very volatile statistic, and because of this, teams can get very lucky/unlucky from downtown in small sample sizes. So, what is it? Is the Pacers' offense uniquely-designed to amplify its role players? Did they manage to accumulate a roster full of guys who were born with the clutch gene? Or are they just flat out lucky? As any pluralist will tell you, the right answer is probably some mixture of the three. One thing can be said for certain, though, and that is that we've never seen a run to the NBA Finals quite like this one.
Forbes
27-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
This 'Smart' Play Is Ruining Games (And The NBA Needs To Fix It)
After three games of blowouts, we finally got the prize fight we were looking for in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals. The Minnesota Timberwolves and Oklahoma City Thunder looked evenly matched, with both teams going blow-for-blow for nearly 48 minutes. And after a missed free throw by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander gave the Timberwolves possession of the ball down three points with nine seconds to go, it seemed like we were primed for a grand finale. But alas, the Thunder deployed a tactic that has become popular across the league – intentionally fouling up three points to avoid giving their opponent a chance to launch a potential game-tying shot – which turned what should have been an incredible ending into a snooze fest. Don't get it twisted. While this strategy is annoying, it certainly isn't a foolish one. Over the last decade-plus, the league has experienced a massive boom in 3-point rate. Today's NBA landscape is littered with more shooters than ever, and many of them are prepared to take those high-value looks with the game on the line. Not only are there more good shooters than ever before, but 3-point shooting is also an incredibly volatile stat – one that is largely agnostic to the defensive quality of your opponent (this is the whole idea behind shooting luck). This season, the league average on a 3-point shot is 36%. In theory, that means that a team has a 36% chance of hitting a game-tying jumper when down three in the closing seconds of a game (this is without factoring in offensive rebounds). What is better? Hoping your opponent misses a 36% 3-pointer that your defense has very little control over or intentionally fouling and then daring them to hit their first free throw, miss the second one on purpose, secure the offensive rebound, and convert a contested putback? In the latter instance, four different variables need to go wrong in order for the other team to even the score. Meanwhile, in the first scenario, it only takes one bad bounce. Now, there are times when this strategy backfires. Just last round, the Thunder started intentionally fouling too early, and as a result, they gave away a Game 1 matchup against the Denver Nuggets that was firmly in their grasp. Still, in most instances, fouling up three is the right play. In 2021, ProPublica published an article chronicling how owners of professional sports teams use their franchises to avoid millions of dollars in taxes each year. One of the examples cited in the piece mentioned how Steve Ballmer, the owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, paid a third of the rate LeBron James did in taxes in 2020-21, despite making five times as much as the future Hall of Famer. This doesn't seem fair. But at the end of the day, can you really fault Ballmer? He is just using the current economic tax structure to his advantage. If we want him to stop, it is up to our government to revise its rules to deter this sort of behavior. NBA coaches are no different than these billionaires. Their goal isn't to uphold the integrity of the sport. It is to win as many games as they possibly can, and by fouling up three, they give themselves a better chance of doing so. That means that it is up to the league front office to come up with a solution to this epidemic. They need to come up with a way to stop this phenomenon from ruining the end of what should be classic playoff games. Whether it be outlawing illegal defense or penalizing teams for transition take fouls, we've seen in the past that the league is capable of instituting changes to improve the quality of their product. But what would be an adequate fix for this situation? The best rule change I've seen proposed on the subject thus far came from NBA Analyst Nate Duncan. His idea is included in the tweet below: By adopting this policy, the league would immediately change the calculations that come with fouling up three. If the intentionally fouled player hits their free throw, the trailing team would now get the ball back with the chance to tie the game with a two or take the lead with a triple. Fouling up three isn't so appealing now, is it? Even if they don't implement this exact rule, the NBA needs to do something because this coaching hack is diminishing the value of their precious stock.
New York Times
23-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Aaron Nesmith's historic heater flipped Game 1. He's only been rehearsing the moment for years
Aaron Nesmith's high school coach, John 'JP' Pearson, learned years ago that his star player didn't always stop at three baskets in a row. Looking for ways to motivate Nesmith when he played at Porter-Gaud School in Charleston, S.C., Pearson would urge him to string together three straight 3-point makes within a game. Most high school players would struggle to achieve such streaks with any sort of consistency. But for Nesmith, Pearson found the number was not high enough. Advertisement 'He did it with ease,' Pearson said by phone Thursday. The practice was intended to keep Nesmith from growing bored in games he would dominate. So when Nesmith completed the race too many times, Pearson pushed back the finish line. Instead of three straight makes, he asked for four. Then, once Nesmith started hitting that mark too regularly, Pearson demanded four straight makes in each half. Even with the bar higher, Pearson recalled, Nesmith continued to clear it. 'He just kept doing it,' Pearson said. Pearson noted how hot Nesmith would get. How laser-focused he would be during his longer 3-point shooting streaks. So when Nesmith drilled his third straight 3-pointer on Wednesday night, Pearson perked up inside the 'man cave' at his Charleston home. The Indiana Pacers trailed the New York Knicks by eight points with 2:04 left in Game 1, but they had already overcome similar deficits twice earlier in the playoffs. Plus, as Pearson could tell, Nesmith was ignited. 'This is feeling special,' Pearson thought. How special? Nesmith became the first player ever to make six 3-pointers in the fourth quarter of an NBA playoff game, and he did it all in the final 4:46 without a single miss. After Indiana fell behind 113-98, Nesmith scored 20 points in less than five minutes. By draining three 3-pointers over the final 51 seconds of regulation, he dragged the Pacers out of a nine-point deficit even as the Knicks scored on four of their final five possessions. His unprecedented shooting flurry positioned Tyrese Haliburton to force overtime at the buzzer and allowed the Pacers to escape the series opener with a 138-135 win. 'It's probably the best feeling in the world for me,' Nesmith said of his hot hand. 'I love it when that basket feels like an ocean, and anything you toss up, you feel like it's gonna go in. It's just so much fun.' a masterclass in efficiency from Aaron Nesmith in Game 1 of the @NBA Eastern Conference Finals 💯 — Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) May 22, 2025 This time, Nesmith didn't get a hot hand against a high school rival. He did it against the Knicks. In Madison Square Garden. In Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals. 'I was stunned,' Pearson said. 'I was not sure what I was looking at. He's doing it in New York, in the NBA. And I was like, this might be history book stuff.' Advertisement After Haliburton's tying shot at the end of regulation dropped through the net, Pearson said it could have been the highest he had jumped in his life. By finishing off the win in overtime, the Pacers cemented Nesmith's performance in franchise lore. Pearson believed Nesmith led the comeback not just with his remarkable shot making, but with an indomitable spirit that has turned him into one of Indiana's most important players. 'His brain was supposed to shut it down and say, 'Oh, let's get ready for the next one,'' Pearson said. 'He doesn't. He is a different breed.' In this year's playoffs, the 25-year-old Nesmith is averaging 16 points and 6.1 rebounds, however, his teammates said his impact is greater than statistics. The Pacers are a team composed of guys who play for one another, but Nesmith is willing to put his body on the line to win. In Game 4 of Indiana's second-round matchup against Milwaukee, Nesmith launched himself into the air for a block on Bobby Portis late in the third quarter. He made contact with Portis under the basket, lost his footing and fell flat on his back. 'I think what he brings doesn't always show up on the score sheet,' Haliburton said. 'Some people will say they're willing to die for this. Double A (Nesmith's nickname) is willing to die for this. He gives it his all every night. I think every team in the NBA wants a guy like Aaron Nesmith. Every team who wins big, and ultimately wins it all, always has a guy like Aaron Nesmith. Love having a guy like that in our group who will give it all for us.' Nesmith himself said Haliburton is right about the sacrifices he's willing to make to win. He flies up and down the court, looking for ways to help. Nesmith's teammates praise his work ethic and his ability to step up in clutch situations. 'It's pretty accurate,' Nesmith said. 'This game is my life. I work so hard just to be able to do what I can do on a daily basis. I really would. I would go out there and give my life for this game. I want to win a championship. I think everybody in this room wants to win a championship. You have to sacrifice a lot to be able to do that.' Advertisement Nesmith has also persevered through setbacks to earn his current role. On the night the Boston Celtics drafted him 14th overall in 2020, he labeled himself 'an absolute sniper.' Danny Ainge, then Boston's president of basketball operations, said Nesmith could outshoot most guys on the team already. Following a season in which Nesmith shot 52 percent from behind the arc at Vanderbilt, the claim didn't seem preposterous. Ainge often drafted physically gifted players who needed to develop their outside shooting, but he believed in Nesmith's outside stroke from the start. It didn't translate right away. While playing sporadic minutes over two seasons with the Celtics, Nesmith shot 31.8 percent on 3-point attempts, including a lowly 27 percent during his second season. Behind Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, on a roster that also included several veterans on the perimeter, Nesmith struggled to earn playing time. When he did play, his hustle often made more of an impact than his outside shot. He competed hard enough — and, perhaps, recklessly enough — that teammate Marcus Smart nicknamed him 'Crash.' Jaylen Brown shared a meme in 2021 comparing Nesmith to 'The Simpsons' character Ralph Wiggum diving through a window. — Jaylen Brown (@FCHWPO) October 7, 2021 Though they joked about Nesmith's style, the Celtics respected the way he embraced any challenge. His two years in Boston were trying. Unlike many lottery picks, he didn't land on a team that could afford to let a young prospect play through mistakes. He didn't receive more freedom on the court until the Celtics traded him in a package for Malcolm Brogdon after losing to the Warriors in the 2022 NBA Finals. The Pacers needed everything Nesmith could do. 'He's a hard worker. He's done it the hard way. He got drafted by Boston. He was in a situation where he was behind a lot of great players that were more established, and he got some minutes (but) not a whole lot,' Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. 'But every day he was battling with (Jayson) Tatum and Jaylen Brown, and he got better and better. 'And when his opportunity came, he was traded to us. Early July of '22, he flew to Vegas on his own and asked if he could play on the summer league team. And he was going into his third year, becoming a veteran, and he just wanted to be a part of something, to have an opportunity to grow and get better. And he's worked and worked and worked, and now he's obviously a very important part of our team.' More than a shooter, Nesmith is one of the Pacers' best defenders. He's trusted with guarding opposing teams' best players on a nightly basis. Nesmith has stepped up in these playoffs to defend Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard, Donovan Mitchell, Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns. 'He does everything. (Wednesday) he made all these 3s. Then before that he's guarding Brunson full court. And then even KAT, he's guarding him,' Pacers All-Star Pascal Siakam said. 'It doesn't matter who's out there, he's gonna put his body on the line. He literally does everything, and is just selfless. He's tough, tough. I watched him a little bit when he was in Boston. Just seeing his growth and how he's able to play … just every single night, whatever we need from him, he's doing that. I don't think we asked him for those 3s, but he knocked them down. That was incredible to watch him get hot like that and doing that while also guarding their best player.' Advertisement Backup point guard T.J. McConnell said Nesmith 'basically willed' the Pacers back into Game 1. They trailed by 17 points with 6:26 left, by 14 points with 2:54 left and by nine points inside of the final minute, but his surge gave them a chance. Travis Smith, an assistant on Pearson's staff during Nesmith's time in high school, could see Nesmith wasn't ready to let go of the game yet. Though Nesmith's first fourth-quarter 3-pointer only cut the deficit to 113-101 with 4:46 left, Smith felt hope after seeing the basket. 'One thing I know — and you saw it happen in the Cleveland series and the Milwaukee series — is he never quits,' Smith said. 'A lot of guys, especially early in a series, they would have been like, 'Yeah, you can have that one.' That is not a part of his DNA. He's gonna fight 'til the end. So once he hit the first one, I kind of sat up in my chair and I was like, 'Uh oh.' And then he started hitting, he caught fire, and you could see that desire in his eyes that he wasn't gonna go out lightly. He was going to do everything that he could to try to salvage that game.' Though it was Haliburton who revived Reggie Miller's choke gesture, it was Nesmith who started bringing back old memories for Pacers fans. He rescued the team from an impossible situation against the Knicks, much like Miller did in Game 1 of a second-round series in 1995. Late Wednesday night, after finishing his postgame interviews and physical treatment, Nesmith called Pearson to chat about the Indiana win. Though his high school coach had not yet calmed down from the excitement of the comeback, Nesmith sounded unfazed by the emotions of the moment. 'I'm over there telling him, 'I'm not quite sure what I just saw, Aaron,'' Pearson said. 'And Aaron was like, 'Yeah, we won the game.' And I told him, 'No, Aaron, I was living when Reggie Miller did all that and it's being compared right now.' And he goes, 'I don't think I was born.''
Washington Post
11-05-2025
- Sport
- Washington Post
Warriors miss all five 3-point tries in first half before Buddy Hield connects early in third
SAN FRANCISCO — With the NBA all-time 3-point leader Stephen Curry relegated to cheering while sidelined by a hamstring injury and sporting a gray sweatsuit on the bench, the Golden State Warriors struggled to establish their long-range game Saturday night. They didn't make a shot from deep in the first half, but led 42-40 anyway.
Associated Press
11-05-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Warriors miss all five 3-point tries in first half before Buddy Hield connects early in third
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — With the NBA all-time 3-point leader Stephen Curry relegated to cheering while sidelined by a hamstring injury and sporting a gray sweatsuit on the bench, the Golden State Warriors struggled to establish their long-range game Saturday night. They didn't make a shot from deep in the first half, but led 42-40 anyway. Golden State missed its first five tries from beyond the arc before Buddy Hield connected 35 seconds into the third quarter. The Warriors came into Game 3 against Minnesota with a playoff-leading 135 3-pointers. Golden State made 6 of 11 3s in the third quarter to go ahead 73-69. Going without a 3-pointer in the first half, it marked the first time the Warriors hadn't hit at least one 3 in any half of a playoff game since the second half of a 112-99 loss in Game 2 of the first round against Dallas in 2007. The Warriors finished 4 for 20 in that one. It was also the first time they went without a 3 in a first half of a playoff game in the play-by-play era, since 1997. Two other teams this postseason have been held without a 3 in the first half — Minnesota in Game 1 of this series and the Boston Celtics in Game 5 of their first-round win against Orlando. No team had done so the previous six postseasons. The Warriors also became the first team to lead a playoff game at halftime despite making no 3s since the Toronto Raptors in Game 3 against the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2017. Curry strained his left hamstring early in Game 1 at Minnesota and is scheduled to be reevaluated Wednesday. ___ AP NBA:
