NBA Playoffs 2011: What the Pacers Need to Do This Weekend to Even Their Series

One of the bigger surprises through the first weekend of the playoffs has been the inspired play of the Pacers in their first-round matchup against the Bulls.  While they haven't pushed through and gotten a victory, they have played the Bulls much closer than anybody expected, and have been in position to steal both games.

Now the Pacers go home to Indiana for two games and, if their inspired play can continue, they have a very good chance of evening their series at two.

Here's what they need to do:

1. Don't Get Cocky

While the Pacers have surprised many with their play, they haven't won a game. They need to play with the sense of urgency that a team down two games in a best of seven should have, not a team that thinks that these next two games are theirs because they are playing at home.

At times during the first two games, you could see the cockiness set in. In the fourth quarter of game one, after Tyler Hansbrough's breakaway dunk and free throw that put the Pacers up by 10 with three and a half minutes to go, you could see that many of the Pacers thought the game was over, they had won.

What followed was a 16-1 run and defeat snatched from the jaws of victory. The Bulls played with that urgency, and the Pacers settled for bad shots, lazy passes and sloppy defense.

Now, the largest threat is facing the Pacers, playing an entire game the way they played the last three and a half of game one. If they come out cocky it will lead to bad shots taken outside of the offense, lazy passes that turn into easy Bulls baskets and sloppy defense that leads to easy baskets or stupid fouls.

If that happens and the Bulls get out to a double-digit lead early, it will be that much more difficult because the Bulls are built to protect leads with their defense.

2. Play Within the Offense

I am definitely talking to you Danny Granger. It may seem that he is having a good series so far, and statistically he is—22 PPG on 50 percent shooting—but that doesn't always tell the tale.

Many of Granger's shots are contested and, while it is impressive that his shooting percentage is so high, he should probably be shooting a much higher percentage but isn't because he is taking terrible shots at time. 

The Pacers can't afford for Granger to be a ball-stopper. While he is the best shooter on the team, he isn't so far ahead of everyone else on the team that he can justify taking so many more shots than his teammates, especially when he isn't hot. That is when he hurts the most.

At those times he needs to set up his teammates better, or make an effort to get to the rim. That is how you get fouls called on your opponent. In game two, he drove to the basket more and as a result he shot six free throws instead of the zero he shot in game one.

He's not nearly the only player at fault, however. Paul George, Josh McRoberts, Roy Hibbert and A.J. Price have to play smarter.

Yes, Price hit a couple of clutch three-pointers, but they have been HORRIBLE shots taken early in the shot clock from well outside the three-point arc. Just because a shot goes in doesn't make it a good shot. 

George and McRoberts have been as close to non-factors as you can get. Neither is shooing well, and they are committing stupid fouls as well.  They need to play smarter and better.

3. Take Less Jump Shots

The Pacers have only taken 44 free throws in the series, while the Bulls have taken 66, but the Pacers have only been called for six more fouls, which shows that the Bulls aren't getting the benefit of lots of calls (if you factor in the intentional fouls that the Pacers committed at the end of each game, the Bulls only have a one-foul advantage), but the Bulls are being more aggressive on offense going to the basket.

The Pacers are a jump-shooting team, and jump-shooting teams usually don't get a lot of fouls called for them, so they need to make more of an effort to go to the basket. They did that in game two and it resulted in shooting 10 more free throws.

Plus, driving consistently will help the Pacers get open jump shots, which is what they want anyway, and it often helps shooters get into a rhythm as any shooter will tell you that watching the ball go in the basket, even on a free throw, helps with confidence.

If the Pacers continue to play the drive-and-kick game, and taking contested jump shots, they will be hard pressed to win a game this series.

4. Limit Rose's Assists

In many ways, Danny Granger was right when he said the Pacers "only" have to stop Derrick Rose to have a chance to win this series, but so far the Pacers haven't even come close.

What the Pacers have failed to realize is that they don't really have to stop him from scoring. Rose hurts them by scoring, sure, but they aren't really going to be able to stop that.

Many teams have tried but most have failed. That isn't where he is really killing them, though.

Most of the daggers in this series have been delivered by Luol Deng and Kyle Korver.

Yes, Rose hit some big shots at the end of games one and two, but it was the timely threes by Korver, as well as a few from Deng in game one that really hurt.

These are the shots the Pacers need to stop. Don't collapse on Rose late, play him straight up. If he drives have the big men rotate over, but you have to keep your wings out on the shooters.

If you give up a layup to Rose, it's two points. If you double off of Noah or Boozer, it's two points. If you leave Korver or Deng, though, they are very capable of hitting that wide-open three, and they have a knack of hitting the timely three that just breaks your back.

Also, make him shoot early. It's tough to do, but you have to make him a jump-shooter. Give him the three or the 20-footers, collapse on him from 18-feet in and make him take that shot.

From 15-feet in he can get to the rim from anywhere with either hand.

A tall task, yes, but it can be done.

Also, don't stay too long with A.J. Price regardless of Darren Collison's status as T.J. Ford has done the best job on Rose defensively.

Thus far, the Pacers have done an excellent job weathering the storms and getting up off the mat when the Bulls make their runs. But don't get cocky with it, you're still down 0-2.

Play smart and remember that, while no one on your team can match Rose talent-wise, the talent on each side isn't that far off and each player needs to step up.

Do this and come Monday you may find yourselves in a series.