Pacers Mailbag: Looking ahead to the playoffs w/ Caitlin & Samson

Assessing potential playoff match-ups, determining which players on the roster are most mission critical, gazing at how bright the team's stars are shining (or dimming?) on defense, and much, much more 

By: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_Cooper

As promised, this is the last mailbag of the regular season. Also, as promised, there is a twist -- monthly contributor Samson Folk joined me to record this final installment as a video podcast! With the playoffs just around the corner, now seemed like the perfect time to add a second opinion, looking ahead at potential match-ups, while also evaluating where the stars of the team stand on defense, along with some broader questions about basketball in general.

Unfortunately, while Samson and I were recording, some nasty storms started brewing across Indiana, which (unbeknownst to me) had an effect on my internet service. Once I discovered the issue in editing, I re-recorded some of the answers solo. Don't worry, though. Samson returns for the second half to talk to a somewhat blurry version of me. Overall, despite not always looking like myself at the tail end, I did my best to insure that the final product isn't impacted with regard to the audio or any film breakdowns.

Not unlike your continued support, please know that maintaining the quality that (I hope) has come to be expected of these monthly exchanges matters very much to me. In case you just want to listen for your specific question or would like to skip ahead to the popsicle-related banter at the end, here are the relevant timestamps:

0:00 - Introductions

1:09 - Was Pascal Siakam's isolation defense against the Mavericks a one-off or is something more concerning going on?

14:05: Can the Pacers win a series against Cleveland/Boston or is a second-round exit the ceiling?

21:38 - Which is the worst match-up: Cleveland, Boston, or New York?

29:30 - Are the 4+ bench player-lineup issues an easy or complex fix for the Pacers?

39:22 - Will the league eventually cycle back to the Lou Williams/Jordan Clarkson archetype over the Andrew Nembhard/Derrick White/Jrue Holiday archetype? Is ball-handling the biggest attribute that has been shirked in favor of shooting?

47:48 - In what areas has Tyrese Haliburton improved on defense + how meaningful are the improvements?

59:45 - What does leveling up on offense look like for Andrew Nembhard?

1:03:59 - What are some of the biggest schematic trends in the NBA this season?

1:06:50 - How important is Obi Toppin to the continued success of the Pacers?

1:13:54 - Has Bennedict Mathurin shown enough to be extended?

1:17:05 - What are the best non-popsicle foods on a stick?

1:20:13 - Caitlin tries Johnny Pops

1:24:00 - Thank you and goodbye!