Why the (NBA) Cup Runneth Empty for Pacers

And whether there are reasons to think the overall glass for the team may still be half-full 

By: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_Cooper

After going undefeated in group play and advancing to the Finals in Las Vegas a year ago, the Pacers finished the qualifying stage, having already been disqualified, with a 122-111 loss to the Toronto Raptors, in which they never led and trailed by as many 24 points. On the bright side, there was a spirited 12-minute stretch spanning the end of the third quarter and beginning of the fourth that saw the Pacers outscore the Raptors, 41-21, with Road Tyrese Haliburton looking like Home Tyrese Haliburton, if not better. Still, the fact that these "spirited" stretches continue to standout as a bit of an aberration is, well, dispiriting. After all, the doldrums weren't just present this game, the Pacers fell behind by at least 20 points in each of the group games and more than once had to make the "play better'" adjustment.

As such, with this latest loss taking place in Toronto, Samson Folk is back to discuss why the (NBA) Cup kept running empty for the Pacers, while also looking at some reasons why it may figuratively still be half-full. Plus, we also dive into a mailbag question about pick-and-roll changes for the Pacers this season, including a look at Myles Turner's shot profile and distribution.

Here are the relevant timestamps:

0:00 - Introductions

2:08 - Why the Pacers looked like a different team for roughly 12 minutes

5:01 - Obi Toppin as a bellwether for the team's play-style

7:33 - Road Tyrese playing like Home Tyrese -- and maybe even better

15:33 - Whether Scottie's improved driving was more motivated by Scottie or the Pacers

18:21 - Myles Turner's puzzling defense + matching up against big wings

36:09 - Pascal Siakam sticking more screens instead of slipping

41:10 - Carlisle's thoughts on the increased physicality against Tyrese w/ clips from the loss to Memphis

45:51 - Nembhard's handle + Nembhard-Haliburton as a back-court pairing

47:48 - Mailbag question: Why Haliburton-Turner pick-and-roll is less prevalent, why Turner is taking more threes, and whether this is a reflection of the offense running worse

1:03:52 - Is the overall glass half-empty or half-full for the Pacers?

1:09:47 - Effort as both the easiest and hardest thing to fix

1:13:40 - Why Samson wore sleeves

1:15:19 - Thank you + Goodbye (like, subscribe, comment, etc)