Pacers must deal with Hawks' 3-point shooting
No matter how the Atlanta Hawks respond and adjust for Game 5 tonight, some things will not change.
The 3-point attempts will come. Kyle Korver will shoot whether he's guarded or not. The Indiana Pacers will need a short-term memory and recover after a couple of shots from deep splash through.
These trends of the first-round series — in which the top-seeded Pacers and No. 8 Hawks are even, 2-all — once again showed up Saturday when Atlanta extended a franchise postseason record by hitting at least 10 shots from the 3-point arc in four straight games. Korver lofted eight of his own, knocking down three. But overall, the Pacers survived the 3-point barrage, especially on the game's last play when the defense denied passes to the Hawks' most dangerous shooters who could have potentially tied the score with a trey.
"We're pretty locked in," Lance Stephenson said after Sunday's practice. "After coach (Frank Vogel) barked at us and got on us and showed us all the clips of how we looked on defense, we definitely had to pick it up for next game."
On Saturday, the Hawks made a reasonable amount of their attempts (11-of-31), but the Pacers held them without a 3-pointer for the final 7 minutes of the tight fourth quarter.
Earlier in the series, when Paul George shifted over to Jeff Teague, the idea was to limit the point guard. However, it also meant that George Hill would have to defend the league's best 3-point percentage shooter, Korver. Since the change, Hill has watched as Korver shoots and makes contested 3s over his hand, but he also has had his share of successes.
"I don't think there's any real answer for Kyle Korver," Vogel said, then credited Korver's abilities as a basketball player and his high IQ. "We've got the utmost respect for Kyle Korver and George has done the best he can. He's battling like crazy and he's got to continue to do that."
With 6.9 seconds remaining in Saturday's game, Hill defended the inbounds play, facing Korver who made the pass, before bouncing right with him as he tried to get free on the perimeter. Korver could not break away and the ball stayed with Pero Antic. With Korver safely near midcourt, Hill then moved over to contest Antic's deep 3-point attempt. The missed shot left Korver clutching his knees long after the final horn and the Pacers heading back to the locker room with one of their biggest stops of the series.
"The defense was good," Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said about the final play. "It's an area like we talked about — our execution can improve, but give them credit. Their defense on the last possession was good. We didn't get a good look."
Not like that matters anyway.
After Game 3, it became apparent that quantity of attempts is as important for the Hawks as anything else in their playbook. During that win, Atlanta lifted 34 shots from beyond the arc — including some backbreakers, namely the Paul Millsap 3 after a broken play at the 7:17 mark of the third quarter and Teague's at the end of the shot clock with less than 3 minutes remaining in the game.
"Some of the 3-pointers, they shoot well-guarded and they're making them," George said after the game. "So it does discourage you a little bit. You're working so hard and they drill a 3-pointer in your face and it's a blow. It's a real blow to the stomach."
The next morning, players took a few more shots during Vogel's video session.
"When I got in there, I was like, 'What!?' He was just barking on everybody," Stephenson said about Vogel. "Even if you had a decent game, he didn't care.
"I think we needed that," Stephenson continued. "I think that got us angry and made us want to actually go harder for him."
So by Saturday night, a little more agitated and a lot more motivated on defense, the Pacers locked down the Hawks when it mattered. Atlanta made only 6-of-16 shots through the fourth quarter, which included the four 3s that poured in all before the 7-minute mark.
Still, the Pacers can improve their defensive discipline — they're still sending jump shooters to the free-throw line and still getting caught on long rebounds.
"We're playing great defense. We're holding this team to 38, 37 percent shooting," George said. "Just little things we've got to clean up as far as boxing out. They shoot so many long-range shots that when they miss, they're long rebounds. That's just an area we have to clean up."
Call Star reporter Candace Buckner at (317) 444-6121. Follow her on Twitter: @CandaceDBuckner.