Indiana Pacers All-Star forward Paul George claimed his team was the victim of “home cooking” refereeing in the team’s 102- 90 loss to Miami in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Specifically, George was upset about the foul differential between the Pacers and Heat in Game 4. The Pacers were 11-17 from the free throw line while the Heat shot 30-34 from the charity line in the victory.
George was angry because he said that his team attacks the basket as much as the Heat did, but didn’t get the foul calls Miami did. But, a look at the advanced stats for the playoffs and Game 4 shoots a hole in George’s claim.
According to the Miami Herald, Heat superstar LeBron James drove to the basket almost as many times as the entire Pacers team (10 to 11) based on SportVu numbers.
Taking a look at the playoffs in general, Indiana has played 17 games and is shooting 45 percent on drives to the basket. The Pacers have a total of 358 drives for an average 21.1 drives per game and scoring roughly 21.9 points per game on drives.
For comparison, the Heat has played 13 playoff games and is shooting 54.9 percent on drives to the basket. Miami has a total of 348 drives, or roughly 26.8 drives per game and is scoring 30.8 points per game on those drives.
It also didn’t help the Pacers when they gave up 14 turnovers and the Heat scored 20 points off those turnovers. George also mentioned the Pacers shot 50 percent from the floor and still lost, but looking at the advanced stats, Indiana’s true shooting percentage, which takes into account 2-point shots, 3-point shots, and free throws, measured the Pacers’ TSP at 57.3 percent; Miami’s was 60.7 percent in Game 4.
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Miami, which has routinely been criticized for its lack of rebounding prowess, has kept the rebounding discrepancy at bay against Indiana. The Heat are pulling down roughly 61.6 percent of the rebounding chances the team has per game, compared to Indiana’s 61.5 percent.
Indiana has more rebounding chances per game than Miami by roughly 19 per game, but when the opportunity is there for the Heat, Miami is cleaning up the glass at a competitive rate in the playoffs.
With the series heading back to Indianapolis, the Pacers have to find a way to neutralize Miami’s hot shooting, defensive execution, and get Roy Hibbert involved from start to finish. The Heat is 11-2 on the playoffs and wants to rest by eliminating Indiana Wednesday night, the only question is which Pacers team shows up to play the Heat.
