I think the rotation we play against Hibbert should be Tyson Chandler, Amare and Earl Barron; the later two being able to bring him out into the paint by shooting jumpers. If we keep fresh legs against him constantly, I like our chances because Hibbert has a terrible motor/stamina, and can't sustain his effort like a true cornerstone of a franchise. Rope-A-Dope him and see how we fair.

With all that being said, I'd also like to see what we can do by playing Chandler off of him. Tyson has been a pretty good help defender and might actually be able to better contest Hibbert's shot by helping against him on the weak side.

NardDogNation wrote:We need to pull Hibbert out of the paint but we also have to guard him on the other end of the floor. This smallball **** is not going to work against his length/strength because he'll manhandle his defender in the paint (just think of what he did against a legitimate 7ft 250lbs center in Tyson Chandler). If we beat him, I think it'll have to be by committee, which disrupts his ability to get comfortable since our big men are so diversely skilled.

I think the rotation we play against Hibbert should be Tyson Chandler, Amare and Earl Barron; the later two being able to bring him out into the paint by shooting jumpers. If we keep fresh legs against him constantly, I like our chances because Hibbert has a terrible motor/stamina, and can't sustain his effort like a true cornerstone of a franchise. Rope-A-Dope him and see how we fair.

With all that being said, I'd also like to see what we can do by playing Chandler off of him. Tyson has been a pretty good help defender and might actually be able to better contest Hibbert's shot by helping against him on the weak side.

Excellent idea....Thats our centers strength....Including Camby. Both are better help defenders. Martin has a solid base, so it's hard to back him down. Once he tries to shoot over him, Chandler can be there to help.

I think both strategies will work.....I just think Copeland can be a real difference maker. Nobody on our team can guard Hibbert, so might as well beat him with offense.

I don't understand how we have not absolutely attacked him (and I don't mean Melo driving against him every time up the court!). I mean Hibbert should be our plan. All effort to get him out of the game, both physically and mentally. There is no chance another good coach doesn't make Hibbert the center of their efforts. Watching us not adjust drastically to change his comfort is just alarming. We are playing to Indiana's strengths and it is so frustrating to see.

We haven't been getting our outside shots off either, but the Hibbert thing is front and center.

Cope can defend Hibbert with quick hands, Chandler can't, he relies on his height and frame and unfortunately, Hibbert is just bigger.
Amare is a perfect as well, and probably more likely to draw fouls on Hibbert than Cope is, but the idea is just to send wave after wave at Hibbert. Amare - 10-15 mins, Cope 15mins, etc. Find what works...

earthmansurfer wrote:

OasisBU wrote:Amare at the 5? If only he were healthy and had his legs and rhythm down

Just to draw him out. Hibbert on defense is killing us more than Hibbert on offense. And quick hands bother Hibbert. Chandler doesn't slow him down, Cope actually bothered him. Get faster guys on him.

You can put relatively fast guys on him without going that small though. Candidates for that would be Amare and Martin IMHO. Maybe Cope on him might be a good move but I'd like to see Chandler on the floor with that lineup as well, in order to help more effectively. I'm still skeptical of putting a 6"8 player on Hibbert through because people seem to forget that he's actually a solid jump shooting big man (his free throw shooting is better than 80%). I could just as easily see him shooting over his man in that situation but I suppose a jump shooting Hibbert is better than him in the paint.

blkexec wrote:

NardDogNation wrote:We need to pull Hibbert out of the paint but we also have to guard him on the other end of the floor. This smallball **** is not going to work against his length/strength because he'll manhandle his defender in the paint (just think of what he did against a legitimate 7ft 250lbs center in Tyson Chandler). If we beat him, I think it'll have to be by committee, which disrupts his ability to get comfortable since our big men are so diversely skilled.

I think the rotation we play against Hibbert should be Tyson Chandler, Amare and Earl Barron; the later two being able to bring him out into the paint by shooting jumpers. If we keep fresh legs against him constantly, I like our chances because Hibbert has a terrible motor/stamina, and can't sustain his effort like a true cornerstone of a franchise. Rope-A-Dope him and see how we fair.

With all that being said, I'd also like to see what we can do by playing Chandler off of him. Tyson has been a pretty good help defender and might actually be able to better contest Hibbert's shot by helping against him on the weak side.

Excellent idea....Thats our centers strength....Including Camby. Both are better help defenders. Martin has a solid base, so it's hard to back him down. Once he tries to shoot over him, Chandler can be there to help.

I think both strategies will work.....I just think Copeland can be a real difference maker. Nobody on our team can guard Hibbert, so might as well beat him with offense.

With you guys explaining the Copeland strategy to me, I'm starting to come around to it but remain cautiously optimistic. Remember that Hibbert is actually a pretty good shooter (80%+ from the free throw line) and could very well spot up over smaller defenders. Like I said earlier, him shooting jump shots might be the better alternative to posting up, so lets see how it works. If Copeland is guarding him though, I feel that Chandler must be on the floor to serve as the help.

Woodson is particularly bland at making adjustments though, which is why he sucks as a playoff coach. I doubt we do anything different this game and for the series.