Indiana Pacers coach Frank Vogel is taking a ton of heat (pun intended) today for removing Roy Hibbert from the lineup for the final play of Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals last night when LeBron James made a driving layup at the buzzer in overtime for a 103-102 victory.
And make no mistake, Vogel made a mistake — he even admitted as much in the postgame interview room.
But what about Paul George, who would have been the hero of the game for his clutch 3-pointer that forced regulation and for knocking down the three free throws that gave Indiana a 102-101 lead prior to James’ heroics?
In my opinion, George is more to blame for the loss than Vogel.
On the final inbounds play, George came out too far when the inbounds pass was thrown to James. He came out so far, in fact, and was so intent on making James go to his left that he overstepped what should have been his defensive zone. James blew past George as though he was standing still, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Some advice to the Pacers: If James is going to beat you, make him beat you with a jump shot. And if a similar situation unfolds down the line, double-team him and make him pass the ball.
If you want to rip Vogel, rip him for not having a second perimeter defender blitzing James as soon as it was clear he would receive the inbounds pass. You can rip him for benching Hibbert, but there is much more to it than that.
(RELATED: Some alarming Pacers stats from a game they should have won)
More on Wednesday night’s Game 1 in this interview with CineSport’s Noah Coslov:
I completely agree. George should have defended the play better, and Vogel taking the wrath as a result. It was, obviously, the worst possible outcome for Vogel. Check out my Game 2 preview: http://sportsfansnews.com/nba/heat-vs-pacers-what-to-watch-for-in-game-2/