Indiana’s playoff hopes looked especially dim after a 15-30 start, but a stretch of inspired play in February and March had the team at 30-34 on March 12 after a seven-game winning streak. Paul George was set to come back and it looked like the Pacers were going to be the team no one wanted to draw in the first round.
Since then, Indiana has lost eight of 10 including Monday’s crucial 111-106 setback in Brooklyn against the Nets. The Pacers are now 1 1/2 games behind the Nets with eight games to play going into Wednesday’s pivotal matchup in Boston.
One constant throughout this tumultuous season has been center Roy Hibbert, who’s played in 68 of the team’s 74 games and leads Indiana in rebounding, blocked shots and win shares. He sat down with SheridanHoops for an exclusive one-on-one interview Tuesday to discuss the team’s up-and-down year, George’s health, his love for the hit TV show “Empire” and planning for the league’s impending lockout.
SheridanHoops— The team has dealt with so many injuries, so many things. How difficult has it been this season just to stay with it and get to this point?
Roy Hibbert— It’s been up and down, but to tell you the truth, we feel like we’ve had a lot of guys step up in their absence earlier on like Donald Sloan and Chris Copeland. Guys that play with a lot of effort and energy. We may not have won those games [earlier in the season] but you definitely saw that there was a lot of fight in us.
SheridanHoops— I don’t know if Frank Vogel is going to get any Coach of the Year votes, but it seems like he’s done a tremendous job with you guys. Your thoughts?
Roy Hibbert— Yeah. I mean, he’s trying to work to get the best out of every player. So we’re all definitely appreciative of what he brings, the preparation that he brings to the table. But ultimately the wins and losses are on us. Hopefully we can get some more wins before the season ends.
Sheridan Hoops— I remember the last time you guys were in New York playing the Knicks and everyone was really into “Empire.” What drew you to the show?
Roy Hibbert— First of all the controversy, just hearing about 50 Cent during the summer talking about the difference between his show [“Power,” which 50 Cent claims “Empire” copied] and “Empire” and I started to watch it to see if there were any similarities and they’re totally different shows. And it’s really good for, I guess, the black community to have a show of that sort of star power. And that’s why it’s gotten such good ratings.
SheridanHoops— You were on “Parks and Recreation,” as a guest star, would you consider doing other shows?
Roy Hibbert— You know, if the opportunity presented itself. I have a lot of respect for actors. Just the craft, it’s a lot harder than basketball, I’d say. But yeah, if the opportunity presented itself I’d do it again.
SheridanHoops— I don’t know if you’ve been thinking about the financial landscape of the NBA over the next couple of years, in terms of the possibility of another lockout. Is that something you guys think about now?
Roy Hibbert— We discussed it. Some guys have talked about saving money. And a lot of guys that weren’t here during the first lockout, we told them our experiences. So we’re preparing for it.
SheridanHoops— From your experiences, who are the best trash talkers in the league?
Roy Hibbert— I think they’re like a dying breed, but obviously KG is probably a big trash talker. Other than that, for the most part everybody’s relatively quiet and just competitive.
SheridanHoops— With Paul George, the media’s been talking about him coming back for weeks and weeks. What’s that like? Do you think he feels any pressure at all to come back?
Roy Hibbert— No, no. I don’t think so at all. He’s going at his own pace, and he’s been working extremely hard and the trainers have been doing an excellent job of getting him in practice and stuff like that. So whenever he’s ready and whenever management feels he’s ready, he’ll come back. But I don’t think he feels any pressure to come back.
SheridanHoops— If you guys get into the playoffs, how dangerous do you think you can be?
Roy Hibbert— First we need to make the playoffs, though. Hopefully we can get there. I’m not going to answer that until then.
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Shlomo Sprung is a national columnist for SheridanHoops who focuses on analytics, profiles and features. He is also the web editor of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle. A 2011 graduate of Columbia University’s Journalism School, he has previously worked for the New York Knicks, The Sporting News, Business Insider and other publications. Follow him on Twitter.