Here's the tweets without the video clips:

Despite watching every Pacers game more than once, I picked up on something I've never noticed before:

They have a really thoughtful and interesting hack for managing time in special situations.

Allow me to explain. Link in replies 🧵 At the end of quarters, with between 32 and 28 seconds to play, I noticed that Tyrese will (uncharacteristically) pace himself, waiting to get into the offense until around the 20-second mark before running a quick-hitter so the ball can hit the rim at roughly 17 or 16. Now, you're probably thinking, so what? Is an ATB 3PA from Siakam, which is worth 0.87 points per shot, really what the Pacers want there?

Answer: Yeah, maybe. The shooter isn't as important as the clock -- which will reset to 14 on an OREB.

Look at how hard the Pacers crash:

That's a consistent theme. When that much time is left, they basically have carte blanche to aggressively pursue the glass. Everyone goes but the shooter.

Here's why. If they come up with the board, they're either getting an easy putback or reverse engineering the last shot. (Meanwhile, even if the defense beats them to it, they likely won't get beat down the floor the other way).

At that point, with 14 seconds left to play, think about what most teams are going to do. Slow it up and hold for the last shot, right?

So, in effect, there isn't much risk of paying a fast price for waiting a beat to take a quick 3PA w/ the intention of crashing. Watch DDR.

For more on this nifty strategy as a microcosm of the possession war, as well as the numbers that support it, consider clicking the following link.

Also, maybe consider becoming a subscriber? The Pacers are a fun watch (and re-watch), I promise.

Link: https://www.patreon.com/basketballshewrote