Roy Hibbert having his way against the Miami Heat – NBA Feature
Indiana Pacers centre Roy Hibbert is having a blast in the playoffs.
The 7 foot 2 in power house has especially been on song against the Miami Heat in the second round. In the game 3 victory for Indiana, Hibbert had 19 points and 18 rebounds and was dominant on the defensive end as well, blocking
5 shots and redirecting many Miami players coming into the paint for the drive.
Miami Heat forward Chris Bosh has been sidelined for the series with a strained abdominal muscle. In his absence, the Heat have been left weak and defenceless in the centre. Their replacements for Bosh have been Dexter Pittman,
Joel Anthony and Ronny Turiaf, but all three have failed to live up to the expectations. The trio has so far been unable to defend Hibbert or protect the glass from him.
However, one cannot take anything away from Hibbert as his success is not dependant on Bosh’s absence from the court. The centre has made huge leaps in improving his game this season and is now being counted as a legitimate centre,
one of the best in the league.
Last season, this was not the case. Hibbert failed to make a big impression in last year’s playoffs and worked in the offseason with San Antonio Spurs veteran centre Tim Duncan.
“I worked out with Tim Duncan. It was more than just basketball stuff. We sat down and talked about how he goes about his business. His kind of demeanour is he doesn’t get too high or too low. I model my game after him. Now, he
texts me after every game, and I’m very appreciative” said Hibbert.
Hibbert has been having a great time because he has a size and power advantage over the Heat centres. He has been posting up on the offense to be in position for the hook shot or the turnaround and has also been dominating the
boards.
On the defensive end, because he does not have to worry about a star centre taking position in the paint and making easy shots, he can go further outside to help his team in protect the perimeter, and make life miserable for LeBron
James and Dwyane Wade, the two main scoring options for Miami.
“I go into the game thinking to clog up the lane and alter shots. Without (Bosh) I can wander more, clog up things more and block more shots” said Hibbert after the game 3 win.
Miami currently do not have a game plan to take Hibbert out of the equation. His game can only be upset if one of the Heat backup centres start making some contributions on the offense so he has to defend them and cannot leave
them open. This will drive him away from other responsibilities and will force him to contest every ball. However, it looks unlikely that will happen given the present predicament.
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