Throughout his NBA career, Leandro Barbosa has been known
for his speed.
Little surprise then, he hit the ground running in his debut with the Pacers.
Barbosa scored 12 points in 18 minutes as the revamped Indiana second unit
racked up 50 points in a 102-89 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on
Tuesday in Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Whether Barbosa's acquisition proves to be
the tonic to shake the Pacers out of their post-All-Star break funk — Indiana
has dropped six of nine remains to be seen but the early returns were encouraging.
"Leandro's going to be a big lift for us," said Tyler Hansbrough, who
scored 17 points off the bench. "He's going to feed right into the energy
we try to bring off the bench and the fast-break style we're bringing this
year.
"I think he's going to be a good piece for us. I think he's going to be
critical for the second unit, the way he can run and shoot. It's going to be
very helpful."
A team lacking marquee talent, Indiana relies heavily on depth to be the
difference-maker. The second unit, however, has struggled for much of the
season. The Pacers rank 19th in the league in bench scoring at 29.9 per game,
but that has been in the incline, even before the Barbosa acquisition, as Hill —
another relative newcomer — has grown into a bigger presence.
The bench has provided at least 44 points in four of the last five games,
averaging 43.4. Hill has averaged 11.8 points in that span, Hansbrough 11.2.
Adding Barbosa to the mix increases the scoring punch, speed and energy but the
move was not without risk because it shifts Hill's primary position from
shooting guard to the point.
"We understand that as well as (Hill) has been playing, he hasn't been
playing the point guard spot, he's been playing the two guard spot," coach
Frank Vogel said. "With Leandro coming in and bringing us what we've been
getting from George, we're hoping to get the same type of production from
George as the point guard running the team. It's just something we'll have to
keep an eye on. I've got every confidence he's going to do just as well at the
point as he did at the two."
Barbosa had an immediate impact, scoring nine points, including seven in a row,
as the reserves opened the second quarter with a 13-4 run that gave the Pacers
a 44-36 lead they would not relinquish. He added a three-point play in the
fourth quarter that put the Pacers up 90-72 with 7:57 left.
"My teammates, they really helped me to be comfortable out there,"
Barbosa said. "First of all, I'm very happy to get the first win at home.
I was very excited to play with the second group, it's an energy group and we
run like crazy so it was enjoyable. And to see the fans cheering for us when we
bring that energy was just great. I'm very happy to be here."
Hill has plenty of experience at the point from his days in San Antonio and
looked comfortable in his most extended stretch at the position with the
Pacers. Vogel, in fact, left Hill in the game the entire fourth quarter as
starting point guard Darren Collison did not play in the final 14-1/2 minutes.
Hill made a number of key plays down the stretch, including a big 3-pointer
with 3:19 remaining that halted the Clippers' final attempt at a threat by
pushing the lead to 98-84.
"It was pretty fun," Hill said. "(Barbosa) brings more speed to
the second unit and I really enjoyed it. I had somebody to kick up to, we're
both kind of playmakers that can make shots and willing to play defense. Any
time you're adding him to the second unit it just makes us more explosive.
"We come in to change the tempo, the energy, the physicality of it, bring
a little bit of excitement to the game."
For Barbosa, the setting has changed but the role is largely the same.
"Come with the second group, bring a lot of energy and have fun," he
said.
All were evident in abundance.
