Larry Brown Sports

Indiana Pacers coach Frank Vogel made one of the most inexplicable decisions of the 2013 NBA playoffs on Wednesday night when he had Roy Hibbert, his best post defender, sitting on the bench for the Miami Heat’s final two possessions of the game. LeBron James took full advantage, taking the ball right to the hoop each time and leading Miami to a 103-102 overtime victory.

After the game, Vogel literally had no explanation for why Hibbert wasn’t on the floor.

“I would say we’ll probably have him in next time,” he said.

Naturally, Hibbert was also asked for his thoughts on watching the final seconds of the game from the bench as his team let what could have been a tone-setting win slip away. Next time, he says he’ll let it be known that he feels he should be in the game.

“I’ve grown as a player, this is my fifth year and maybe I need to start talking up more,” Hibbert told Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports on Wednesday night. “They pay me [max-contract money] for a reason.

“I didn’t say anything, and I wish I did. From now on, I need to speak up.”

They don’t pay Hibbert max contract money to make coaching decisions. Those are left to Vogel, but it’s probably not a bad idea for Hibbert to put up a fuss next time if Vogel can’t properly do his job in such a crucial situation.

Who are we kidding — there won’t be a next time. Hibbert is going to be on the floor in any tight games going forward, as he should be. The problem is Vogel’s epic screw-up allowed Miami to steal a game, and the defending champs don’t exactly need any help. The man calling the shots let one get away, and it could cost his team a shot at a championship.

The Indiana Pacers played a great game against the Miami Heat in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals. Heck, after Paul George made three free throws to give them the lead with 2.2 seconds left, it looked like they were even going to pull off the win. But luckily Miami had Pacers coach Frank Vogel give them an assist.

Vogel inexplicably pulled center Roy Hibbert out of the game for the Heat’s final two possessions in overtime. With 24.6 seconds left in OT, the game was tied at 99 and Vogel subbed out Hibbert for Sam Young. He initially had Hibbert in the game defending Chris Bosh but decided to make the substitution before Miami inbounded the ball for its possession. Hibbert walked to the bench with his head down, clearly upset with the decision.

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If you thought Roy Hibbert wasn’t all there during the first half of Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals between the Indiana Pacers and Miami Heat, it might have to do with him getting nailed in the nuts by Shane Battier.

Battier was driving to the hoop late in the first quarter when he was challenged by the Pacers center. In an instance, two forces converged at the same place at the same time: Hibbert’s groin and Battier’s knee. Hibbert’s manly region was on the losing end of that battle.

Hibbert still had 10 points and four rebounds in the first half despite losing two balls.

Below in GIF form:

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Roy Hibbert had an amazing block on Carmelo Anthony in the fourth quarter of Game 6 between the Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks that was a major turning point in the game.

The Knicks were up 92-90 with around five minutes left and looked like they might send the Eastern Conference semifinals series to a seventh game. The quarter had gone back-and-forth and was a one-possession game for the first seven minutes. But that’s when Hibbert changed the game.

The Pacers center came over to defend the rim after Anthony spun around Paul George and headed for a baseline dunk. He managed to stuff Melo’s dunk attempt at the rim. The ESPN replay showed the struggle between the two at the rim and how Hibbert’s strength stood up to ‘Melo’s. It was a thing of beauty.

The block sparked the Pacers; they went on a 9-0 run and won 106-99 to end the series. They outscored the Knicks 16-7 after the block, which was Hibbert’s fifth of the game.

Carmelo credited Hibbert for causing “havoc” in the paint. Everyone viewed it as a major turning point. But the only one unwilling to heap praise on Hibbert for the play was ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, who said he wasn’t about to throw Hibbert “a cookie” for the play.

“It was a pivotal play in the game, no doubt about it, but I’m not about to throw him a cookie. He is 7-feet-2 for crying out loud. It’s nice to see him get up and block that shot,” Smith said after the game.

“That particular play, as great of a block as it was, I guess, you’re 7-feet-2. A guy 6-foot-8 is coming your way. I expect you to be able to make that play. That’s what you’re on the court for. I’m not about to give him cookies and milk for that.”

You can see his comments below:

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I don’t know what it is with Roy Hibbert, but this guy seems to keep encountering the weirdest things and sharing them on Twitter. The Indiana Pacers center tweeted a picture of a man standing on the sidewalk with a pet goat after his team’s 93-82 win over the New York Knicks on Tuesday.

Hibbert shared his objection with the farm animal being next to a big street with nice cars and restaurants nearby:

I know we live in Indiana. But this should not be happening outside of a fine dinning restaurant. GOAT!!!! twitter.com/Hoya2aPacer/st…

— Roy Hibbert (@Hoya2aPacer) May 15, 2013

Hey, at least it’s better than seeing a girl pooping in the street.

Roy Hibbert nearly took NBA postgame fashion to the next level on Saturday, but he was talked out of making his bold statement.

Hibbert said after the Indiana Pacers’ 82-71 win over the New York Knicks in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series that he envisioned having a good game and speaking before the media at the podium. He says he brought a monocle with him to make a fashion statement, but he was talked out of it by a teammate and the team’s PR director.

“I asked my teammate Paul (George) if I should do this. This is my first time at the podium basically all year. I know a lot of people always wear crazy get-ups and stuff like that, so I said to myself before the game, ‘I’m going to have a great game tonight.’

“I was advised by Paul George and David Benner not to set a trend by wearing a monocole, so I’m not putting on the monocle,” Hibbert said.

Hibbert was dominant during the game and recorded 24 points and 12 rebounds. But he did say he was disappointed with himself for not getting any blocks. Hibbert said that’s what they pay him the big bucks for, and having no blocks messes up his average.

After he was done speaking with the media, Hibbert tossed the monocle to a reporter.

TNT’s Rachel Nichols did get a close-up picture of Hibbert with the accessory:

NBA fashion game – Pacers Roy Hibbert and the monocle he brought to the podium. #UppingTheAnte @hoya2apacer twitter.com/Rachel__Nichol…

— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) May 12, 2013

I can’t really blame George and Benner from talking Hibbert out of looking like the Monopoly guy at the podium, but it’s not like we haven’t seen much worse. I actually think it would have been awesome had Hibbert rocked the monocle.

Roy Hibbert tweeted one of the most random, odd, and bizarre items we have seen since being on Twitter. The Indiana Pacers center says he was on his way to dinner Saturday night when he got out of a cab and saw a woman poopin on the side of the road:

I was in a cab on the way 2dinner 2night. As i get out I see a girl calmly taking a poop on the side of the road! twitter.com/Hoya2aPacer/st…

— Roy Hibbert (@Hoya2aPacer) May 5, 2013

Seriously, what in the world is going here? Is that just an optical illusion with the girl’s pants? No way she took down her skinny jeans and was doing her business in the middle of the street, right? The Pacers play the Knicks in the playoffs on Sunday, so he must have been somewhere nearby the city where this was taken.

Come on, New York, I thought you were all housebroken!