Will All-Star Roy Hibbert, who has been struggling in the second half of the season including the first three games of the Indiana Pacers-Atlanta Hawks series, come off the bench in game 4?
On the eve of Saturday's game, Indiana coach Frank Vogel was mum on how he'll use Hibbert, the 7-foot-2 defensive anchor who has struggled mightily in the series against an undersized Hawks frontline. He told ESPN: ""You'll find out tomorrow."
The top seed in the East, the Pacers are surprisingly down to the Hawks 2 games to 1 and must snatch a win at the Philips Arena to avoid falling to a 1-3 hole.
Unlike last year where he anchored the Pacers' interior defense on the way to a Game 7 in the East finals against the eventual champion Miami Heat, Hibbert has not been a factor at all in the series against the Hawks. He has been lured out of the paint by the outside shooting of the Hawks' big men like All-Star Paul Millsap and center Pero Antic.
He sounded frustrated with the challenge the Hawks' big men have presented to him, saying: "It's a difficult lineup for me. I'm not used to it. It takes me out of position to protect the paint and to get rebounds in the paint and contest shots."
Asked on the possibility of playing off the bench, Hibbert said: "I'll do whatever Coach feels is necessary to win. As far as I know, I'm still playing. I don't know if it will be with the second unit."
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