The young and athletic Indiana Pacers targeted Boston Celtics center Al Horford in their Game 1 showdown in the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Celtics won the game via overtime, but the Pacers found an excellent hole to exploit.
The veteran big man became a liability on defense, especially when he gets picked during pick and roll.
Andrew Nembhard was among those who had a reasonable success rate against Horford.
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This now begs the question, will the first seed go small ball, too?
They are capable of doing that. Some suggest that Jayson Tatum, 2024 All-NBA First Team member, can step up to the tall task.
Coach Joe Mazzulla is not ruling out that option.
"You just gotta be wary of going to anything and everything in any particular time," he told reporters when asked about Tatum at 5 in the series.
"It's something unprecedented, for example, staying open-minded to whatever makes the most sense in the game and being ready to execute. So yeah, I think anything's on the table versus a team like this because of their versatility."
The Cs could have Tatum at the center. He would be forced to match up with the bulky Miles Turner and leave no one against Pascal Siakam.
They won't need the star forward to play center if Kristaps Porzingis makes his long-awaited return.
Kristaps Porzingis return in East Finals
The Latvian unicorn has been out since Game 4 of the first round against the Miami Heat due to a soleus strain.
Initial reports said he could be out until the East Finals.
How far is he in his recovery?
Mazzulla said his veteran center is pushing to get ready for the battle.
"He's working hard every single day to make as fast of a recovery as he can," the coach said when asked about Porzingis's progress.
"He's there for everything and it can't go underestimated how hard he works, trying to come back in a timely fashion."
Sports doctors say a patient typically needs two to four weeks to fully recover from such an injury.
While Mazzulla refuses to put out an exact date for Kristapos Porzingis' return, the latest from NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski says there is a possibility he could play in Game 4.
"I'm told that he is also going to miss Game 2 in Boston," Wojnarowski wrote.
"But when this series returns to Indiana, I'm told that Porzingis could return as soon as Game 4 on Monday."
There are still no signs of KP doing physical activities or already engaged in 5-on-5 practices.
The last time he posted about his recovery was earlier this month when he was seen taking some shots during practice.
Horford, Xavier Tillman, and Luke Kornet hold out for him in the front court.
The Celtics are the favorites to win the series, although some skeptics predict an upset because of their performance in Game 1.
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