Nate McMillan's offensive game plan can be reduced to five simple words that aren't so simple to execute.
Play early, or play late.
The idea is to play at a fast tempo and look for easy shots in transition, but slow down and move the ball to look for a good shot if the quick shot is not available. It's a fine line, and difficult for players new to one another to find, but it summarizes the issue of the Pacers' late-game execution, which nearly caused a costly and embarrassing defeat in Wednesday's game at Memphis.
The Pacers led 105-88 with 9:41 left, but stumbled their way to the finish line, needing a sensational block from Myles Turner in the final minute, and Marc Gasol's miss of a desperate 3-pointer at the final buzzer to escape with a 116-113 victory.