Pacers ask for more from Roy Hibbert as former players crack jokes at his expense

Posted May 06, 2014

Pacers center Roy Hibbert finished with zero points and zero rebounds in Game 1 against the Wizards. (Ron Hoskins/Getty Images)

Roy Hibbert found himself taking heat from all sides after another woeful performance duringIndianas 102-96 home loss to Washington in Game 1.

The 7-foot-2, two-time All-Star center finished with zero points (on 0-for- 2 shooting), zero rebounds, one assist, two blocks, two turnovers and five fouls on Monday, posting a team-worst minus-17 in 18 minutes of action. Meanwhile, Wizards center Marcin Gortat notcheda double-double, with 12 points and 15 rebounds, while Nene added 15 points and six boards. All told, Washington finished a whopping +17 on the glass.

Of course, this wasnot an isolated incident for Hibbert, who averaged 5.3 points and 3.2 rebounds in April and is averaging just 4.6points and 3.3 rebounds in the postseason. Those middling numbers almost overstate his impact. The sixth-year big man hasfinished with zero points and zero rebounds just seven times during his career, but three of those seven no-shows have come duringthe last month.

Another evening oftotal ineffectiveness made Hibbert the butt of a number of pithy cracks on social media.

Me and Roy Hibbert had the same amount of points and rebounds tonight, Tracy McGrady joked on Twitter. The seven-time All-Star forward retired last year and is now pursuing a career in minor-league baseball.

Three-time All-Star Gilbert Arenas, who hasnt played in the NBA since 2012, posted a photoshop of Hibbert holding up a piece of paper with two zeroes on it to his Instagram account.

I made the All-Star [Game] but through 3 quarters these are my stats, the caption read. The photo has since been deleted.

Of greater concern to Hibbert than those mocking jabs were the prodding statements made by his teammates.

Paul George, who finished with 18 points (on 4-for-17 shooting), six rebounds and five assists, called on Hibbert to step up.

We need him now, George said, according tothe Indianapolis Star. I have faith that along the way hes going to find himself. But were at the point where were really going to need Roy and we really need him now.

David West posted 15 points and 12 rebounds, and he too called outHibbert.

Hes got to be part of the fight, West said, according to USA Today Sports. Hes got to be part of this thing for us to go anywhere.

The Wizardsnow leads the series 1-0 with Game 2 set for Wednesday in Indiana. Going back to Washington down 0-2 would be a tall order for the Pacers, who never established a consistently high level of play in their seven-game first-round series with the Hawks. Hibbert managed13 points and seven rebounds in Indianas Game 7 victory over Atlanta, and the Pacers will need that type of effort toeven this series.

Im going to change some things up for the second game, Hibbert pledged, according to Pacers.com. Im going to look within myself and go out there and figure it out. Igot to come out and be aggressive. I got to be a different Roy Hibbert than I have been.

Tags: 2014 NBA playoffs, david west, Gilbert Arenas, Indiana Pacers, Paul George, Roy Hibbert, Tracy McGrady, washington wizards

Source: http://nba.si.com/2014/05/06/roy-hibbert-tracy-mcgrady-gilbert-arenas-pacers-wizards/