By Trenton Jocz, Sports Radio KJR

In the “Community” episode entitled “Remedial Chaos Theory,” perhaps one of the most unique and innovative half-hours in television history, the study group plays out the same party in a multitude of different ways based on assigning each person in the group a number on a six-sided die and allowing chance to determine who had to get up and answer the pizza delivery man at the door. The concept behind the episode was that one simple change in the course of events can create a divergent timeline, with some of the alternate timelines being relatively similar, while others produced a harrowing sequence of events. With one critical coaching misstep last night, Indiana Pacers coach Frank Vogel did just that, radically changing the course of the Eastern Conference Finals.

If somehow you missed the ending to last night’s Game 1, down one with 2.2 seconds left, LeBron James drove to the basket for a wide open layup as Vogel left defensive anchor Roy Hibbert on the bench for the final possession.

The logic behind the move was that with five capable perimeter shooters and the agile Chris Bosh the only big man among them, Hibbert would have likely been attacked and taken advantage of on a switch. Plenty of holes can be poked in that logic however.

First, and most obviously, Vogel has tried this same gambit twice already in the postseason to no avail. The Knicks immediately scored on Indiana in the last round when the Pacers tried it and it even failed near the end of regulation in last night’s game. Now, a sample size of two is microscopic, but it didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that taking out the best rim protector in basketball might make it easier for the other team to drive to the hoop.

Many NBA scribes noted last night that with less than three seconds remaining, Indiana could have played zone with Hibbert in the paint without fear of a three-second violation. Vogel noted this morning, however, that he didn’t want to put his team in a defense they were unfamiliar with. That line of thinking makes his decision even more head-scratching considering the team was used to routinely funneling opponents into the paint and the massive Hibbert. George had poor footwork in attempting to contain the drive of James and basically admitted to succumbing to the muscle memory and routine of knowing Hibbert was behind him to back him up.

The decision would have been defensible if the Pacers were up three. Miami would have needed a triple to tie and Hibbert’s interior defense would have been irrelevant. Even up two, the rationale of wanting to prevent a three at all costs and ensuring that a second overtime is worst case scenario makes some sense.

The Indiana defense, not unlike the other elite defenses in Memphis, Chicago, Boston and Miami, is built around the concept of efficiency. In today’s modern NBA, with offenses are built around pick and rolls, defenses prioritize by attempting to limit the most valuable shots, starting with shots at the rim and three pointers, especially in the corners.

This is why the biggest error is Vogel’s thinking is also the most baffling. In removing Hibbert, they significantly raised their chances of surrendering the most efficient shot in basketball and the one their system is entirely geared around preventing, to the best player on the planet.

Vogel was worried about giving up an open jumper to Bosh or a good perimeter look for Ray Allen, and justifiably so, as they are easily amongst the elite when it comes to taking those type of shots, but returning to the concept of timelines, in benching Hibbert, he created a new timeline where having the big man on the bench effectively eliminated the chance Miami would be taking one of those shots in the first place.

Maybe Bosh or Allen would have won the game with a jumper, but even the best shooters don’t hit at the same clip as James does on open layups.

Now that Indiana has wasted George’s coming out party, a performance reminiscent of the exhilarating highs and error-filled lows of Russell Westbrook’s 43 point explosion in Game 4 of last year’s Finals, and a sloppy effort from Miami (20 turnovers, 16/25 from the free throw line and 5/18 from beyond the arc), they’ll need to submit this type of performance four more times (at least), a tall task for a team that goes through prolonged offensive slumps.

In the span of just 2.2 seconds, Indiana’s chances of winning this series went from slim to none, as Frank Vogel invited the arrival of his team’s darkest timeline.

Brooks Running along with Elise and Jerry are giving away a trip for two to the “Rock and Roll” marathon US tour stop of the winners’ choice between June 2013-June 2014.

Every weekday during the Elise and Jerry Show, Elise will ask listeners a question about something that was mentioned during the show in the “Parting Shots” segment of each day, just before Noon. The first caller to correctly answer Elise's “Parting Shots” question will win a Brooks spike bag, filled with running socks and a running hat, AND be entered to win the grand prize “Rock and Roll” marathon trip to any US tour stop date between June 2013 and June 2014.

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By Trenton Jocz, Sports Radio KJR

In the NBA, a series is similar to the battle of field position in football. The score might be close, but sometimes one team is getting a first down or two on every series and their lack of scoring is more due to correctable errors than what the defense is doing while the other team just looks like its holding on. Conversely, one team might be up by a couple scores, but that gap may be more due to one 50/50 play here or there.

This is how the Spurs-Grizzlies series feels at this point. San Antonio might be up 2-0 at the moment, but at some point in the second half, the tenor of this series changed. Gone was the free-flowing, fluid motion style of the Spurs, replaced by the patented grit-and-grind for which these Grizzlies have made themselves known. Tim Duncan may have turned back the clock in overtime, rescuing the Spurs from a Game 2 that showed even veteran teams blow leads sometimes, but it was clear that things were different.

As the series shifts to the Grindhouse, it feels like a mirror image of last year’s Western Conference Finals where through nearly two games Oklahoma City looked in over their heads and the Spurs executed a symphony to near perfection. In the latter part of Game 2 however, the Thunder seemed to put things together and they went on to use their length and athleticism to stymie San Antonio and sweep the next four games to get to the Finals.

Memphis under Lionel Hollins in this year’s playoffs has used Game 1 in a series almost as an experiment, seeing what will work and what won’t. It looks as if it just took him longer to find the right combinations for this series. Tayshaun Prince and, to a certain extent, Tony Allen were finally acquainted with the bench for the proper amount of time, as Jerryd Bayless and Quincy Pondexter need their minutes in order to space the floor with their perimeter shooting, and in the case of Bayless, put another shot creator on the floor. That spacing prevents the Spurs from swarming Zach Randolph in the post as easily as they could before and it also gives Mike Conley more room to operate and additional options out of the pick and roll.

Another interesting development out of Game 2 was how much Tony Parker faded down the stretch as Memphis made their comeback. If the Spurs find a way to steal one on the road, they’ll have a chance to close out at home in Game 5 and make these concerns moot, but the chances of Memphis being able to wear down Parker and Duncan with their physicality only increase the longer this series lasts.

Even though the series doesn’t resume until Saturday, expect Game 3 to be the most intense game of the playoffs yet as the Grizzlies fight for their playoff lives.