Roy Hibbert held scoreless in Game 4

Roy Hibbert had seemingly re-established himself offensively in the Eastern Conference Finals, after a very shaky postseason. However, in Game 4 he was completely neutralized on both ends of the floor and was held scoreless for the fourth time in the 2014 NBA playoffs.

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Hibbert picked up some early fouls, which generally gets him out of rhythm, but he just seemed off all game. He started the series against Miami with a 19-point effort and averaged 15.7 points per game over the first three games. Despite the early success, Hibbert said after the game that getting him involved was simply not part of Frank Vogel’s game plan, according to ESPN.

“The game plan really wasn’t to utilize me as much; I’m just trying to be effective as I can,” Hibbert said. “Would I like a little bit more touches early on? Yeah. But that’s how the cookie crumbles sometimes.”

“I can only control what I can control,” Hibbert said. “I can’t control plays called for me.”

It also didn’t help Hibbert’s case that Chris Bosh finally woke up in Game 4 after failing to score in double-digits in the first three games. Bosh stretched the floor early and often, forcing Hibbert out of the paint by knocking down jumpers over the Pacers’ big man who has always been slow and unwilling to close out against big men who can stretch the floor. Bosh had 25 points on an efficient 7-12 shooting from the floor.

Hibbert does have a point in that he is not really put in an ideal situation to score, especially when he is used in pick-and-roll scenarios, but it’s still up to him to actively ask for the ball and try to find a way to contribute.

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