25-year old center Roy Hibbert is a restricted free agent this summer, and the Pacers need to match any offer he gets. He has finally turned into the player that everyone thought he could be and good centers are very hard to find. Hibbert played in 65 games (all starts) last season for the Pacers and he averaged 29.8 minutes, 12.8 points, 8.8 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 2.0 blocked shots per game. Hibbert has now played in 297 games (256 starts) in his four years with the Pacers and he has averaged 24.3 minutes, 11.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.6 blocked shots per game. Hibbert is already #6 in Pacers’ history with 477 blocked shots.

Sure, the Pacers just got knocked out of the playoffs by the Miami Heat in six games, but that doesn’t change the fact that they had a good year. The Pacers were 42-24 (63.6%) during the regular season and they were 6-5 (54.5%) in the playoffs last year. Here is a look at the players that stood out the most to me in 2011-12 for the Pacers:

Team MVP: Roy Hibbert - 25-year old center Roy Hibbert finally turned into the force inside that many thought he could be. Hibbert played in 65 games (all starts) for the Pacers last year and he averaged 29.8 minutes, 12.8 points, 8.8 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 2.0 blocked shots per game.

Biggest Surprise: Paul George - 22-year old shooting guard Paul George really stepped up in his second year in the NBA. George played in 66 games (all starts) for the Pacers last year and he averaged 29.7 minutes, 12.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.6 steals per game.

Biggest Disappointment: A.J. Price - 25-year old guard A.J. Price didn’t play too well last year for the Pacers. He played in 44 games (1 start) for the Pacers last year and he averaged 12.9 minutes, 3.9 points, 1.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. Price only shot 33.9% from the floor and 29.5% from three point range last year.

38-year old head coach Frank Vogel was a big reason for the Pacers playing as well as they did in 2011-12. He led the Pacers to a 42-24 (63.6%) record during the regular season and they were 6-5 (54.5%) in the playoffs. Vogel now has a 62-42 (59.6%) during the regular season in his two years in charge of the Pacers. He is also 7-9 (43.8%) in the playoffs in his NBA career. Vogel is the right guy to get the most out of the talented roster of the Indiana Pacers.

The Pacers outrebounded the Heat 37-26 last night but it just didn’t matter in the end. They didn’t play much D as the Heat shot 53.9% from the floor and it killed them in this game. David West led the way for the Pacers with 24 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists. George Hill (18 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals) and Danny Granger (15 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists) also had solid games for the Pacers. Roy Hibbert (12 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocked shots) and Paul George (11 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal) also chipped in for the Pacers last night. The Pacers’ season is over now as they lost this series 4-2.

The Pacers got totally dismantled last night in Miami by the Heat. The Pacers only shot 33.7% from the floor last night and they were outrebounded 49-35. The Pacers didn’t play ANY D either as the Heat shot a sizzling 61.4% from the floor! Paul George led the way for the Pacers last night with 11 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 1 blocked shot. David West (10 points, 4 rebounds and 1 assist), Danny Granger (10 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist and 1 steal) and Roy Hibbert (8 points, 12 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 blocked shot) also had semi-decent games last night. Darren Collison and Tyler Hansbrough chipped in with 8 points apiece in this game. The Pacers are now down 3-2 to the Heat in this series.

The Pacers were outscored 55-39 in the second half yesterday and it killed them in this game. Danny Granger led the way for the Pacers with 20 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists. Darren Collison also had a solid game with 16 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist and 1 steal in 20 minutes off the bench. Paul George (13 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals) and Roy Hibbert (10 points, 9 rebounds and 3 blocked shots) also pitched in with decent games. The Pacers are now tied up at 2 games apiece with the Heat.

The Pacers outrebounded the Heat 52-36 and they held them to 37.2% shooting from the floor last night, which helped them thrash the Heat in this game. The Pacers outscored the Heat 51-32 in the second half as they dominated! George Hill (20 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocked shots) and Roy Hibbert (19 points, 18 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 5 blocked shots) led the way for the Pacers in this game. Danny Granger (17 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 steal) and David West (14 points, 9 rebounds and 2 assists) also had solid games for the Pacers. The Pacers are now up 2-1 on the Heat in this series.

The Pacers outrebounded the Heat 50-40 and they held them to a very paltry 34.6% shooting from the floor, which were the two biggest reasons for the impressive road win last night. David West led the way for the Pacers last night with 16 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 blocked shots. George Hill (15 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal), Danny Granger (11 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 1 blocked shot) and Paul George (10 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals and 1 blocked shot) also pitched in with solid games for the Pacers. The Pacers are now tied up at one game apiece with the Heat, as this series shifts to Indianapolis.

The Pacers played hard yesterday, just not good enough to win. The Pacers were outscored 25-16 in the 4th quarter and it did them in. David West (17 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal) and Roy Hibbert (17 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 blocked shot) led the way for the Pacers yesterday. George Hill (10 points, 3 assists and 1 steal) and Darren Collison (10 points, 1 rebound and 6 assists) also pitched in for the Pacers in this game. The Pacers are now down 1-0 in this series.

The Pacers and Heat both won their first series of the playoffs with relative ease. Things get tougher for both teams now as the matchups are very close in this series. Here is a look at those matchups:

POINT GUARD: George Hill has won the starting job for the Pacers at point guard. He played in 5 games (all starts) for the Pacers in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 31.8 minutes, 14.2 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.0 steal per game. Hill is a shoot first type of point guard, which is going to force the Heat to extend their defense.

Mario Chalmers is a big key for the Heat. When he gets into a good shooting groove, the Heat’s offense really takes off. Chalmers played in 5 games (all starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 36.0 minutes, 11.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.6 steals per game.

EDGE: EVEN

SHOOTING GUARD: Paul George is a really big guy and that will allow him to back down Dwyane Wade offensively. George played in 5 games (all starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 34.2 minutes, 9.4 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.0 steal per game. George is going to cause some issues for the Heat’s D in this series.

Dwyane Wade is going to have to change his gameplan a little bit against the Pacers, due to their size all over the court. He might have to settle for more jumpers against the Pacers. Wade played in 5 games (all starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 35.8 minutes, 21.0 points, 3.4 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 2.8 steals and 1.2 blocked shots per game.

EDGE: HEAT

SMALL FORWARD: Danny Granger’s main job in this series is going to be scoring. He is going to have to attack LeBron James and make him work hard on the defensive end of the court. Granger played in 5 games (all starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 40.6 minutes, 21.4 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game.

LeBron James was incredible in the Heat’s first round series against the Knicks. He played in 5 games (all starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 37.8 minutes, 27.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 2.2 steals per game. James is going to have to be at his best if the Heat are going to win this series.

EDGE: HEAT

POWER FORWARD: David West saved his best basketball for the playoffs as he was rock solid in the first round. He played in 5 games (all starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 39.4 minutes, 15.8 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.2 steals per game. West is going to be important in this series, because the Pacers have to win the battle of the boards to win this series.

Udonis Haslem’s main roles with the Heat in the playoffs are to rebound and play defense. He played in 5 games (all starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 19.0 minutes, 3.8 points, 6.4 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game. Haslem is likely to be overmatched by West in this series.

EDGE: PACERS

CENTER: Roy Hibbert was a beast in the first round of he playoffs both on the boards and defensively. Hibbert played in 5 games (all starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 29.2 minutes, 11.0 points, 10.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 3.8 blocked shots per game. Hibbert will need to control the paint in this series if the Pacers are going to have a good shot at winning this series.

Chris Bosh is likely going to play center in this series. Bosh might have issues against Roy Hibbert, who is an excellent defender. Bosh played 5 games (all starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 33.4 minutes, 15.0 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. He did shoot 51% from the floor in the first round and the Heat need him to shoot like that in this round.

EDGE: EVEN

BENCH: The Pacers have a very, very effective bench. Point guard Darren Collison has seemed to adjust to his new role coming off the bench. Collison played in 5 games (0 starts) for the Pacers in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 18.8 minutes, 8.8 points, 1.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.6 steals per game. SG/SF Leandro Barbosa brings instant offense off the bench. He played in 5 games (0 starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 23.4 minutes, 6.4 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. Tyler Hansbrough is going to be the first big off the bench for the Pacers and they need him to step up in this round of the playoffs. He played in 5 games (0 starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 17.2 minutes, 3.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game. PF/C Louis Amundson is also going to have to throw his weight around a little bit when he’s on the court. He played in 5 games (0 starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 7.4 minutes, 2.8 points, 1.0 rebound and 0.2 assists per game. SG/SF Dahntay Jones is likely to get more action in this round of the playoffs due to his defense. He played in 1 game (0 starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he played five scoreless minutes with 1 steal.

The Heat don’t use the bench a whole lot. SF/SG Shane Battier will be counted on to provide defense and some long range shooting. He played in 5 games (0 starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 27.6 minutes, 6.0 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.0 steal per game. SG/SF Mike Miller brings offense and long range shooting into the fold when he’s on the court. Miller played in 5 games (0 starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 23.2 minutes, 7.2 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. Joel Anthony brings shot blocking and defense on the court when he’s on it. Anthony played in 5 games (0 starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 17.0 minutes, 1.6 points, 3.4 rebounds and 0.2 assists per game. Small forward James Jones is also a really good shooter off the bench for the Heat. He played in 4 games (0 starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 5.0 minutes, 2.3 points and 0.5 rebounds per game. Rookie Norris Cole has really cooled off after a fast start this year. Cole played in only 3 games (0 starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 6.0 minutes, 1.3 points and 0.3 rebounds per game. C/PF Ronny Turiaf might get to play more in this series than he did against the Knicks. Turiaf played in 1 game (0 starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he didn’t score, while snatching up 3 rebounds and blocking 1 shot.

EDGE: EVEN

COACHING: Frank Vogel has done an amazing job with the Pacers this year. He led them to a 4-1 series win over the pesky Orlando Magic. The Pacers are now 5-5 (50%) in Vogel’s first two years in the playoffs as a head coach.

No coach is under more pressure to win than Erik Spoelstra of the Heat. He got the Heat to overcome the Knicks 4-1 in the first round of the playoffs. He is now 22-16 (57.9%) as the Heat’s head coach in the playoffs.

EDGE: EVEN

PREDICTION: HEAT IN SEVEN GAMES