NBA Franchise of the Year: Passion. Pride. Pacers.

[mfbmike]

Pacers "Beat Themselves" At The Amway In Orlando

Starting Lineups:
T.J. Ford PG Jameer Nelson
Marquis Daniels SG Courtney Lee
Danny Granger SF Hedo Turkoglu
Chris Wilcox PF Rashard Lewis
Chris Kaman C Chris Kaman

(21-23) 110 @ 112 (21-22)


Danny Granger and Rashard Lewis went at each other all night, both leading their respective teams in scoring.

Top Performers:
Player Of The Game:

Rashard Lewis

Quote Of The Game:
"You can say what you want about Rashard lighting us up or Dwight having another one of his big games. You can say whatever you want. The fact of the matter is, we got to the charity stripe but failed to convert when we got there. When you have the result of games be determined by this small of a margin, free throws become so much more important. We weren't exactly locked on from the free throw line tonight and it cost us." - Pacers Head Coach Jim O' Brien

Next Game:

[corbin]

Damn tough game. Rashard went beastmode =[

[mfbmike]

17-23 from the line isn't too bad. Of course if it was 20-23 you would have won but i wouldn't blame it on the freethrows this game. Whats bad is Lewis shooting 18-22.....

There were other guys who missed some free throws that didn't make the top performers list. I blame it on the free throws because even with Rashard's performance I still had a chance to win this one. Sucks too considering the Magic are right there tied for that 8th spot with the Wizards.

Damn tough game. Rashard went beastmode =[

damn tough loss man. lewis exploded

Jameer was finding him good looks all god damn game. Wilcox was sagging off I guess playing the post as opposed to following him around the perimeter. That's what killed me. Having a guy who can stretch the floor like Rashard playing the 4 causes bigtime matchup problems for me when you have a guy like Wilcox defending him.

It was a very fun game though, despite the loss. Anytime Rashard would score on me, I felt motivated to go and drop one in his face with Granger, much like in the screenshot.

Thanks for following guys.

[mfbmike]

Wally To Return To Starting Lineup Tonight Against Bucks



Pacers Head Coach Jim O' Brien has told reporters that Wally Szczerbiak will be inserted back into the starting lineup for the Pacers upcoming game against the Miwaukee Bucks.

"Wally went through a slump but has shown he has regained his shooting tough in our past 2 games," explained O' Brien.

Wally provided a huge spark off the bench to fuel a Pacers comeback against the Bobcats two games ago, scoring 19 points in just over 20 minutes of play on 8-12 shooting from the field and 2-4 from beyond the arch.

""I finally got it going again," Szczerbiak said. "I had a lot of shots go in and out but I got most to go that night. It felt good."

Though Marquis Daniels has played very well as Wally's stand-in, he doesn't have the ability to spread the defense and create driving lanes for teammates as well as Wally can.

[mfbmike]

Yeah, I see where you're coming from. It's like picking my poison though. Wilcox and Kaman kept Dwight relatively quiet on the boards. Yeah, he had 12 but he's had 15+ rebound games on me in the past which is what probably what would've happened had Wilcox played tighter and/or had Granger playing the 4 more than he did. Not to mention they also have Hedo who spreads the floor like crazy. Another 6'9-6'10 dude who can shoot the long ball.

The Magic are just a tough team. lol.

[T.Dot]

Tough loss Mike.
I remember when I used the Magic how easy it was sometimes to play with them.
One time near the start I remember I replayed a game becuz I scored like 60 with Dwight.

[Yawkey Way]

those are classic games when you have guys taking shots at each other down the stretch, too bad you came up one miss short. Good luck against the bucks.

[Yawkey Way]

RANDOM!

it's good to see you finally make your way over here man

[mfbmike]

Sessions' Ejection, Jefferson's Injury Helps Pacers Pull Away In Final Minutes

Starting Lineups:
T.J. Ford PG Ramon Sessions
Wally Szczerbiak SG Michael Redd
Danny Granger SF Richard Jefferson
Chris Wilcox PF Charlie Villanueva
Chris Kaman C Andrew Bogut

(21-24) 120 vs 112 (19-29)


Marquis Daniels converts on all 3 of his free throw after Ramon Sessions gets called for his 6th foul on an attempted three pointer.

Top Performers:
Player Of The Game:

Danny Granger

Quote Of The Game:
"They came out extremely aggressive in the 1st half and we couldn't find any answers on defense until the 2nd half where we were able to buckle down and get some consistent stops. Them losing Ramon to that 6th foul was a huge loss for them and helped us close them out to get this much needed win." - Chris Kaman

Next Game:

[mfbmike]

3 minutes left in the game vs the Bucks.

Sessions racks up 6th foul, fouls out. Marquis knocks down 3 straight free throws. Tyronn Lue comes in for the first time this game. T.J. Ford ends up getting 3 steals within the last 2 minutes of the game. Sometime shortly after Sessions fouls out, Jefferson tries to save a loose ball and flies into the stands, gets injured, I pull away and score like 10 points within the final 2 minutes of the game to get the win after trailing by double digits earlier in the game. What a roller coaster ride that one was.

[Lupe]

quit jacking up so many 3's with TJ it's killing you LOL. No wonder granger has to pour in 30+ alot. Good win tho

[mfbmike]

Trades:

<=====>
Vlad Rad's prayers for more playing time may have been answered as the Lakers have parted ways with the 6'10 forward in exchange for Reggie Evans and Royal Ivey from the Sixers.

Injuries:


Richard Jefferson was injured in the Bucks last game against the Pacers with a separated shoulder and will be forced to miss 19 days.

Other News:

- Mo scores 25 as Cavs barely defeat Magic
- J-Rich hits 3000 rebound milestone in Suns loss to Spurs
- Paul racks up 8 steals in Hornets loss to Nuggets

[Deviant]

Oh I'm following this for sure.

LAWL... you're still rocking that old sig man? Good to see you stay loyal to my work.

On topic... freaking awesome way to pull out at the end.

With less innuendo, that's quite an interesting way for a game to finish.

[mfbmike]

Pacers Playing Hard, Or Just Dirty?



In 2 of the Pacers last 3 games, a player from the opposing team has left the game after sustaining a serious injury.

Earlier in the week, D.J. Augustin ripped Jarrett Jack and looked like he would take it coast to coast for a layup. Jack sprinted up behind him to attempt to block the shot and ended up sending him not only to the ground hard, but back to the locker room. Tests would later reveal Augustin had suffered a strained achilles tendon which will keep him out of action for close to a month.

Just lastnight, with the Pacers putting the finishing touches on a win after a Bucks collapse late in the 4th quarter Danny Granger and Richard Jefferson were both in hot pursuit of a loose ball. Granger gave a little nudge to Jefferson as the ball soared out of bounds and Jefferson flew into the stands and would end up having to leave the game as well with a serious injury.

The question has to be asked; Are the Pacers playing hard out there, or just plain dirty?

"No easy baskets," explained Jarrett Jack when asked about his foul on Augustin.

"I separated a shoulder earlier this season flying into the stands much like Richard did lastnight," joked Danny Granger. "I wasn't about to let it happen to me again."

"The guys are starting to realize we are already halfway through the season and if we want to make the playoffs this year, we are going to have to play hard out there," Pacers Head Coach Jim O' Brien told reporters.

"Our guys aren't taking cheap shots or looking to hurt anyone else. Just playing hard and putting forth the effort to help this team win."

[mfbmike]

Hey, if having to injure other players is a way to get wins, I'm all for it. :D