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

[mfbmike]

What Really Made The Difference In The Pacers Win



In the Pacers longest game in franchise history, they managed to squeeze by the Bulls lastnight, 169-167.

The two teams combined for 337 points, just 43 points shy of the 370 points scored in a 1983 3 overtime matchup between the Pistons and Nuggets. The Pacers 169 points were just 17 points shy of those same Pistons.

While the Pacers managed to hold a 5 point lead over the Bulls heading into halftime, 57-52, the Bulls stormed back out of the half, holding the Pacers to 50 2nd half points and forcing the game into overtime.

The game would go back and forth over the course of 4 overtimes until Derrick Rose would get whistled for his 6th foul and be forced to watch the remainder of the game from the sidelines. Up to that point, Rose was pestering the Pacers offense (6 steals) and picking apart their offense (19 assists).

Despite Rose's ejection, Kirk Hinrich did what he needed to do to keep the Bulls in the game and eventually helping the Bulls knot up the score once again at 157 at the end of the 4th overtime.

But then it happened.

Drew Gooden's hustle got the best of him early in overtime number 5 and he plowed into the stands chasing after a loose ball. When Gooden emerged from the entanglement of chairs and fans, you could tell he was in pain. He was forced to leave the game for the locker room and tests revealed he had dislocated his left shoulder.

With two of the Bulls starters out, the Pacers still struggled to pull ahead.



But after a Danny Granger turnaround jumper over Luol Deng in the final minute of play, the Pacers had finally slayed the beast that was the Chicago Bulls at the Conseco Fieldhouse, 169-167.

Just looking at the numbers, anyone can see there wasn't a whole lot of defense going on. While any Bulls fan will blame the Bulls loss on Rose's ejection and Gooden's injury, the real reason the Pacers were able to emerge victorious thanks to an aerial assault from beyond the arch.

Wally Szczerbiak who has proved incredibly inconsistent so far this season for the Pacers, he lit up the Bulls weak perimeter defense, shooting a perfect 7-7 from beyond the arch. (Brandon Rush shot 5-5 from beyond the arch against the Bulls earlier this season.)

And then there is Danny Granger. 11-17 from beyond the arch and a staggering 62 points in 60 minutes of play. That was all but 13 minutes of the entire game.

Needless to say, had the Pacers lost this game lasnight, it would've been nothing short of heartbreaking because of the tremendous effort they displayed out there in front of the home crowd.

[packersfan4eva]

[CENTER][FONT="Tahoma"]The two teams combined for 337 points, just 43 points shy of the 370 points scored in a 1983 3 overtime matchup between the Pistons and Nuggets. The Pacers 169 points were just 17 points shy of those same Pistons.

lol, ONLY 43 points.

[mfbmike]

Pacers Show Little Signs Of Fatigue And Avenge Previous Loss To Knicks

Starting Lineups:
T.J. Ford PG Chris Duhon
Wally Szczerbiak SG Quentin Richardson
Danny Granger SF Al Harrington
Chris Wilcox PF David Lee
Chris Kaman C Eddy Curry

(29-29) 119 @ 113 (19-36)


Whether you're in the paint or on the perimeter, Sean Williams is looking to block your shot.

Top Performers:
Player Of The Game:

Danny Granger

Quote Of The Game:
"We gave some of our starting guys a little bit of rest tonight. Our reserves got more playing time and thankfully we didn't miss a beat. The Knicks already beat us once this season so we had to be careful but we got it done, and more importantly, finally have a winning record." - Pacers GM Larry Bird

Next Game:

[chazmaniandevil]

ROFL

[LC AAU]

Nice win over Knicks buddy.

[mfbmike]

Variables Hold The Keys To The Rest Of The Season



For the first time this season, the Pacers are above the .500 mark at 30-29. With how tightly contested the Eastern Confernce is right now, they have suddenly found themselves tied for the 6th seed in the Eastern Conference with Philadelphia and in front of the 28-28 Magic and 27-27 Wizards.

The Pacers have established they're playing a different brand of basketball from last season. They've established very good on-court chemistry reflected by ball movement and defensive rotations. They've established a consistently high level of energy. They've established no lead is safe (for or against).

With all of those constants, I'm still not sure just how good this team can be although I've seen nothing to make me doubt my preseason opinion they're playoff-capable. To get there, however, they'll need to address some of the variables that have arisen so far this season.

Don't protect leads. Build on them. You can adopt the defensive stance of protecting a lead in the last couple of minutes, maybe. You can't do it for the last couple of quarters. The Pacers aren't the only NBA team to fall prey to this mindset change; it's human nature. But because they lack the transcendent superstar to bail them out when the shot clock's dwindling they must rely on their system, which is to take the stance of the aggressor. Run all the time. Push the tempo all the time. Take the open shot all the time.

There cannot be one go-to guy. Danny Granger is the leading offensive threat but not the only one. He may be assuming too much responsibility in clutch situations because it seems like he's pressing to take every big shot, which means the ball stops moving and often the quality of those shots dwindle. The Pacers are at their best when everybody touches the ball, be it the first minute or the last.

Granger has to attempt more free throws than 3-pointers. As effective as Granger is beyond the arc, free-throw attempts are a major indicator of his confidence and aggression because they tend to reflect how often he attacks the rim. He cannot allow himself to become a one-dimensional scorer by spending a disproportionate amount of time on the perimeter.

Granger must regain his defensive edge. Yes, he's blocking a lot of shots. But don't confuse shot-blocking with playing tough, chin-to-chin defense. The standard is high here because he established a couple of years ago how good he can be defensively when his mind's right. If it seems like I'm obsessing about Granger it's only because he's in the midst of that evolution from good player to star and there are a lot of vital components to making that transition successful.

T.J. Ford must finish close games. He's one of the few players on the roster with the creativity to conceive and ability to execute when the Pacers desperately need a shot. There are times when it appears he's more concerned with making a mistake than confident he can make a play and that's a scenario in which a point guard cannot succeed. Coach Jim O'Brien wants his point guard to move the ball quickly and work his way back to it. Ford is used to playing much more with the ball in his hands than without. Somewhere, the two must meet.

Chris Kaman needs to continue stepping forward. If the past couple of games are any indication, Kaman is capable of contributing much, much more to the offense than we've seen. He's been the one guy on the team I consistently think, "You should've taken that shot," while watching him reverse the ball. Usually, you have to dial guys down, offensively, to get them to play within the team concept. Kaman needs to dial himself up because the team needs him.

[Primetime]

Haven't checked in for a while. Nice article.

[Flight24]

lol i just found out that jim o'brien is my friend's uncle. irrelevant, thought it was cool though haha.

nice work here, chise of the year?

[mfbmike]

Firings:


The Bulls currently sit at 21-34 and their hopes of getting to the playoffs this season are dead. Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf has decided to part ways with Head Coach Vinny Del Negro before he was able to even get a full season under his belt.

Injuries:


Drew Gooden suffered a separated shoulder in overtime #5 against the Pacers days ago and will be forced to miss 16 days.

Other News:

- P.J. Brown says this season will be his last
- Suns overtake Lakers to top Power Rankings
- True Shooting % Report: James Jones is #1
- Andre Miller: I won't be 100% for another 1-2 weeks
- Randolph's clutch performance helps Clippers to 102-101 win over Warriors
- Paul drops 51 points in Hornets loss to Kings

[mfbmike]

Reserves Come To Rescue In Grind Out Win Over Lowly Grizzlies

Starting Lineups:
T.J. Ford PG Mike Conley
Wally Szczerbiak SG O.J. Mayo
Danny Granger SF Rudy Gay
Chris Wilcox PF Hakim Warrick
Chris Kaman C Marc Gasol

(30-29) 120 vs 108 (21-35)


Dermarr Johnson drives by O.J. Mayo on his way to the rim. Johnson led the Pacers charge off the bench with 19 points.

Top Performers:
Player Of The Game:

Danny Granger

Quote Of The Game:
"Signs of fatigue started to show up in this game. Some of our guys looked really exhausted out there but thankfully are reserves were ready to come in and take care of business. We outscored them 51-28 in bench points tonight." - Pacers Head Coach Jim O' Brien

Next Game:

[mfbmike]

Injuries:


Baron Davis has fallen victim to a separated shoulder injury that will sideline him for 1-2 weeks. Thankfully, the Clippers have a capable backup in Jamaal Tinsley to shoulder the load until Diddy's return. No pun intended.

Other News:

- Manu scores 23 to lead Spurs past Blazers
- Knicks/Sixers rivalry heats up tonight
- Nash drops 18 dimes in 126-121 win against Lakers
- Rumor: Jefferson ready to talk contract extension with T'Wolves

[Primetime]

OJ Mayo's like, Oh Shit! Was I suppose to get that guy?

[mfbmike]

:: waits for LC to come in with DERMARR!!!!!!!! ::

Anyway, nice win, although it was a bit closer than it probably should have been.

Your right. But progressive fatigue in NBA2k9 had my starters getting tired out there. That 5 overtime game against the Bulls took a lot out of my guys and I was really trying to rest them as much as I could. The Grizzlies were playing against my bench for probably a little bit less than half of the game.

OJ Mayo's like, Oh Shit! Was I suppose to get that guy?

lol, speaking of Dermarr, I've finally figured out how to use him thanks to some advice from LC. He did a quick crossover and left Mayo in the dust right there.

[mfbmike]

Just played the Celtics game. Update coming.

[mfbmike]

Pacers Play Solid In Boston And Knock Off Defending Champs

Starting Lineups:
T.J. Ford PG Rajon Rondo
Wally Szczerbiak SG Ray Allen
Danny Granger SF Paul Pierce
Chris Wilcox PF Kevin Garnett
Chris Kaman C Kendrick Perkins

(31-29) 115 @ 108 (34-25)


There is brave and then there is foolish. Danny Granger gets ready to elevate for 1 of his 4 blocks on the night.

Top Performers:
Player Of The Game:

Danny Granger

Quote Of The Game:
"I honestly think we played the best basketball we have all season out there tonight. We played sound, fundamental ball; took care of the basketball, made the extra pass for good looks and forced the issue inside to get to the charity stripe. Danny and T.J. pestered their offense and shut their guys down." - Pacers Head Coach Jim O' Brien

Next Game: