I have to admit - I was feeling a little down about my Indiana Pacers after losing to the Knicks two nights in a row. I was flying high after a big win over the 76er's as I watched from section 226 but then Granger opened his mouth and the Knicks put up to shut us up. The Pacers looked bad in both losses and it looked like this young team was crumbing. The Feildhouse has not been full most of the season but it has been energetic and recently the seats have been filling up more consistently. It is always hard to fill up Banker's Life Feildhouse on a Tuesday night but tonight just under 15,000 fans showed up and they gave the Pacers some energy.
I was a little nervous after the Pacers blunder in front of a sold out crowd on Saturday but Captain Barbosa came off the bench to get the crowd, and the bench, rockin! The Pacers bench outscored the Clippers bench 36 to 6 in the first half. Hansbrough, Hill and Barbosa had huge nights behind Danny Granger who led the team with 25 points and 8 rebounds - making up for this past weekend.
There were a lot of highlights in the game from behind the back passes to George Hill three pointers...the Pacers played good defense and hard offense. It was pretty easy to see that this Pacers team had passion and pride in their team and the game tonight - a spark that was missing over the weekend. The aggressive play of the Pacers got under the Clippers skin and the Clippers just could not recover.
The night was summarized nicely when Barbosa was interviewed on FSIndiana and he commented on how he had not played in front of a crowd like this in sometime. It just shows that Pacer fans are starting to come out of the wood work. This Pacers team has had a lot of ups and downs this year and will continue to have times that they struggle. It is part of having a young but balanced team. Tonight was a big win and confidence boost for the Pacers and the solid crowd on a Tuesday night!
#PACERSNATION
Showing posts with label Basketball. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Basketball. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Sunday, March 11, 2012
A young team...still growing
It's odd - I don't mind losing to the Heat in overtime on a shoot that only one of the greats can make in the last seconds of a game. For some reason it doesn't bother me as much as losing to the Bulls or being blown out by this same Heat team.
Last night I able to watch one of the most entertaining games of the year. Of course I was saddened as Wade hit a last second shot in overtime to beat the Pacers. I was saddened but not angered - like I was when the Pacers allowed the Bulls to destroy them in the third quarter a few games back. This Pacers team did everything they could to win a tough game against the best team in the NBA; everything but close the game out.
I recognize the fact that the Pacers are not one of the top 3 teams in the NBA. Last night was proof the Pacers still have some building to do but it was also proof of something more significant for Pacer fans. This year the Pacers have beaten some of the top teams in the league including the Bulls, Mavericks, Celtics, Hawks and Magic. The Pacers have also struggled against teams like the Magic, Bulls (at times) and definitely the Heat.
The difference between the defeat last night and some of the other L's the Pacers have suffered this year is that they played their game. In Chicago the Pacers forced the Bulls to play their tempo, they forced Rose to pass the ball instead of score the ball and they led at halftime. Then the second half the Bulls controlled the ball, the tempo and the game - beating the Pacers in an ugly game. Until last night the Heat played their game and have destroyed the Pacers in previous match ups this year. Last night was a different story. Last night showed that the Pacers may not be a top 3 team yet - but they are closer then many think.
The Pacers passed the ball vertically and horizontally spreading the defense so the Pacers could drive to the net. This also opened up the three point shoots so the Pacers didn't have to force poor shoots. They were able to contain James and Bosh throughout most of the game - unfortunately leaving Wade to have his way with the defense. The Pacers led most of the game but just couldn't close it out. This may be disappointing to many but we have to remember this team is young. It needs time to continue developing and learning how to close out games. The fact that they forced the best team into overtime to fall on a last second shoot should be encouraging.
Finally - I have to give a shout out to Lou. Great game Lou; you played tough!
Last night I able to watch one of the most entertaining games of the year. Of course I was saddened as Wade hit a last second shot in overtime to beat the Pacers. I was saddened but not angered - like I was when the Pacers allowed the Bulls to destroy them in the third quarter a few games back. This Pacers team did everything they could to win a tough game against the best team in the NBA; everything but close the game out.
I recognize the fact that the Pacers are not one of the top 3 teams in the NBA. Last night was proof the Pacers still have some building to do but it was also proof of something more significant for Pacer fans. This year the Pacers have beaten some of the top teams in the league including the Bulls, Mavericks, Celtics, Hawks and Magic. The Pacers have also struggled against teams like the Magic, Bulls (at times) and definitely the Heat.
The difference between the defeat last night and some of the other L's the Pacers have suffered this year is that they played their game. In Chicago the Pacers forced the Bulls to play their tempo, they forced Rose to pass the ball instead of score the ball and they led at halftime. Then the second half the Bulls controlled the ball, the tempo and the game - beating the Pacers in an ugly game. Until last night the Heat played their game and have destroyed the Pacers in previous match ups this year. Last night was a different story. Last night showed that the Pacers may not be a top 3 team yet - but they are closer then many think.
The Pacers passed the ball vertically and horizontally spreading the defense so the Pacers could drive to the net. This also opened up the three point shoots so the Pacers didn't have to force poor shoots. They were able to contain James and Bosh throughout most of the game - unfortunately leaving Wade to have his way with the defense. The Pacers led most of the game but just couldn't close it out. This may be disappointing to many but we have to remember this team is young. It needs time to continue developing and learning how to close out games. The fact that they forced the best team into overtime to fall on a last second shoot should be encouraging.
Finally - I have to give a shout out to Lou. Great game Lou; you played tough!
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Pacers battle back...but fall to the Hawks
It was one of those tough afternoons at work as issue after issue continued to arise delaying my departure to grab dinner with my girlfriend of two years. To complicate the situation we were celebrating two years of being together with this dinner – and I was late. As any man who has been in a relationship for more than a few months knows – never be late to a special dinner or you will pay.
Tonight the Indiana Pacers had a night much like my afternoon. After losing a tough game in Chicago the Pacers had to play a tough Atlanta team at home. In the first half the defense looked like Swiss cheese and the Pacers fell behind to the Hawks by as many as 16. I had a pit in my stomach as I started to think about the Pacers team that went on a five game losing streak. Then all of a sudden the Pacers turned the game around.
Led by the scoring of David West and defensive efforts of Paul George, Roy Hibbert and Danny Granger the Pacers marched back into the game cutting the lead to 4 at halftime and took the lead late in the 3rd quarter. The Pacers continued to eliminate the Hawks lead and then the Hawks would hit some three pointers to pull away. In the end the Pacers weren’t able to overcome the deficit and win the game – falling to the Hawks 101 – 96. The Pacers did get the crowds blood pumping at the end because they stopped letting the Hawks control the game.
Tonight displayed that in order for the Pacers to continue being competitive and win games they must do the following:
I made sure to handle issues at work in a timely manner and the dinner turned out to be a success. Luckily I was able to turn my evening around because I have an amazing girlfriend. The Pacers weren’t so lucky but fans should feel good about this game because after a poor start the Pacers battled back. This young Pacers team has always done well when opening a big lead and battling in a close game but when they give up a big lead they let the opponents control the tempo. Tonight that Pacers regained control of the game and almost pulled out a win.
Tonight the Indiana Pacers had a night much like my afternoon. After losing a tough game in Chicago the Pacers had to play a tough Atlanta team at home. In the first half the defense looked like Swiss cheese and the Pacers fell behind to the Hawks by as many as 16. I had a pit in my stomach as I started to think about the Pacers team that went on a five game losing streak. Then all of a sudden the Pacers turned the game around.
Led by the scoring of David West and defensive efforts of Paul George, Roy Hibbert and Danny Granger the Pacers marched back into the game cutting the lead to 4 at halftime and took the lead late in the 3rd quarter. The Pacers continued to eliminate the Hawks lead and then the Hawks would hit some three pointers to pull away. In the end the Pacers weren’t able to overcome the deficit and win the game – falling to the Hawks 101 – 96. The Pacers did get the crowds blood pumping at the end because they stopped letting the Hawks control the game.
Tonight displayed that in order for the Pacers to continue being competitive and win games they must do the following:
1. Play strong man to man defense
2. Move the ball to keep the defense on their toes, finding the open man
3. Drive vertically and pass horizontally
Monday, March 5, 2012
Heartbreaker in the Windy City
In the middle of the third quarter the United Center started
to cheer..."Let's Go Bulls" and I had an awful flash back to last
season. My best buddy from college and I
were in the formerly named Conseco Fieldhouse cheering on the Pacers in a sea of red…hoping
to avoid playoff elimination. The 10,000
Bull fans that traveled down 65 to Indy packed the Fieldhouse and chanted back
and forth with Pacer fans all night. In the
end we had the last laugh (that night) as the Pacers went on to beat the
Bulls in game 4 of the playoff series – avoiding the sweep. Tonight the Pacers were not so lucky.
The night started out promising as George Hill and Paul George both started
the game strong and led the Pacers to a one point halftime lead. The Pacers held Rose to 1 of 9 shooting and 2
points in the first half using double teams and controlling the pace. My best friend and I spent much of the first
half taunting the bulls – yelling multiple insults at the Bulls players through
the T.V. and rooting on the blue and gold. We were both feeling pretty good as we
noticed that George Hill was trending on Twitter at halftime and we were excited to start the second half.
Then...the night fell apart, just like the Pacers. Deng of the Bulls lead the attack hitting two
big three pointers and then Rose took over – giving the Bulls a big 92 to 72
victory. The storyline tonight for the
Pacers was the strong play of the George’s.
Both Paul George and George Hill had strong games but it wasn’t enough
to overcome the Bulls. Roy Hibbert
struggled throughout the night and the Pacers lost control of the game in the
third period when the Bulls quickened the tempo.
In the end this is only one game and the Pacers have still
won 6 out of their last 7 games. The
Pacers also need to put this lost behind them fast because the upcoming games are
just as difficult. In the end the series
with the Bulls is tied at a game apiece.
The Pacers have the upper hand as the Bulls have to travel to Indy for
the last game of the season to determine the series winner. This year Pacer fans need to show up and keep
the Bulls fans out of Banker’s Life.
Shout out!
Naptown Sports Report specializes in articles about the four main sports and our teams in Indianapolis. This usually means articles about the Indiana Pacers, Indianapolis Colts, Indianapolis Indians and Indiana Ice. In some cases we do have special events in Indianapolis like the Super Bowl, Big Ten Basketball Tournament, Final Four, Indianapolis 500 and other large sporting events. In those cases I will do a special article called a “Shout Out” discussing one or more of those topics.
In this shout out I would like to recognize a couple of events in which Indiana should be proud.
High School Basketball
First a shout out to the Hamilton Southeastern Boys Basketball team for making it on ESPN and more importantly Sports Centers Top 10! Despite losing to Carmel in Sectional play the last second, buzzer beating, game winning shout against North Central put the Royals number on the Top 10 this morning!
Women’s College Basketball
Secondly I would like to give a shout out to the Purdue Women’s Basketball team as they defeated Nebraska for the Women’s Big Ten Basketball title. This past weekend Men's basketball stole the show as IU beat Purdue (congrats to the Hoosiers) but the Woman came up big and don’t get the recognition they deserve! The Woman Boilermakers are ranked 21st as they prepare for their tournament. Boiler up!
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