The Indiana Pacers won big over the Miami Heat tonight in front of a nearly sold out Banker Life Fieldhouse. This win was something special as the Pacers came out and took the early lead. The Heat never seemed to be out of the game but the Pacers were sure to control the tempo all night. Big plays like Roy Hibbert blocking various shots, Darren Collison slamming down a dunk and Captain Barbosa hitting three, three pointers off the bench gave the crowd something to cheer about tonight.
It was the first time this year that Granger had a big night against the Heat - averaging just 9.3 points in the first three meetings; Granger lead the Pacers in scoring with 25. This Indiana team also won the game because they played solid defense holding the Heat to 90 points. The first two games in which the Heat destroyed the Pacers we gave up well over a 100 points in each of those games. The previous two games the Pacers only gave up 85 and 90 points, respectively - winning one game and falling by only two points in the other game.
This Pacers team is starting to come together behind the great play of Danny Granger and Roy Hibbert. Darren Collison has finally found his stride scoring 20 points tonight. David West continues to be a strong team leader and the bench is lead by the Captain Barbosa and George Hill. Paul George showed constraint and maturity tonight when he pulled back from a potential dunk with less then 30 seconds left in the game.
Overall tonight was a huge win for the Pacers as a team and their fan base winning 105 to 90 after 48 minutes of regulation. Despite having issues with some of the elite teams this year the Pacers have had their fair share of success and look to be gelling at the right time.
P.S. Was that not the most amazing shot by Paul George at the end of the 2nd quarter? BOOM BABY!
Keys to tonight's win:
1) Defense
2) Good, selfless ball movement
3) Danny Granger being a team leader
Indy Minute Player of the Game:
Darren Collison - The realitively little guy throw down a dunk and had 20 points, enough said.
Back of the Napkin Stats
All of the Pacers starts had double digit scoring nights
Both Paul George and David West had a double double
Barbosa lead the bench with 14 points and 3 for 7 from behind the arch
Showing posts with label Playoffs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Playoffs. Show all posts
Monday, March 26, 2012
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Pacers bench puts on a show
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
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
Sunday, March 4, 2012
A true team...
Despite having the worst record in the Western Conference the New Orleans Hornets entered Saturday night's game against the Indiana Pacers winning 5 out of their last 9 games. The Pacers on the other hand have the 5th best record in the NBA and were looking to extend their 5 game winning streak - which they did in fashion.
After running a 10K in the morning it was a pleasure to watch the visiting Pacers pull away from the Hornets after a close first quarter. Ex-Pacers Solomon Jones and Jarret Jack did their best to keep the game close but the team play of the Pacers proved to be too much. In the first half the Pacers moved the ball having six assists on ten baskets. The Hornets played extermely physical basketball but the Pacers kept moving the ball and driving to the basket opening up a 54 to 37 lead at the half.
The night was highlighted by slam dunks and clutch shoots. A pass from A.J. to Lou and from Jones to Hill lead to some electric dunks that silenced the crowd. The crowd was really taken out of the game when the Pacers missed a foul shoot at the end of the first half and Darren Collision put up an unbelievable shoot...adding to the lead.
The Pacers didn't let up in the second half and continued to pull away from the Hornets. At times the Pacers looked complacent with their large leads but whenever the lead dipped below 20 Frank Vogel didn't hesitate to take a timeout. It would pay off as the Pacers second and third units continued to shut down the Hornets and knock down shoots. In the end this game was an awesome 102 - 84 victory for the Pacers but there are many more story lines; many more important story lines.
First A.J. Price used the time that George Hill was injured to his advantage. Sources say that A.J. worked hard in practice and it showed in the games. When Hill went down Price got more playing time. His ability to find the open player and knock down three pointers moved him up in the depth chart ahead of the young Lance Stephenson. Secondly Lou Amundson went for a double-double...that is right #17 big Lou! For many this may not seem like a big deal but to see Lou go for a double-double just shows that this Pacer team is deep and a true team, not a bunch of selfish stars.
Lastly and most importantly this was the Pacers sixth straight win. The next nine games will be a true test for the Pacers as they take on teams like the the Heat, Bulls, Magic and Knicks. The difference between the Pacers and the other league leaders is that we have a team, not a bunch of stars. When I say the Heat you think Lebron or Wade. When I say the Bulls you think Rose and the Magic you think..."Where is Howard going to end up?"
When the Indiana Pacers are brought up everyone is curious who will have a big night. In two weeks we will have a much better sense of how far this Pacer team can make it this year in the playoff as they take on those stars. I will take this team over all the stars in the world and I think the Pacers will show the world why - it is fun to watch a true basketball team! PACERSNATION!
After running a 10K in the morning it was a pleasure to watch the visiting Pacers pull away from the Hornets after a close first quarter. Ex-Pacers Solomon Jones and Jarret Jack did their best to keep the game close but the team play of the Pacers proved to be too much. In the first half the Pacers moved the ball having six assists on ten baskets. The Hornets played extermely physical basketball but the Pacers kept moving the ball and driving to the basket opening up a 54 to 37 lead at the half.
The night was highlighted by slam dunks and clutch shoots. A pass from A.J. to Lou and from Jones to Hill lead to some electric dunks that silenced the crowd. The crowd was really taken out of the game when the Pacers missed a foul shoot at the end of the first half and Darren Collision put up an unbelievable shoot...adding to the lead.
The Pacers didn't let up in the second half and continued to pull away from the Hornets. At times the Pacers looked complacent with their large leads but whenever the lead dipped below 20 Frank Vogel didn't hesitate to take a timeout. It would pay off as the Pacers second and third units continued to shut down the Hornets and knock down shoots. In the end this game was an awesome 102 - 84 victory for the Pacers but there are many more story lines; many more important story lines.
First A.J. Price used the time that George Hill was injured to his advantage. Sources say that A.J. worked hard in practice and it showed in the games. When Hill went down Price got more playing time. His ability to find the open player and knock down three pointers moved him up in the depth chart ahead of the young Lance Stephenson. Secondly Lou Amundson went for a double-double...that is right #17 big Lou! For many this may not seem like a big deal but to see Lou go for a double-double just shows that this Pacer team is deep and a true team, not a bunch of selfish stars.
Lastly and most importantly this was the Pacers sixth straight win. The next nine games will be a true test for the Pacers as they take on teams like the the Heat, Bulls, Magic and Knicks. The difference between the Pacers and the other league leaders is that we have a team, not a bunch of stars. When I say the Heat you think Lebron or Wade. When I say the Bulls you think Rose and the Magic you think..."Where is Howard going to end up?"
When the Indiana Pacers are brought up everyone is curious who will have a big night. In two weeks we will have a much better sense of how far this Pacer team can make it this year in the playoff as they take on those stars. I will take this team over all the stars in the world and I think the Pacers will show the world why - it is fun to watch a true basketball team! PACERSNATION!
Friday, March 2, 2012
The Skinny on the Ice
Don’t look now by the Indiana Ice are 26-12-6 on the season
heading into the month of March. Behind
the strong goaltending of Jon Gillies and consistently good shooting by
forwards Danill Tarasov and Sean Kuraly the Ice find themselves in the middle
of a playoff race with just over a month of hockey left in the regular season.
Right now the Ice find themselves in the middle of a playoff
race with Dubuque and Youngstown for the second seed in the Eastern Conference
of the USHL. These three teams are
battling it out for the number 2, 3 and 4 seeds in the playoffs this season. Tonight the Ice took another step in the
right direction with a win over the Chicago Steel in the windy city improving
the 27-12-6. To keep the pressure on the
Ice need to come away with another road victory tomorrow night against Green
Bay.
I look forward to heading to the Pepsi Coliseum next weekend
as the Ice welcome Green Bay into town.
Don Pablo’s dinner night should be full of energy and hopefully the Ice can
continue to secure their spot in the playoffs – possibly being a number two
seed going into the playoffs.
Find out about the Indiana Ice and get your tickets at www.indianaice.com
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