Pacers Courtside

The Indiana Pacers are playing it smart once again. Subtle hints about who they are interested in, but Larry Bird is keeping a lot of the behind the scenes talk secret . . . and for good reason. It’s hard to imagine that this years draft will be as exciting as the 2008 NBA Draft, but Larry did mention that he would like four or five new players.

Another team looking for some creative draft moves are the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls have been talking to the Pacers, Nets and Bobcats about trading their No. 16 and No. 26 picks for a higher draft pick.

13th vs 16th (and the 26th pick)? . . . I say we take the deal, but hopefully Larry Bird will somehow come up with something even better.

There is a great article from the Indianapolis Star about the early years of the Indiana Pacers. Here’s the intro and a link to the rest:

In the 1960s and early 1970s, the Pacers were the dominant team in the old American Basketball Association. The Pacers won three ABA national championships and reached the title round in five of the nine seasons the league existed.

When the ABA folded in 1976, the Pacers made a difficult transition to the National Basketball Association. Surviving insolvency only through a telethon the Pacers rebuilt, adapted and emerged in the 1990s as a championship-contending team.

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It was looking a little scary as Miami was quickly up by six, but T.J. stepped up and finally got the lead in the Pacers favor - 13 to 11. The Heat are playing a very up-tempo game and can do anything inside. Dwayne Wade is explosive and incredible inside the basket, and rookie Beasley has seen a lot of action already. If we don’t start blocking out on the inside we are completely screwed. At least Wade and Beasley both have a foul already with five minutes to go in the first. Brandon Rush already has five off the quarter and the Pacers are up 27 to 18 with two minutes - two-ah left. The Pacers are getting to the rim, but about half of the time ends up in second chance points or points for Miami. Indiana ends the first quarter with a double figure lead, up 31 to 20, hitting 13 of 22 at 59% and outscore the Heat 18 to 6 with points in the paint.

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The Pacers started the game against Orlando with pressure and Granger caused a turnover, followed by a surprisingly nice pass. Tempo is up and play is good on both sides, but Orlando is a good team. We were up by 8, but they kept hitting open long shots and stole the lead. The combination of Dwight Howard and Orlando hitting threes led to a struggle for the Pacers defensively. First quarter ended 34 to 28 with a nice shot and extra point from Foster with help from Jack. It was mentioned that Foster said this was as good a group that he’s been with in 10 years on the radio today.

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Your Indiana Pacers started the game against the Philadelphia 76ers on fire. They had a 9-0 lead and Granger ended up hitting 3 threes in the first quarter. But, Hibbert also got another quick three fouls. I’d rather have a quick three pointer from the big man, but Daniels is doing that tonight unbelievably. The excitement is high as the Pacers ended the first quarter up 38 to 13. Arguably the best first quarter by the Pacers this season. 

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Here is a good test for the Pacers: consistency. Can we beat the New Jersey Nets with a good defensive effort like we did a week ago? Time, and four quarters, will only tell. Rasho is back, but Murphy stayed home in Indy with the stomach flu. Brandon Rush starts the game for the Pacers with a nice three. We need him to step up with Murphy gone and Granger possibly hurt. The Pacers were up 11 - 4 with four minutes gone from the first quarter, but two consecutive turnovers gave the Nets some easy points.

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T.J. Ford, one time. OK, a bunch of times. Ford made the game tonight. Sure you can look at stats and all that mumbo jumbo, but when nobody was hitting shots, when no one was being aggressive, when no one was taking it inside . . . T.J. SuperFord came to the rescue.

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Tonight was one of those games when a single player can just not be stopped. Suns PF Amare Stoudemire went 17-for-21 from the field, made 15 free throws without a miss and had 11 rebounds, six assists and five steals.

He was simply unstoppable inside and wasn’t missing from outside either. Would a healthy Rasho have helped? Maybe some but Amare’s speed would have given Rasho the same fits that Roy Hibbert had trying to slow him down. The Pacers just don’t have anyone that matches up well with a dominant athletic power forward like that and tonight he was on fire.

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I’ve got to admit, I just hoped for a well played game and good fan turnout. The pregame concert and festivities were very well put together. Blues Traveler rocked and when the crowd began to fill up Conseco Fieldhouse, it was just icing on the cake. As the lights dimmed and the lighted towels started flying around all over the place the excitement rose to a new level. John Popper jammed out the National Anthem on his harmonica and the game was underway.

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I have never been so pleased with a Pacers loss.  Sure I would rather see them get a “W”, but this was an acceptable loss. The Pacers competed at a high level until the final buzzer against one of the top veteran teams in the league. The only weakness they showed in their season opener was turnovers, a whopping 21 of them. But turnovers are fixable and are not completely unexpected for a young team full of new faces trying to learn how to play with each other. Oh and did I mention they played without their starting shooting guard Mike Dunleavy who not only scores 19 points a game, but also seems to be the oil that keeps the gears of the team running smoothly. Read the rest of this entry »