Laker Pacer game thread. 1st quarter LA 41 : Indiana 36

[Lakers_55]

A Shootout! After watching the grind out Cavs vs. Celtics game, this track meet is fun! Pacers may lose 1 point as a foul awarded 3 free throws was a 2 point shot. They are reviewing....

Both sides shooting over 70%

[Reck]

Pacers did beat LA earlier right?

Lakers better watch out.

[Lakers_55]

Pacers did beat LA earlier right?

Lakers better watch out.

Yeah, our bench turned the ball over 3 straight times in the 4th quarter, just passed the ball right to them and our double digit lead was down to 8. The starters came in and coughed up the rest of the lead, losing at the buzzer on a tip in. No big deal. Everyone loses games like that.

Lakers 54 Pacers 50. Lakers shooting 66%, Pacers 63%

[IronMexican]

Yup. It was a tip in buzzer beater. Broke my heart.

[SpursFanFirst]

every time I get excited about the pacers, they disappoint me.
the can't close games. i'm not expecting anything different tonight. :depressed

[Lakers_55]

Halftime, Lakers 68 Pacers 66. There is no defense being played, wide open looks for both sides all night. Lakers shooting 62.8%, Pacers 61.5%. Another game where the Lakers play to the level of their competition......Get us back on the road, please!

[j.dizzle]

niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice defense lakers haha i thought i was watching a sunday game for a second..if they actually tried playing defense they would be up 20 right now this shit is getting old

[SpursFanFirst]

You're acting like the Pacers aren't a decent team.
They are. But like I said, they unfortunately don't know how to close games. If they did, their record would be much more impressive.

[j.dizzle]

Halftime, Lakers 68 Pacers 66. There is no defense being played, wide open looks for both sides all night. Lakers shooting 62.8%, Pacers 61.5%. Another game where the Lakers play to the level of their competition......Get us back on the road, please!

i agree..i actually like when they're playing on the road way better but atleast they try at home vs the playoff teams..They're pissing me off the way they let average teams look like all stars at staples.kurt rambis needs to get fired his ass is not a defensive coach

[SpursFanFirst]

total crap call. you're welcome, lakers.

[SpursFanFirst]

:lmao Nothing like getting a little help from the refs to beat the Pacers!

[SAtown]

WTF was that shit by Foster?

[Lakers_55]

Whew, Lakers win by 2, Indiana lets the clock run out with a chance to win or tie. Shot was late and three feet short. I'll take the 1-1 split and say good riddance to the Pacers this year.

[it's me]

Refkers won!

[ploto]

JOB for some reason loves that small line-up with Jeff as the lone big, but last game, that line up blew the huge lead to the Suns and tonight it let the Lakers take the big lead late in third quarter. I do not know why he went back to it yet again at the end when the group with Rasho cut the 12 point lead to 4. You need a guy in there at the end who can at least make an offensive decision. Jeff plays hard and rebounds great, but he is not a guy who thinks offensiveley at all.

Yet another game lost by 2 for the Pacers. Wow what it would have meant to beat the Suns and Lakers consecutively on the road!

The worst part of the game is listening to the Lakers announcers complain that Kobe is not getting any calls when he shot 17 free throws.

[SpursFanFirst]

JOB for some reason loves that small line-up with Jeff as the lone big, but last game, that line up blew the huge lead to the Suns and tonight it let the Lakers take the big lead late in third quarter. I do not know why he went back to it yet again at the end when the group with Rasho cut the 12 point lead to 4. You need a guy in there at the end who can at least make an offensive decision. Jeff plays hard and rebounds great, but he is not a guy who thinks offensiveley at all.

Yet another game lost by 2 for the Pacers. Wow what it would have meant to beat the Suns and Lakers consecutively on the road!

The worst part of the game is listening to the Lakers announcers complain that Kobe is not getting any calls when he shot 17 free throws.

That's what I've been saying. The Pacers are a decent team, but they need to learn to close games. Bummer that they have a sucky record.

[ploto]

That's what I've been saying. The Pacers are a decent team, but they need to learn to close games. Bummer that they have a sucky record.

With a handful of breathtaking victories already and the season not yet halfway complete, these Pacers have earned something special. And since I don't have any particularly constructive skills other than thinking up stuff to type as fast as I can, this is the best I can do: let's come up with a nickname.

Their stunning 113-110 victory in Phoenix Wednesday marked the 11th game this season they've played decided by three points or less. They've won five of those, each on their final possession. (Guess now we can change that to the 12th game and they have won five of them)

So what to dub these thrillseekers?

Cardiac Kids is too easy, been done too many times. Seems like every team that wins a couple of close games starts calling itself that, or some form of it.

To me, this one's a natural: The Pacemakers.

Because if they keep this up, I'm going to need one.

If you've got something better, and odds are you do, please post it as a comment at the end of this blog. After a few days we'll put the nominations together and have some kind of vote or something. Sounds official, right?

Just in case you need your memory refreshed, what follows is a list that should explain why I'm making this particular fuss.

Nov. 26 at Houston: Pacers 91, Rockets 90

The Pacers wiped out a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit and beat the Rockets when Danny Granger tipped in his own miss with 13 seconds left. Troy Murphy had a big game from the 3-point line to help spark the comeback.

Trailing 90-89, Granger drove and his first shot bounced off the back rim but he tipped-in the game-winner. The Rockets took a timeout and worked the ball to Yao Ming, who missed in traffic. Ron Artest grabbed the rebound but couldn't get a quality shot in the scramble and his desperation fadeaway wasn't close.

Dec. 2 at Conseco Fieldhouse: Pacers 118, Lakers 117

Another tip-in, this time by Troy Murphy, completed another comeback and delivered a shocking victory over the Lakers. The Pacers thus became the first team in the NBA this season to beat both of the reigning NBA Finalists.

The Lakers brought a seven-game winning streak into the game and scored the final 17 points of the third quarter to take a 101-86 lead. But Granger and Murphy teamed up again and the defense held the Lakers to 16 points in the final period.

Kobe Bryant's long jumper gave the Lakers a 117-116 lead but missed a jumper on the Lakers' next possession that left the door open. The Pacers called a timeout and got the ball to Marquis Daniels, who got an open look on a baseline drive but missed the shot. It was tipped around before Murphy batted it toward the hoop. It hit both sides of the rim, rose into the air and dropped through.

Dec. 20 at Philadelphia: Pacers 95, Sixers 94

T.J. Ford was the hero this time, hitting a 15-footer with 3.9 seconds left to cap a 25-point game and give the Pacers another improbable one-point win.

Indiana played without Granger, Murphy and Daniels, who all were out with viral infections.

The Pacers rallied from an 88-83 deficit in the final three minutes with an 8-1 run, taking a 91-89 lead with 1:30 left on Jeff Foster's 3-point play. Andre Iguodala rebounded his own miss and after a turnover by Jarrett Jack, Lou Williams drove for a dunk that put the Sixers in front 94-93 with 17 seconds left.

After working the clock, Ford pulled up in the key for the game-winner.

The Sixers had the last shot but Iguodala missed a tough lefty drive as time expired.

Jan. 2 at New York: Pacers 105, Knicks 103

Jack atoned for his potentially costly turnover in Philly by hitting a long jumper with nine-tenths of a second remaining to beat the Knicks in Madison Square Garden. The shot capped a 29-point night by Jack, who scored the Pacers' final six points and eight of 10 as they wiped out a 98-93 deficit in the final three minutes.

The victory snapped a four-game losing streak and was particularly sweet for Jack, whose game-winner came over Knicks guard Chris Duhon, his cousin.

The Pacers looked to be in good shape when Jack drove to put them up 103-100 with 24 seconds left. But Murphy fouled a driving Wilson Chandler, who converted the tying three-point play with 12 seconds to go. After Jack's big shot, the Knicks called a timeout and worked an inbounds play to Nate Robinson, who missed a long, off-balance 3-pointer.

Jan. 7 at Phoenix: Pacers 113, Suns 110

With nine-tenths of a second remaining – the same amount of time the Knicks had the previous week – Pacers Coach Jim O'Brien set up an inbounds play that resulted in a defensive switch by Phoenix that left Granger open at the top of the arc, guarded by a much smaller defender, Steve Nash.

Granger's long try splashed just as the horn sounded and the Pacers had yet another heart-stopping victory. Granger scored 37 and became the first Pacers NBA player ever to score at least 35 in three consecutive games.

“Coach drew up a great play," Granger said. "We ran some people around and I ran away and I popped to the top and got a look. When I got that open look, I let it go. I’m always confident it’s going in the hole. We’re just trying to get as many wins as possible because we’re better than our record shows."

The Pacers led throughout until Phoenix took its only lead, 110-108, on Leandro Barbosa's 30-pointer with 45 seconds left. Granger tied it with a jumper with 34 seconds to go and the Suns missed two shots on their last possession, leaving the door cracked, if not completely open, for Granger to push through.

"My last game winning shot," Granger said, "I think was in college."

In fact, it was less than two months ago.

http://my.nba.com/thread.jspa?threadID=5800018355

[daslicer]

Lakerfans what happened in that minor scuffle towards the end of the game. I couldn't understand what was going on since I was watching the game on a foreign channell. It seemed stupid I think Dunleavy went up for a layup and then Fisher tried to get the charge but instead drew the foul. After that I saw Radmonavich get angry run up to Jarret Jack I think and then they got T's. What happened?

[ploto]

Lakerfans what happened in that minor scuffle towards the end of the game. I couldn't understand what was going on since I was watching the game on a foreign channell. It seemed stupid I think Dunleavy went up for a layup and then Fisher tried to get the charge but instead drew the foul. After that I saw Radmonavich get angry run up to Jarret Jack I think and then they got T's. What happened?

Vlade got the only T because of what he did to Foster to start it all.

[daslicer]

Vlade got the only T because of what he did to Foster to start it all.

Yeah I didn't understand why Vlad confronted Foster. It seemed to me foster threw the ball and I think it accidentally hit Dfish. Then I saw Vlad run go crazy at Foster. It was a funny sequence that guy Vlad is one brain dead retard.

[SmellyFeet]

Vlad almost cost us the game. Phil also contributed. Who the fuck picks vlad over bynum for a defensive purpose?
But clutch kobe bailed us out this time.

[SpursFanFirst]

Vlad almost cost us the game. Phil also contributed. Who the fuck picks vlad over bynum for a defensive purpose?
But clutch kobe bailed us out this time.

...and the refs. Don't forget the refs...

That call against Granger was complete crap.

[ClingingMars]

that's straight embarrassing, man. not the # of points, but the FG percentage given up? you ain't winning SHIT with that defense.

-Mars

[SmellyFeet]

...and the refs. Don't forget the refs...

That call against Granger was complete crap.

You mad?

[Def Rowe]

Yeah I didn't understand why Vlad confronted Foster. It seemed to me foster threw the ball and I think it accidentally hit Dfish. Then I saw Vlad run go crazy at Foster. It was a funny sequence that guy Vlad is one brain dead retard.

Foster tried to get low position on Vlade. He put his arm over Vlade's shoulder. Vlade forcefully pushed Fosters arm off of him. Vlade get's a tech. Stupid play by Vlade.

[SpursFanFirst]

You mad?

Yeah, just a tad...but not surprised.
I DO think it's funny though how the Lakers needed that call to win.

[Def Rowe]

Yeah, just a tad...but not surprised.
I DO think it's funny though how the Lakers needed that call to win.

Kobe was getting hacked a lot in the first half with no calls. Danny Granger got a 3 shot foul when it should have been a 2 shot foul. His foot was clearly on the line.

[Lakers_55]

...and the refs. Don't forget the refs...

That call against Granger was complete crap.

Did you watch it on Fox Sports West? The Laker announcers essentially explaned that Granger wrapped his arm around Kobe. That held him up. Holding is a foul. I know calls can go either way, or not be called, but there were many like this earlier. I am not saying it was the right or wrong call, but it was consistent with what was going on all game by the refs. Anyway, Kobe was hitting his shots at the end, so if it's a no call, I like our chances.

[SpursFanFirst]

Did you watch it on Fox Sports West? The Laker announcers essentially explaned that Granger wrapped his arm around Kobe. That held him up. Holding is a foul. I know calls can go either way, or not be called, but there were many like this earlier. I am not saying it was the right or wrong call, but it was consistent with what was going on all game by the refs. Anyway, Kobe was hitting his shots at the end, so if it's a no call, I like our chances.

No. I live in Indy, so I watched it on FSMW.

[Lakers_55]

No. I live in Indy, so I watched it on FSMW.

Different announces call things different ways. When Chick Hearn was alive and broadcasting Laker games, he called everything as he saw it. If the Lakers sucked, he called it just that. He was always fair. Stu Lantz does the color commentary. He was an NBA player in the 60's, and has been on the Laker job for at least 20+ years. He worked with Chick and learned also to call them fairly, and he does just that.

He noticed the aforementioned 2 point shot that got Indiana 3 free throws. He was going to run down to the Laker bench or call them to contest it, but the quarter ended before he could. So it stood as 3 free throws. Free point for Indiana. Oh well, that's the breaks. It worked out fairly in the end.

[SpursFanFirst]

Different announces call things different ways. When Chick Hearn was alive and broadcasting Laker games, he called everything as he saw it. If the Lakers sucked, he called it just that. He was always fair. Stu Lantz does the color commentary. He was an NBA player in the 60's, and has been on the Laker job for at least 20+ years. He worked with Chick and learned also to call them fairly, and he does just that.

He noticed the aforementioned 2 point shot that got Indiana 3 free throws. He was going to run down to the Laker bench or call them to contest it, but the quarter ended before he could. So it stood as 3 free throws. Free point for Indiana. Oh well, that's the breaks. It worked out fairly in the end.

Honestly, I never listen to the announcers. They annoy me.

[DazedAndConfused]

Another coaching gem from Phil.

Go ahead and bench Bynum who was 8-10 and the only real shot blocker around the rim for the Space Cadet Radmanovich who almost single handedly lost the game for the Lakers with his bone-headed plays (technical, giving up wide open 3 to Dunleavy, etc.).

[TheMACHINE]

Another coaching gem from Phil.

Go ahead and bench Bynum who was 8-10 and the only real shot blocker around the rim for the Space Cadet Radmanovich who almost single handedly lost the game for the Lakers with his bone-headed plays (technical, giving up wide open 3 to Dunleavy, etc.).

sasha was initially guarding Dunleavy in that posession

[Lakers_55]

Honestly, I never listen to the announcers. They annoy me.

Well, I'll take the local Laker announcers over the national network ones any time. If a game is on ABC for example, I'll shut the TV volume off and turn on the Laker radio broadcast. For me, I need the extra insight put on the game. When I grew up, I had to catch most of the Laker games on the radio, no home games were shown (No cable TV) and some of the road games aired on TV. I did find a partial fix to my dilemma when the Lakers played at home and the game was on national TV or aired in San Diego (Original Rocket franchise site). I simply climbed up on the roof and pointed the antenna rabbit ears towards San Diego and got a reasonable view of the game.

Back on the topic of the Granger foul, Stu Lantz was critical of both Granger and the Pacer coach OBrien for having him guard Kobe aggressively with 5 fouls. With a potential overtime looming, it was not a wise choice. He also had to be restrained by OBrien from yelling any more at the referees. A technical was avoided.

[Thunder Dan]

the Lakers won't win a title in 2009 unless they start playing defense. They are soft, and can't lock down teams. The Indiana Pacers come in and put up 119 on you? are you serious?

[2Cleva]

the Lakers won't win a title in 2009 unless they start playing defense. They are soft, and can't lock down teams. The Indiana Pacers come in and put up 119 on you? are you serious?

All about tempo. Highest scoring team in the league is going to give up more points because there are more possessions. Opponents FG% is a better barometer of D than points scored against.

LA can play D when they need to this year.

[Thunder Dan]

All about tempo. Highest scoring team in the league is going to give up more points because there are more possessions. Opponents FG% is a better barometer of D than points scored against.

LA can play D when they need to this year.

maybe they should abandon that tempo then, you can't let scrub teams hang around for 4 quarters every night- which seems to be the case with the Lakers

[DazedAndConfused]

The Lakers can play good defense when they want to.

Go watch the X-mas day game, they did a fine job on BOS.

The Lakers are without Walton, Farmar, and Odom. I don't care what happens as long as they win games right now, I'm not going to complain in January.