Pacers own Heat

[romsey31]

It was a bad night all around for the Heat, who missed 15 free throws and committed 17 turnovers while losing to Indiana for the 13th time in 14 regular-season meetings. Jermaine O'Neal had 27 points and Ron Artest scored 22 for Indiana, which won on the road for the second straight night.

Nuff said.

Cant wait to play real teams like Pistons and Spurs. I mean, what kind of vet player steps out of bounds with a chance to tie a game? Kinda makes you wonder.

[TwoHandJam]

Antoine Walker = diminishing returns. Any team featuring him as a starter is pretty much doomed to failure. How this guy gets nominated as an all-star when he's one of the most inefficient forwards in the game is a mystery to me.

[T Park]

any team with Jason Williams as its starting point guard is gauranteed to be shit before the season starts.

[THE X-FACTOR]

After watching the Pistons, Spurs, Heat, and Pacers play so far I would rank the teams:

1 A. Pacers (can go a true 9 deep right now, 10 when Foster returns)
1 B. Spurs (10 deep as well, Finley looks good)
1 C. Pistons (better offense, still great defense, solid 8 deep, Delfino (outside shooting/defense?) and Milicic (post defense and rebounding) need some seasoning, might have to depend on the veterans Dale Davis and Lindsey Hunter come the playoffs. Can beat the Pacers and Spurs but not as deep yet. Will have to wait until the All-Star break to see if they are tied with the first two team or #3.

4. Heat (8 deep, will be better if they sign Spree, O'Neal getting hurt does not help team)

5. Houston, Dallas, Cleveland are all good teams but not as good as the top four.

8. New Jersey, Phoenix (w/o Amare Stoudemire), Milwaukee, and Denver (w/o Nene) are the dark horses.

[MiNuS]

X-factor,
aside from the Spurs I have to say the Pistons are the best team I have seen so far.
Defensively they're a monster but offensively they might be more flexible.It remains to be seen but IMO Detroit is still the measuring stick in the East.
The East is definitely better now than the West and not necessarily because of Shaq.They just have more teams playing defense.3 to 2.

[coopdogg3]

I know all that matters is getting a W, but Miami did not play well, Shaq got hurt, and Miami almost tied this thing. Wade's 3 was in-and-out, so I wouldn't get too confident for Indiana just yet. Miami's team may need some time to gel, that and Shaq's injury may hurt Miami's regular season win total, but this can still be a dangerous team in the play-offs. I think Detroit is the team to beat in the East right now.

[T Park]

Miami almost tied this thing

They had it tied at 93.

BTW, how the hell did Indiana pass up the Spurs on the ranking?

[nkdlunch]

Heat are a joke. Heat fans are already asking to trade JWill :lol

and they think Artest injured Shaq on purpose :lol

[Notorious H.O.P.]

They had it tied at 93.

BTW, how the hell did Indiana pass up the Spurs on the ranking?

They didn't. That's why they are all listed as 1x. A little bit of a cop out instead of making the more difficult decision to rank them individually but I understand the reasoning in terms of they are the top teams and it will take a significant amount of games to determine proper rankings for them.

[romsey31]

I know all that matters is getting a W, but Miami did not play well, Shaq got hurt, and Miami almost tied this thing. Wade's 3 was in-and-out, so I wouldn't get too confident for Indiana just yet. Miami's team may need some time to gel, that and Shaq's injury may hurt Miami's regular season win total, but this can still be a dangerous team in the play-offs. I think Detroit is the team to beat in the East right now.


First of all, Give Pacers D some credit.....
Shaq played three quarters, and they were still down 16.
You have no point.

[dknights411]

Who gets the boot first? JWill? Walker? or Stan?

[samikeyp]

Good assessment X...I think 1 and 2 should be reversed but that's me.

[coopdogg3]

First of all, Give Pacers D some credit.....
Shaq played three quarters, and they were still down 16.
You have no point.

So the Heat came from behind without Shaq on your great D to go from 16 down to 3 down, and there is no point?? You're kidding right?? Miami scored 103 points on your D. Pacers shot 50% from 3-point line, the Heat shot 19% from the 3-point line. If Pacers shoot 40% and Heat shoot 25%, then the Pacers loose. You can't count on Heat being that cold, just like you can't count on Pacers being that hot from down-town.

Great game. Pacers win. Good job. But this hardly makes the Pacers a favorite in the East. I think Detroit is placing better ball. I think Miami will improve. Should be a great dog-fight.

[fdmf]

The Spurs are the best team hands down..but I think the Pistons are second...Indy is THIRD...

Hard for me to say this but the team with Rasheed Wallace is nowhere NEAR as volatile as the Pacers. The Pacers have great potential when they pass well but you don't always know what you're gonna get from them. Even if you take Ron Artest (who may have hit a long three at the end of clock last night...but is NOT a real good outside shooter yet) out of the equation you still have guys like Tinsley, Jackson, Harrison, and even O'neal, to an extent, who WILL blow up (not in a brawl sense) and lose it when they don't get the call and it will lead to a tech, a stupid foul and an early benching due to foul trouble. Even the new guy Jasikevicius is an emotional player...and he won't get the calls he expects.

The only one who plays better when angry is Artest...the others speed up and mess up. And too many of them are up and down in their play (Croshere for instance has a lot of talent...but)

With the Pistons you know what to expect....not only good defense but better offensively than in the past...they also are pretty level headed and interchangeable...and this year they have something to prove. But...still...probably not enough offense to beat the Spurs. (I DON'T believe defense wins championships...I think it puts you in position to win...or to crush the opponent mentally...getting stops is VERY important but in the end you have to make the shot.)

[strangeweather]

#1: I'm not sure the Spurs are better than everyone else at this point in the season, but defending champs that return their core get the benefit of the doubt, whether they're the Spurs, Pistons, or Lakers. This year, it's us.

#2: I don't know how much better a team Detroit is going to be in the playoffs, but it wouldn't surprise me if they won quite a few more regular season games this year than last year. They're the kind of team that gets more focused after losing instead of turning on each other (see: Lakers), and I think Flip's new offensive moves are going to make it easier for them to win on nights when they don't bring their A game.

#3: I like Indiana, but I don't think they're at Detroit's level yet.

#4: Miami has a ton of talent, but they're a mess on wheels. I think we'll see a lot of JWill 1-8, Walker 5-15 shooting nights like last night.

#5+: TBD, but Houston, Phoenix, Milwaukee, and Cleveland look pretty good.

[Sportcamper]

So we got this straight right Ron...? Jumping into the stands & beating up the fans IS A BAD THING...I don’t want any confusion about this...

http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20051104/capt.aaa11011040504.pacers_heat_aaa110.jpg

[TwoHandJam]

So we got this straight right Ron...? Jumping into the stands & beating up the fans IS A BAD THING...I don’t want any confusion about this...

http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20051104/capt.aaa11011040504.pacers_heat_aaa110.jpg
:lol

[Useruser666]

Yeah, Indy beat Miami by 3 on a missed buzzer beater. They REALLY own them.

[NuGGeTs-FaN]

Yeah, Indy beat Miami by 3 on a missed buzzer beater. They REALLY own them.


exactly, its 1 freaking game and already pacer fans are saying they OWN the heat.....

i know all Spurs fans want the heat to fail but they are in the same boat as you, they need time to work new guys into rotations, plays etc......

The Spurs are yet to hit top gear and so are the heat, Pacers fans i wouldnt go rejoicing yet, its a long season and anything can happen (ie, Shaq, Nene, etc etc etc)

Im not going for the heat in the east either, im hoping for a Bucks suprise with my fellow countryman taking out ROY while they are at it.

[nkdlunch]

Come on. Indiana was getting bored that's why they let the Heat come back. Seem familiar??? Spurs do that all the time in regular season.

[sprrs]

I know all that matters is getting a W, but Miami did not play well, Shaq got hurt, and Miami almost tied this thing. Wade's 3 was in-and-out, so I wouldn't get too confident for Indiana just yet. Miami's team may need some time to gel, that and Shaq's injury may hurt Miami's regular season win total, but this can still be a dangerous team in the play-offs. I think Detroit is the team to beat in the East right now.


After the '04 Laker team assembled their roster I believe it was Robert Horry who said that at the beginning of the season the teams with the most talent wins the most games, and as chemistry begins to develop ( or dimish) as the season moves along you have a better read on where the teams should be ranked.That holds true for the Heat this year, as well as the Spurs.

Of course I see the Spurs faring WAY better than the heat in the chemistry department, but the point is that time and chemistry can change everything

[romsey31]

So the Heat came from behind without Shaq on your great D to go from 16 down to 3 down, and there is no point?? You're kidding right?? Miami scored 103 points on your D. Pacers shot 50% from 3-point line, the Heat shot 19% from the 3-point line. If Pacers shoot 40% and Heat shoot 25%, then the Pacers loose. You can't count on Heat being that cold, just like you can't count on Pacers being that hot from down-town.

Great game. Pacers win. Good job. But this hardly makes the Pacers a favorite in the East. I think Detroit is placing better ball. I think Miami will improve. Should be a great dog-fight.


If Shaq could've shot freethrows Miami wouldve beaten Detroit. If Miller dunked the ball he wouldve sent the Pacers , Pistons game into OT. If Horry missed the three Detroit couldve won the Finals...if,if,if,if,if....Dude, the Heat werent cold, they just dont have any 3 point shooters. So once again your point is not valid.

[romsey31]

Yeah, Indy beat Miami by 3 on a missed buzzer beater. They REALLY own them.


Um...do I have to break down everything for you guys? They beat them 13 out of 14 times....and besides, they were up double digits most of the game, you guys should know a win is a win, almost doesnt count. Ask Horry.

[Useruser666]

Um...do I have to break down everything for you guys? They beat them 13 out of 14 times....and besides, they were up double digits most of the game, you guys should know a win is a win, almost doesnt count. Ask Horry.

You own the Heat? You mean you barely beat a team with a bunch of new players and their star out for part of the game. The Pacers would have lost if the Heat could hit half their free throws. Last year means nothing.

[romsey31]

You own the Heat? You mean you barely beat a team with a bunch of new players and their star out for part of the game. The Pacers would have lost if the Heat could hit half their free throws. Last year means nothing.

Yea and the Pistons wouldve won if Horry didnt hit the three.....so whats your freaking point?

[Useruser666]

Yea and the Pistons wouldve won if Horry didnt hit the three.....so whats your freaking point?

First, Horry's 3 was not for the win in the series. I never said the Spurs own the Pistons and they actually played in the finals. So you made my point. Blabbing that your team owns another by barely beating it in the first game of the season is laughable. Blabbing on another teams message board is a joke.

[boutons]

"Horry's 3 was not for the win in the series"

Yes, it was, "essentially".

Without BSR's heroic 3G, Spurs lose Game5, they would have came home 2-3 and be forced to win both elimination G6 and G7 vs the Pistons, who would have needed only one W @SBC. The fact that the Spurs couldn't win elimination Game6 shows they weren't invincible @SBC in the playoffs, esp vs Pistons.

[Marklar MM]

^What he said.

[ca®lo]

cant wait to see spree join the heat.

that will be the day.

jwill, antoine, and spree.... yikes.

[romsey31]

First, Horry's 3 was not for the win in the series. I never said the Spurs own the Pistons and they actually played in the finals. So you made my point. Blabbing that your team owns another by barely beating it in the first game of the season is laughable. Blabbing on another teams message board is a joke.


Your bball IQ is probably 0. You said if the Heat had hit their free throws they wouldve won, I'm saying if Horry didnt hit the three Spurs wouldve lost. There's no "ifs" in bball, its either you do or you dont.