Pooh
05-17-2004, 09:44 PM
By John Clayton
Indianapolis, May 17, 2004
Jamaal Tinsley found Jermaine O’Neal for a breakaway dunk as Indiana pulled away from the Miami Heat in Game 5. The whistle blew: and-one.
Tinsley turned, pumping his fist Tiger Woods-style, and shouted something drowned out by the roar of the Conseco Fieldhouse crowd. And all the adjectives previously used to describe his game – words such as inconsistent, detached and enigmatic - had to be re-examined. Again.
“Some guys on the team don’t really show emotion and we’d just come off two losses, so I wanted to come out there and be aggressive,” said Tinsley. “I wanted to get pumped up and when stuff happened, say, let’s get into it.”
Tinsley has gotten into the playoffs unlike anything else he has gotten into in his three-year career. His marked improvement during the regular season when he went from forgotten man to earn back his starting job was only a precursor of playoff performances which have included a career playoff high 19 points in Game 1 against Miami, a .483 shooting percentage and a 3.8:1 assist to turnover ratio.
But those are only examples of measurable contributions from Tinsley. While Miami rookie Dwyane Wade has rightfully received accolades for his playoff performances, Tinsley has taken another necessary step toward becoming a complete point guard, running his team with precision, confidence and, now, demonstrative passion. His performance is in no small way for the team being one victory away from a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals. The Pacers, who lead the second-round series 3-2, can take that step in Game 6 in Miami on Tuesday night.
“He’s played very well and he’s continued to get better with each passing game,” said Coach Rick Carlisle. “He’ll have some stretches where there’ll be some mistakes or whatever, but, generally, he makes adjustments and continues to play well. It’s an example of a young player reaching a different level of maturity and a better understanding of the game. It’s also the result of a lot of hard work that he’s put in, not only over the last several months but over the last year or so.”
In Game 5, Tinsley matched Wade’s aggressive play if not his point production. Tinsley’s penetration into the heart of the Miami defense and ability to find the open man was one reason behind Jeff Foster’s career-high 20-point performance. Tinsley kept pushing the ball and kept pressure on the Heat’s wilting defense. Foster, who was 9 of 10 from the field, and Jermaine O’Neal kept scoring.
“It’s not all about me. I understand that,” Tinsley said. “My job is to go out there and run the team and try to get a good shot every time down the court and stop my man from doing what he wants to do.”
Now defenses also have to pay attention to Tinsley, who has become a legitimate 3-point threat (.438 from the arc this postseason). He hit 5 of 6 of his 3-point attempts in Game 1 against Miami, serving notice that he would have to be defended, something that wasn’t always the case.
“Playing against Jamaal, you really didn’t consider him a threat too much,” said Anthony Johnson, Tinsley's backup and former counterpart while with the New Jersey Nets. “You just wanted to keep him out of the paint and you pretty much had him under control if you did that. But this year, he’s really stepped up his game and he’s making shots and being aggressive. In the playoffs, he’s really taken it up a notch by getting us into the flow and getting us easy buckets.”
This more aggressive, expressive Tinsley is found on the court and beyond. Tinsley, who often fled the post-game locker room to avoid the media, even after good games, in the regular season, has been engaging and thoughtful to the growing throng of media during the playoffs. That same media is searching its lexicon for new adjectives for Tinsley. Aggressive, confident and the oft-repeated mature seem to be the recurring themes.
“Everyone on this team has grown up a little bit. Everyone has matured,” said Johnson. “Confidence on the court has translated into confidence in the locker room. This team has opened up and has been easygoing because we believe we have the talent to get it done.
"I think it’s a tribute to Jamaal maturing a little bit and realizing that you get out of it what you put into it. He’s really put a lot of work into his game and it’s showing on the court. . . . You can be cold and things really won’t work out for you. I think the more you open up, the more you show what type of person you are and the confidence that you have, the easier things will be for you. I think he’s learning that a little bit.”
Indianapolis, May 17, 2004
Jamaal Tinsley found Jermaine O’Neal for a breakaway dunk as Indiana pulled away from the Miami Heat in Game 5. The whistle blew: and-one.
Tinsley turned, pumping his fist Tiger Woods-style, and shouted something drowned out by the roar of the Conseco Fieldhouse crowd. And all the adjectives previously used to describe his game – words such as inconsistent, detached and enigmatic - had to be re-examined. Again.
“Some guys on the team don’t really show emotion and we’d just come off two losses, so I wanted to come out there and be aggressive,” said Tinsley. “I wanted to get pumped up and when stuff happened, say, let’s get into it.”
Tinsley has gotten into the playoffs unlike anything else he has gotten into in his three-year career. His marked improvement during the regular season when he went from forgotten man to earn back his starting job was only a precursor of playoff performances which have included a career playoff high 19 points in Game 1 against Miami, a .483 shooting percentage and a 3.8:1 assist to turnover ratio.
But those are only examples of measurable contributions from Tinsley. While Miami rookie Dwyane Wade has rightfully received accolades for his playoff performances, Tinsley has taken another necessary step toward becoming a complete point guard, running his team with precision, confidence and, now, demonstrative passion. His performance is in no small way for the team being one victory away from a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals. The Pacers, who lead the second-round series 3-2, can take that step in Game 6 in Miami on Tuesday night.
“He’s played very well and he’s continued to get better with each passing game,” said Coach Rick Carlisle. “He’ll have some stretches where there’ll be some mistakes or whatever, but, generally, he makes adjustments and continues to play well. It’s an example of a young player reaching a different level of maturity and a better understanding of the game. It’s also the result of a lot of hard work that he’s put in, not only over the last several months but over the last year or so.”
In Game 5, Tinsley matched Wade’s aggressive play if not his point production. Tinsley’s penetration into the heart of the Miami defense and ability to find the open man was one reason behind Jeff Foster’s career-high 20-point performance. Tinsley kept pushing the ball and kept pressure on the Heat’s wilting defense. Foster, who was 9 of 10 from the field, and Jermaine O’Neal kept scoring.
“It’s not all about me. I understand that,” Tinsley said. “My job is to go out there and run the team and try to get a good shot every time down the court and stop my man from doing what he wants to do.”
Now defenses also have to pay attention to Tinsley, who has become a legitimate 3-point threat (.438 from the arc this postseason). He hit 5 of 6 of his 3-point attempts in Game 1 against Miami, serving notice that he would have to be defended, something that wasn’t always the case.
“Playing against Jamaal, you really didn’t consider him a threat too much,” said Anthony Johnson, Tinsley's backup and former counterpart while with the New Jersey Nets. “You just wanted to keep him out of the paint and you pretty much had him under control if you did that. But this year, he’s really stepped up his game and he’s making shots and being aggressive. In the playoffs, he’s really taken it up a notch by getting us into the flow and getting us easy buckets.”
This more aggressive, expressive Tinsley is found on the court and beyond. Tinsley, who often fled the post-game locker room to avoid the media, even after good games, in the regular season, has been engaging and thoughtful to the growing throng of media during the playoffs. That same media is searching its lexicon for new adjectives for Tinsley. Aggressive, confident and the oft-repeated mature seem to be the recurring themes.
“Everyone on this team has grown up a little bit. Everyone has matured,” said Johnson. “Confidence on the court has translated into confidence in the locker room. This team has opened up and has been easygoing because we believe we have the talent to get it done.
"I think it’s a tribute to Jamaal maturing a little bit and realizing that you get out of it what you put into it. He’s really put a lot of work into his game and it’s showing on the court. . . . You can be cold and things really won’t work out for you. I think the more you open up, the more you show what type of person you are and the confidence that you have, the easier things will be for you. I think he’s learning that a little bit.”