Pooh
05-11-2004, 06:05 AM
Link (http://www.indystar.com/articles/4/145441-5544-036.html)
By Mark Montieth
[email protected]
May 11, 2004
MIAMI -- That 11-game winning streak was becoming fool's gold, and a bit of an obstacle.
Maybe now the Indiana Pacers will realign their focus and intensity and get back to playing winning basketball, since flawed performances no longer do the job.
Miami's 94-87 victory at AmericanAirlines Arena Monday reminded them they're still vulnerable to teams that play harder and smarter.
Now, instead of basking in the luxury of a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven playoff series, which no team in NBA history has overcome, they're back to the real world with a 2-1 advantage that makes Wednesday's game their biggest of the season.
It also makes a fifth game at Conseco Fieldhouse a certainty. It will be played Saturday -- the first day of Indy 500 qualifications at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway -- at 7 p.m.
"They wanted the game more than we wanted it," said Jermaine O'Neal, who led the Pacers with 29 points. "We had a lot of breakdowns; we didn't have that sense of urgency.
"It's easy to get through not playing well offensively when you're playing good defense. The combination of bad offense and bad defense, that's the reason we lost tonight."
Not to mention the fact they didn't rebound well and lost the matchups off the bench.
Pacers coach Rick Carlisle had predicted before the game his team would lose if it was outrebounded for the third straight game in the series, and he was proved correct.
Miami, winning its 17th straight home game, controlled the boards 43-35. The Pacers compounded their problems by shooting 39 percent from the field and 65 percent from the foul line, and their reserves were outscored by Miami's 23-21 despite playing 25 more minutes.
Ultimately, the Pacers followed the lead of Detroit and San Antonio, playing poorly on the road after building a 2-0 lead at home.
"They were simply better," Carlisle said of the Heat. "More inspired. We weren't getting it done at either end."
Miami never trailed from the 10:13 mark of the second quarter until midway through the final period. The Pacers missed their first six shots from the field, but still crept into the lead briefly by getting to the foul line.
O'Neal's two free throws with 6:52 left gave them a 69-68 lead. His baseline layup, the team's first field goal of the quarter, then regained a one-point lead. But they never led again because their defense failed them.
Rookie Dwyane Wade, who led the Heat with 25 points, beat Jamaal Tinsley on consecutive possessions for field goals that opened a four-point lead.
The Pacers went on to hit just one of their first 12 shots in the period before embarking on a bombing mission that kept the score deceptively close.
Trailing by 10, they hit four 3-pointers in the next 70 seconds. Reggie Miller's fading shot from the right corner off an inbounds pass -- his only field goal of the game, and just his second attempt -- made it a four-point game with 24.3 seconds remaining.
Lamar Odom then missed two free throws, but the Heat, appropriately, controlled the rebound, Odom was fouled, and he hit 1-of-2 shots to put the game out of reach.
The Pacers hit just 22-of-34 foul shots, giving away enough points to win the game. That ultimately proved a bigger factor than hitting nine 3-pointers for the second straight game.
"When you get the opportunity, you have to seize the moment," said Miller, whose only foul shot came after a defensive three seconds penalty on Miami.
While O'Neal had his best offensive game of the series, Ron Artest hit just 4-of-18 shots.
Now that their attention has been aroused, they'll head into Game 4 on Wednesday looking to go up 3-1.
"We just got to focus on this next game," Jonathan Bender said. "We get this next game, they'll be in the hole, then it's go in and kill 'em."
By Mark Montieth
[email protected]
May 11, 2004
MIAMI -- That 11-game winning streak was becoming fool's gold, and a bit of an obstacle.
Maybe now the Indiana Pacers will realign their focus and intensity and get back to playing winning basketball, since flawed performances no longer do the job.
Miami's 94-87 victory at AmericanAirlines Arena Monday reminded them they're still vulnerable to teams that play harder and smarter.
Now, instead of basking in the luxury of a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven playoff series, which no team in NBA history has overcome, they're back to the real world with a 2-1 advantage that makes Wednesday's game their biggest of the season.
It also makes a fifth game at Conseco Fieldhouse a certainty. It will be played Saturday -- the first day of Indy 500 qualifications at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway -- at 7 p.m.
"They wanted the game more than we wanted it," said Jermaine O'Neal, who led the Pacers with 29 points. "We had a lot of breakdowns; we didn't have that sense of urgency.
"It's easy to get through not playing well offensively when you're playing good defense. The combination of bad offense and bad defense, that's the reason we lost tonight."
Not to mention the fact they didn't rebound well and lost the matchups off the bench.
Pacers coach Rick Carlisle had predicted before the game his team would lose if it was outrebounded for the third straight game in the series, and he was proved correct.
Miami, winning its 17th straight home game, controlled the boards 43-35. The Pacers compounded their problems by shooting 39 percent from the field and 65 percent from the foul line, and their reserves were outscored by Miami's 23-21 despite playing 25 more minutes.
Ultimately, the Pacers followed the lead of Detroit and San Antonio, playing poorly on the road after building a 2-0 lead at home.
"They were simply better," Carlisle said of the Heat. "More inspired. We weren't getting it done at either end."
Miami never trailed from the 10:13 mark of the second quarter until midway through the final period. The Pacers missed their first six shots from the field, but still crept into the lead briefly by getting to the foul line.
O'Neal's two free throws with 6:52 left gave them a 69-68 lead. His baseline layup, the team's first field goal of the quarter, then regained a one-point lead. But they never led again because their defense failed them.
Rookie Dwyane Wade, who led the Heat with 25 points, beat Jamaal Tinsley on consecutive possessions for field goals that opened a four-point lead.
The Pacers went on to hit just one of their first 12 shots in the period before embarking on a bombing mission that kept the score deceptively close.
Trailing by 10, they hit four 3-pointers in the next 70 seconds. Reggie Miller's fading shot from the right corner off an inbounds pass -- his only field goal of the game, and just his second attempt -- made it a four-point game with 24.3 seconds remaining.
Lamar Odom then missed two free throws, but the Heat, appropriately, controlled the rebound, Odom was fouled, and he hit 1-of-2 shots to put the game out of reach.
The Pacers hit just 22-of-34 foul shots, giving away enough points to win the game. That ultimately proved a bigger factor than hitting nine 3-pointers for the second straight game.
"When you get the opportunity, you have to seize the moment," said Miller, whose only foul shot came after a defensive three seconds penalty on Miami.
While O'Neal had his best offensive game of the series, Ron Artest hit just 4-of-18 shots.
Now that their attention has been aroused, they'll head into Game 4 on Wednesday looking to go up 3-1.
"We just got to focus on this next game," Jonathan Bender said. "We get this next game, they'll be in the hole, then it's go in and kill 'em."