Pooh
05-07-2004, 10:54 PM
May 7, 2004
The first thing the Indiana Pacers want to do this morning is ignore this column. Turn to Indiana Living and see what Billy Graham has to say. Or check out the front section of the paper, which is rumored to be filled with real-life news about things that matter.
Because I'm going to say something here they don't want to read.
This series is done.
Not that I'm giving up my reservations at Joe's Stone Crab or breaking my date with some of South Beach's finer establishments.
But tell me how the Miami Heat are going to win this series. Please. Edify me. Enlighten me. Tell me how the Miami Heat are going to extend this series beyond, say, five games, maybe give the Indiana Pacers a bit of a scare.
Here's what that was Thursday night: That was Miami's shot. Right there, Game 1, a night when the Heat would be running on adrenaline and the rust-laden Pacers would be suffering from the second-longest layoff in NBA postseason history.
And it didn't happen.
Even on a night when Jermaine O'Neal shot a miserable 5-of-17 from the field.
Even on a night when the Pacers, who should grab more rebounds than the Heat every night, got out-rebounded and thoroughly outworked at too many times during the game.
Even on a night when the Pacers' bench, which destroyed Boston and should be the difference in this series, got outscored by Miami's bench 27-20.
Even on a night when the Pacers, who should own the paint, got outscored 34-30 there.
One Pacer had a memorable night: Jamaal Tinsley, hitting 5-of-6 3-pointers.
That's it.
Otherwise, it was a scattered, sloppy, flawed performance from a team that has set an impossibly high standard for itself all season. And still, the Pacers won with relative alacrity, winning their fifth straight playoff game by a double-digit margin.
"As a team, we feel pretty good because we know we didn't play the way we're supposed to play and we still controlled the game," O'Neal said. "I feel like if we do the things we normally do, the things we did before the (playoff) break, the games will go the way we want it to go."
Said Reggie Miller: "We know we can play so much better."
They were game, the Heat, fighting through rubbery legs to keep the first game from becoming a garden-variety blowout. Lamar Odom, in particular, seemed to be playing on legs the consistency of overcooked linguini. The poor guy was whipped during the national anthem.
The scary thing about the Heat is, they're too young to know any better. They competed until the end Thursday night. And they will continue to fight, in stark contrast to the Celtics, who lost interest in the playoffs somewhere between the third and fourth quarters of Game 1.
But the Heat don't have any answers for Indiana's size. The Heat don't have any answers for Indiana's depth. And that doesn't figure to change anytime in the next two weeks.
Whenever the Pacers needed a basket Thursday night -- and the Heat made it interesting down the stretch, thanks in large part to the magical Dwyane Wade -- they force-fed the ball into the post and waited for good things to happen.
They got free throws, hitting 25-of-32 from the line.
Or they hit 3-pointers, nine in total, five from Tinsley.
"I don't think it was an energy thing," Miami head coach Stan Van Gundy said. "I think they outplayed us. I said before the game, I'm not looking for excuses. They got to the (free throw) line and defended the heck out of us. It had nothing to do with layoffs or not having enough time (to prepare) or anything else."
The Heat will bring a lot more energy to Game 2 Saturday.
But by then, the Pacers will have been rust-proofed.
If they were going to trip and fall, they were going to trip and fall Thursday night.
The longer this series goes -- and it's hard to see it going far beyond five games -- the more the advantage swings to the Pacers.
The Heat had their shot.
Nice little story, these guys.
Too bad it's going to end sooner rather than later.
Link (http://www.indystar.com/articles/9/144451-1119-036.html)
The first thing the Indiana Pacers want to do this morning is ignore this column. Turn to Indiana Living and see what Billy Graham has to say. Or check out the front section of the paper, which is rumored to be filled with real-life news about things that matter.
Because I'm going to say something here they don't want to read.
This series is done.
Not that I'm giving up my reservations at Joe's Stone Crab or breaking my date with some of South Beach's finer establishments.
But tell me how the Miami Heat are going to win this series. Please. Edify me. Enlighten me. Tell me how the Miami Heat are going to extend this series beyond, say, five games, maybe give the Indiana Pacers a bit of a scare.
Here's what that was Thursday night: That was Miami's shot. Right there, Game 1, a night when the Heat would be running on adrenaline and the rust-laden Pacers would be suffering from the second-longest layoff in NBA postseason history.
And it didn't happen.
Even on a night when Jermaine O'Neal shot a miserable 5-of-17 from the field.
Even on a night when the Pacers, who should grab more rebounds than the Heat every night, got out-rebounded and thoroughly outworked at too many times during the game.
Even on a night when the Pacers' bench, which destroyed Boston and should be the difference in this series, got outscored by Miami's bench 27-20.
Even on a night when the Pacers, who should own the paint, got outscored 34-30 there.
One Pacer had a memorable night: Jamaal Tinsley, hitting 5-of-6 3-pointers.
That's it.
Otherwise, it was a scattered, sloppy, flawed performance from a team that has set an impossibly high standard for itself all season. And still, the Pacers won with relative alacrity, winning their fifth straight playoff game by a double-digit margin.
"As a team, we feel pretty good because we know we didn't play the way we're supposed to play and we still controlled the game," O'Neal said. "I feel like if we do the things we normally do, the things we did before the (playoff) break, the games will go the way we want it to go."
Said Reggie Miller: "We know we can play so much better."
They were game, the Heat, fighting through rubbery legs to keep the first game from becoming a garden-variety blowout. Lamar Odom, in particular, seemed to be playing on legs the consistency of overcooked linguini. The poor guy was whipped during the national anthem.
The scary thing about the Heat is, they're too young to know any better. They competed until the end Thursday night. And they will continue to fight, in stark contrast to the Celtics, who lost interest in the playoffs somewhere between the third and fourth quarters of Game 1.
But the Heat don't have any answers for Indiana's size. The Heat don't have any answers for Indiana's depth. And that doesn't figure to change anytime in the next two weeks.
Whenever the Pacers needed a basket Thursday night -- and the Heat made it interesting down the stretch, thanks in large part to the magical Dwyane Wade -- they force-fed the ball into the post and waited for good things to happen.
They got free throws, hitting 25-of-32 from the line.
Or they hit 3-pointers, nine in total, five from Tinsley.
"I don't think it was an energy thing," Miami head coach Stan Van Gundy said. "I think they outplayed us. I said before the game, I'm not looking for excuses. They got to the (free throw) line and defended the heck out of us. It had nothing to do with layoffs or not having enough time (to prepare) or anything else."
The Heat will bring a lot more energy to Game 2 Saturday.
But by then, the Pacers will have been rust-proofed.
If they were going to trip and fall, they were going to trip and fall Thursday night.
The longer this series goes -- and it's hard to see it going far beyond five games -- the more the advantage swings to the Pacers.
The Heat had their shot.
Nice little story, these guys.
Too bad it's going to end sooner rather than later.
Link (http://www.indystar.com/articles/9/144451-1119-036.html)