Pooh
02-21-2004, 03:35 AM
By Johnnie Clay - Pacers Insider.
February 20, 2004 - 11:30 PM.
The game had all the trappings of a typical Pacers game, a quick start, a big collapse and stirring comeback in the end. True to form, that came to pass tonight as Jamaal Tinsley's two three-point shots late, helped the Pacers defeat the Washington Wizards tonight 96-87, at the MCI Center tonight.
But like all Pacers games this year, it wasn't easy. The Pacers watched as their 18-point lead in the second quarter was slowly eaten away by the Wizards.
Earlier on, it appeared as if the Pacers were in complete control, jumping out to a 26-18 lead after the first quarter. The second quarter saw a back and forth struggle as the Pacers maintained their lead 50-39 going into halftime.
In the third quarter, the Wizards exploded...a 10-0 run closed the deficit to just one-point, 50-49. Both teams exchanged baskets until finally the Wizards seized the lead at 63-62, late in the quarter. The Pacers were outscored 32-18 during that furious quarter. Afterwards, Reggie Miller talked about that 'lapse during the third quarter.
“They played hard in the 3rd quarter and we couldn’t do anything offensively, and defensively we lapsed." Miller said.
The Wizards extended their lead to 77-69, with 10:20 left in the fourth. But Pacers Coach Rick Carlisle brought in the starting lineup back in a sense, the turnaround began. Reggie Miller scored seven consecutive Pacers points to fuel a 13-4 run, putting the Pacers back in front, 86-85, on Tinsley's shot with 2:55 left to play.
Gilbert Arenas put the Wizards back on top with an off-balance jump shot with 2:41 remaining, but that would prove to be the Wizards last points, as Tinsley made two huge three-pointers, one intentional, and one accidental. Tinsley hit an open 3-pointer off a pass from a driving Miller to make it 91-87. After an Arenas miss, he took a 25-footer from well beyond the arc that banked in to clinch the victory. While Tinsley took care of the offense, the defense forced five Wizards misses in the final two minutes to seal the victory.
“It was definitely a game about runs and swings. We got out of the gate quick, but give the Wizards credit, they didn’t go anywhere." Reggie Miller said. "Coming off of their last loss, when they got beat by 20+ points, they had a tendency to think about other things. They have a lot of talent over there.”
“Washington made a great run coming out of halftime." Rick Carlisle said afterwards. "They were dominating us physically for a period of 12-13 minutes and the last 10 minutes we went back to our starters and said, ‘hey let’s buckle down and try to play our game and crawl back into it’. We were very fortunate.”
Carlisle also praised his point guards' clutch performance tonight.
“He (Tinsley) has played courageously when it comes to stepping up and making big shots. This is the second or third time this year he has made a decisive shot in the waning minute or two of the game. He did it in Toronto two weeks ago and he hit three down the stretch tonight. His confidence is there and he worked very hard.”
Even the self-proclaimed "King of three's", Reggie Miller talked about Tinsley's performance, especially the last three-point dagger that buried the Wizards.
“I figured that if I attacked the seams a little bit, Jamaal’s man would help, because they had been laying off of Jamaal all night. I knew that he would get a wide open look, it was just a matter of him making the shot, which he did.”
Reggie Miller led the Pacers tonight with 24 points, his 8-8 at the free-throw line was another thing that kept the Pacers in the ball game late in the third quarter. Tinsley was the star though, scoring 19 points and handing out 10 assists. Jermaine O'Neal struggled a bit, but still managed to score 19 points and pull down 10 rebounds. Al Harrington, filling in for the injured Ron Artest had difficult night, going 2-6 for just 6 points and 6 rebounds.
Turnovers were in abundance this evening, particulary for the Pacers who had 22 this evening. However, they managed to shoot 48% (32-67) from the field and 78% (25-32) from the free-throw line.
Tonight's win was the Pacers' 40th of the season, making them the first team in the NBA to reach it this year. (However, the Minnesota Timberwolves quickly became the second, with their victory over the Detroit Pistons an hour later.) They also reached 40 victories quicker than in any previous season in NBA franchise history.
The Pacers now have a day off before a Sunday afternoon match-up against the Utah Jazz, at Conseco Fieldhouse. Unlike the Pacers, the Jazz made some moves before Thursday's trading deadline, picking up forwards Gordan Giricek from Orlando and Tom Gugliotta from Phoenix in separate deals. This will be the two teams' first meeting of the year against each other. The teams have split the last two season series, with the Pacers holding an 18-10 all-time advantage at home.
Game Time Sunday is at 3:30 pm (EST).
February 20, 2004 - 11:30 PM.
The game had all the trappings of a typical Pacers game, a quick start, a big collapse and stirring comeback in the end. True to form, that came to pass tonight as Jamaal Tinsley's two three-point shots late, helped the Pacers defeat the Washington Wizards tonight 96-87, at the MCI Center tonight.
But like all Pacers games this year, it wasn't easy. The Pacers watched as their 18-point lead in the second quarter was slowly eaten away by the Wizards.
Earlier on, it appeared as if the Pacers were in complete control, jumping out to a 26-18 lead after the first quarter. The second quarter saw a back and forth struggle as the Pacers maintained their lead 50-39 going into halftime.
In the third quarter, the Wizards exploded...a 10-0 run closed the deficit to just one-point, 50-49. Both teams exchanged baskets until finally the Wizards seized the lead at 63-62, late in the quarter. The Pacers were outscored 32-18 during that furious quarter. Afterwards, Reggie Miller talked about that 'lapse during the third quarter.
“They played hard in the 3rd quarter and we couldn’t do anything offensively, and defensively we lapsed." Miller said.
The Wizards extended their lead to 77-69, with 10:20 left in the fourth. But Pacers Coach Rick Carlisle brought in the starting lineup back in a sense, the turnaround began. Reggie Miller scored seven consecutive Pacers points to fuel a 13-4 run, putting the Pacers back in front, 86-85, on Tinsley's shot with 2:55 left to play.
Gilbert Arenas put the Wizards back on top with an off-balance jump shot with 2:41 remaining, but that would prove to be the Wizards last points, as Tinsley made two huge three-pointers, one intentional, and one accidental. Tinsley hit an open 3-pointer off a pass from a driving Miller to make it 91-87. After an Arenas miss, he took a 25-footer from well beyond the arc that banked in to clinch the victory. While Tinsley took care of the offense, the defense forced five Wizards misses in the final two minutes to seal the victory.
“It was definitely a game about runs and swings. We got out of the gate quick, but give the Wizards credit, they didn’t go anywhere." Reggie Miller said. "Coming off of their last loss, when they got beat by 20+ points, they had a tendency to think about other things. They have a lot of talent over there.”
“Washington made a great run coming out of halftime." Rick Carlisle said afterwards. "They were dominating us physically for a period of 12-13 minutes and the last 10 minutes we went back to our starters and said, ‘hey let’s buckle down and try to play our game and crawl back into it’. We were very fortunate.”
Carlisle also praised his point guards' clutch performance tonight.
“He (Tinsley) has played courageously when it comes to stepping up and making big shots. This is the second or third time this year he has made a decisive shot in the waning minute or two of the game. He did it in Toronto two weeks ago and he hit three down the stretch tonight. His confidence is there and he worked very hard.”
Even the self-proclaimed "King of three's", Reggie Miller talked about Tinsley's performance, especially the last three-point dagger that buried the Wizards.
“I figured that if I attacked the seams a little bit, Jamaal’s man would help, because they had been laying off of Jamaal all night. I knew that he would get a wide open look, it was just a matter of him making the shot, which he did.”
Reggie Miller led the Pacers tonight with 24 points, his 8-8 at the free-throw line was another thing that kept the Pacers in the ball game late in the third quarter. Tinsley was the star though, scoring 19 points and handing out 10 assists. Jermaine O'Neal struggled a bit, but still managed to score 19 points and pull down 10 rebounds. Al Harrington, filling in for the injured Ron Artest had difficult night, going 2-6 for just 6 points and 6 rebounds.
Turnovers were in abundance this evening, particulary for the Pacers who had 22 this evening. However, they managed to shoot 48% (32-67) from the field and 78% (25-32) from the free-throw line.
Tonight's win was the Pacers' 40th of the season, making them the first team in the NBA to reach it this year. (However, the Minnesota Timberwolves quickly became the second, with their victory over the Detroit Pistons an hour later.) They also reached 40 victories quicker than in any previous season in NBA franchise history.
The Pacers now have a day off before a Sunday afternoon match-up against the Utah Jazz, at Conseco Fieldhouse. Unlike the Pacers, the Jazz made some moves before Thursday's trading deadline, picking up forwards Gordan Giricek from Orlando and Tom Gugliotta from Phoenix in separate deals. This will be the two teams' first meeting of the year against each other. The teams have split the last two season series, with the Pacers holding an 18-10 all-time advantage at home.
Game Time Sunday is at 3:30 pm (EST).