Pooh
02-08-2004, 10:04 PM
By Johnnie Clay - Pacers Insider.
February 8, 2004 - 5:30 PM
The Indiana Pacers entered today's contest against the Miami Heat, one man short. Al Harrington was a late scratch, due to a re-occuring pain in his right knee.
As the music world celebrates the 40th anniversary of The Beatles arrival in America, it was the Pacers "Fab Four" of Austin Croshere, Fred Jones, Anthony Johnson and Scot Pollard who arrived to save the day, as the Pacers went on to defeat the Miami this afternoon 97-91 at Conseco Fieldhouse.
The "quartet" filled in nicely for the ailing Harrington, combining for 32 points and 19 rebounds. But it was "Uncle Reggie" who once again proved why he's the king of the three-pointers, going 5-5 from the arc, his 3-point dagger with 1:27 remaining ended any hopes of a Heat comeback.
Despite allowing Miami to shoot 53%, the Pacers got out of the first half with a 50-46 lead. The Pacers never trailed in the half, building a 10-point lead, 39-29 midway through the second period. But Miami chipped away the rest of the half, with Rafer Alston (who scored eight points in the final seven minutes, 14 total for the half) doing most of the damage.
“Miami is a good basketball team, we knew they would not go away. They always have and always will play strong, sticky defense." Jermaine O'Neal said. "They are very physical. We got great help from our bench tonight, in particularly Scot Pollard. Everybody played a big role.”
Miami, which did little more than hang around in the first half, made its move in the third period, outscoring the Pacers 16-7 to take a 64-62 lead. With Harrington out, Jermaine O'Neal on the bench with four fouls and Artest struggling mightily with a heavily taped left hand, the Pacers appeared to be in trouble. But the reserves took over. Croshere had a pair of 3-pointers and Jones scored five points in a 15-0 run that turned the game back in the Pacers' favor, building a 77-64 lead with 9:16 remaining.
Miami came back again with a 14-3 run that began and ended with 3-pointers from Eddie Jones, cutting the lead to 82-80 with 3:46 remaining. But the defense held Miami without a field goal for nearly 3 minutes and the Heat missed four of six free throws. Miller essentially iced the game with a long 3-pointer that made it 90-82 with 1:27 remaining.
“It’s always tough to play Miami. They play with force, they’re physical and they are a tenacious defensive team. We had a lot of guys play well. Anthony Johnson, Fred Jones, Scot Pollard, Austin Croshere gave us a big lift." Coach Rick Carlisle said.
"Jermaine O’Neal played huge for us tonight. I think one of the major reasons we’re at where we are is the presence of Jermaine. He has brought this team to a higher level. He’s had a huge part in these other guys stepping up their game. Pollard has played a lot better the last two-three weeks. He gives us a physical presence. He creates second, third shots. I thought he played real steady. He has taken advantage of his opportunities. It’s good to see because big bodies are valuable the closer you get to the playoffs. Reggie Miller, even though he didn’t play huge minutes, five for five from three point range is high productivity.”
The Pacers shot just 40 percent but outrebounded the Heat 46-30 and outscored the visitors 24-18 from the free-throw line. They also hit 9-17 from the arc, with Miller making all five of his attempts. Jermaine O'Neal was the high scorer with 22 points, adding 13 rebounds and three blocked shots. Artest scored an unusual 20. He was 4-20 from the field, but was 12-13 from the line. Miller scored 15, and Anthony Johnson had 13. Pollard had a season-high 9 rebounds.
The win was the Pacers second in a row, and fifth in six games to improve their NBA-best record to 38-14 overall, 21-5 at Conseco Fieldhouse. It was also their eighth consecutive victory over Miami. The Heat dropped its third straight overall and fell to 21-31.
Up next for the Pacers, the final game before the All-Star break, as they travel to Chicago for a Tuesday night showdown. The Bulls outrebounded the Pacers 53-39 and won 86-75 in the United Center on Dec. 13. Jamal Crawford and Kirk Hinrich each scored 18 for Chicago.
Game Time Tuesday is at 8:30pm (EST).
February 8, 2004 - 5:30 PM
The Indiana Pacers entered today's contest against the Miami Heat, one man short. Al Harrington was a late scratch, due to a re-occuring pain in his right knee.
As the music world celebrates the 40th anniversary of The Beatles arrival in America, it was the Pacers "Fab Four" of Austin Croshere, Fred Jones, Anthony Johnson and Scot Pollard who arrived to save the day, as the Pacers went on to defeat the Miami this afternoon 97-91 at Conseco Fieldhouse.
The "quartet" filled in nicely for the ailing Harrington, combining for 32 points and 19 rebounds. But it was "Uncle Reggie" who once again proved why he's the king of the three-pointers, going 5-5 from the arc, his 3-point dagger with 1:27 remaining ended any hopes of a Heat comeback.
Despite allowing Miami to shoot 53%, the Pacers got out of the first half with a 50-46 lead. The Pacers never trailed in the half, building a 10-point lead, 39-29 midway through the second period. But Miami chipped away the rest of the half, with Rafer Alston (who scored eight points in the final seven minutes, 14 total for the half) doing most of the damage.
“Miami is a good basketball team, we knew they would not go away. They always have and always will play strong, sticky defense." Jermaine O'Neal said. "They are very physical. We got great help from our bench tonight, in particularly Scot Pollard. Everybody played a big role.”
Miami, which did little more than hang around in the first half, made its move in the third period, outscoring the Pacers 16-7 to take a 64-62 lead. With Harrington out, Jermaine O'Neal on the bench with four fouls and Artest struggling mightily with a heavily taped left hand, the Pacers appeared to be in trouble. But the reserves took over. Croshere had a pair of 3-pointers and Jones scored five points in a 15-0 run that turned the game back in the Pacers' favor, building a 77-64 lead with 9:16 remaining.
Miami came back again with a 14-3 run that began and ended with 3-pointers from Eddie Jones, cutting the lead to 82-80 with 3:46 remaining. But the defense held Miami without a field goal for nearly 3 minutes and the Heat missed four of six free throws. Miller essentially iced the game with a long 3-pointer that made it 90-82 with 1:27 remaining.
“It’s always tough to play Miami. They play with force, they’re physical and they are a tenacious defensive team. We had a lot of guys play well. Anthony Johnson, Fred Jones, Scot Pollard, Austin Croshere gave us a big lift." Coach Rick Carlisle said.
"Jermaine O’Neal played huge for us tonight. I think one of the major reasons we’re at where we are is the presence of Jermaine. He has brought this team to a higher level. He’s had a huge part in these other guys stepping up their game. Pollard has played a lot better the last two-three weeks. He gives us a physical presence. He creates second, third shots. I thought he played real steady. He has taken advantage of his opportunities. It’s good to see because big bodies are valuable the closer you get to the playoffs. Reggie Miller, even though he didn’t play huge minutes, five for five from three point range is high productivity.”
The Pacers shot just 40 percent but outrebounded the Heat 46-30 and outscored the visitors 24-18 from the free-throw line. They also hit 9-17 from the arc, with Miller making all five of his attempts. Jermaine O'Neal was the high scorer with 22 points, adding 13 rebounds and three blocked shots. Artest scored an unusual 20. He was 4-20 from the field, but was 12-13 from the line. Miller scored 15, and Anthony Johnson had 13. Pollard had a season-high 9 rebounds.
The win was the Pacers second in a row, and fifth in six games to improve their NBA-best record to 38-14 overall, 21-5 at Conseco Fieldhouse. It was also their eighth consecutive victory over Miami. The Heat dropped its third straight overall and fell to 21-31.
Up next for the Pacers, the final game before the All-Star break, as they travel to Chicago for a Tuesday night showdown. The Bulls outrebounded the Pacers 53-39 and won 86-75 in the United Center on Dec. 13. Jamal Crawford and Kirk Hinrich each scored 18 for Chicago.
Game Time Tuesday is at 8:30pm (EST).