Pooh
01-18-2004, 03:29 AM
By Johnnie Clay - Pacers Insider.
January 17, 2004 - 11:45 PM
Coming off an emotional victory over the defending champion Spurs, the Indiana Pacers didn't have time to savor it, they had to hop on a plane to face an old familar foe...the New Jersey Nets.
From the looks of it, the Pacers still had withdrawl symptoms. After only trailing by three points after one quarter, the Pacers were outscored 32-25 in the second, trailing by 10 points (45-55) at halftime. But these are the Pacers and they know how to make the appropriate adjustments, and adjust they did, holding the Nets to just 29 second half points, as the Pacers stormed back to defeat the Nets 90-84 at Continental Airlines Arena this evening.
The victory was the Pacers third in a row, giving them an 8-1 record for the month, and most importantly, a 31-11 record at the "official" halfway point of the NBA season, the best in the league right now.
The Nets racked up 32 points in the second quarter and 55 in the first half in taking a 10-point lead at the break. The Pacers committed nine turnovers and were 1-9 from the arc in the half. Forwards Jermaine O'Neal, Ron Artest and Al Harrington combined for 36 points on 12-20 shooting, but the rest of the team totaled nine points on 3-13 shooting. Jason Kidd of the Nets had 14 points and 9 assists in the half, as they outscored the Pacers 15-0 on fast-break points and 30-14 in the paint.
The Pacers opened the third quarter with a 16-6 run to tie the game at 61-61, when the Nets finished with a 13-2 counterpunch to take a 74-63 lead into the fourth quarter.
Jermaine O'Neal battled foul trouble much of the game, then picked up his fifth on the first possession of the fourth quarter. But with his team down by 11, coach Rick Carlisle let O'Neal stay on the floor and the Pacers promptly responded with an 18-4 run to take their first lead since 2-0, 81-78.
After going 3-of-17 from the arc through three quarters, the Pacers hit four in a row in the run, including a shot-clock-beating trey from O'Neal. Trailing 82-80, the Nets had three chances to at least tie the game but came up empty on each possession. O'Neal then scored from the post with 29 seconds left to make it a two-possession game and the Pacers closed it out at the free-throw line.
The Pacers defense in the second half was in a word, dominating. The Pacers held the Nets to 9-34 shooting (27%) in the second half, with 13 turnovers and just 4 fast-break points. The Nets were 5-23 in the fourth quarter, that defensive stand allowed the Pacers to catch the Nets and eventually win the game.
Pacers Coach Rick Carlisle talked about what his team had to do in order to get back into the game in the second half.
"New Jersey physically dominated us in the first half and we felt like we needed to come back out and have a great defensive half." Carlisle said. "We felt like we had to raise our level of aggression. I thought a 40 point half would give us a chance and a 29 point half did it for us. Down the stretch we executed and made free throws. That's what you have to do to win big time games."
"I just thought the Nets came out in that third quarter completely led by Jason. They really forced the tempo and we got into a little bit of trouble without transition defense. But they do that to you, believe me, I know. They started to get easy baskets. Then they took that back to the defensive end and that causes havoc. We just didn't do it tonight. That's why they've won the Eastern Conference Atlantic Division the last couple of years. They just thrive on that and really put pressure on us."
Jermaine O'Neal led the Pacers with a 20 point, 10 rebound night. O'Neal wasn't the only Pacer who recorded a double-double. Sixth man Al Harrington, came off the bench with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Ron Artest shook off a horrible start in the first half to end up with 18 points, while Jamaal Tinsley score 12 points and handed out 7 assists.
Two of the heroes of last nights' win over the Spurs didnt fare as well tonight. Reggie Miller, who scored 28 points, came back to earth tonight with 9 points, while Jeff Foster, who held two-time MVP Tim Duncan in check the second half, failed to score at all. Like O'Neal and Harrington, Foster was in foul trouble most of the night. Artest and Foster each played with minor injuries. Foster played with a dislocated finger which he suffered last night against San Antonio, while Artest played the second half with tape on his left thumb after spraining the finger late in the first half.
For the night, the Pacers shot 41% (30-74) and a scorching 92% (23-25) from the free-throw line. Turnovers were in abundance on both sides of the court, with the Pacers commiting 15 and the Nets handing the ball over 18 times as well.
The Pacers go for a season sweep of the Hawks on a special Martin Luther King Day afternoon game on Monday in Atlanta. The teams just met on Jan. 14, with the Pacers needing a fourth-quarter surge to pull out an 85-78 victory. The Pacers haven't swept the Hawks since their first NBA season, 1976-77.
Game Time Monday is at 2pm (EST)
January 17, 2004 - 11:45 PM
Coming off an emotional victory over the defending champion Spurs, the Indiana Pacers didn't have time to savor it, they had to hop on a plane to face an old familar foe...the New Jersey Nets.
From the looks of it, the Pacers still had withdrawl symptoms. After only trailing by three points after one quarter, the Pacers were outscored 32-25 in the second, trailing by 10 points (45-55) at halftime. But these are the Pacers and they know how to make the appropriate adjustments, and adjust they did, holding the Nets to just 29 second half points, as the Pacers stormed back to defeat the Nets 90-84 at Continental Airlines Arena this evening.
The victory was the Pacers third in a row, giving them an 8-1 record for the month, and most importantly, a 31-11 record at the "official" halfway point of the NBA season, the best in the league right now.
The Nets racked up 32 points in the second quarter and 55 in the first half in taking a 10-point lead at the break. The Pacers committed nine turnovers and were 1-9 from the arc in the half. Forwards Jermaine O'Neal, Ron Artest and Al Harrington combined for 36 points on 12-20 shooting, but the rest of the team totaled nine points on 3-13 shooting. Jason Kidd of the Nets had 14 points and 9 assists in the half, as they outscored the Pacers 15-0 on fast-break points and 30-14 in the paint.
The Pacers opened the third quarter with a 16-6 run to tie the game at 61-61, when the Nets finished with a 13-2 counterpunch to take a 74-63 lead into the fourth quarter.
Jermaine O'Neal battled foul trouble much of the game, then picked up his fifth on the first possession of the fourth quarter. But with his team down by 11, coach Rick Carlisle let O'Neal stay on the floor and the Pacers promptly responded with an 18-4 run to take their first lead since 2-0, 81-78.
After going 3-of-17 from the arc through three quarters, the Pacers hit four in a row in the run, including a shot-clock-beating trey from O'Neal. Trailing 82-80, the Nets had three chances to at least tie the game but came up empty on each possession. O'Neal then scored from the post with 29 seconds left to make it a two-possession game and the Pacers closed it out at the free-throw line.
The Pacers defense in the second half was in a word, dominating. The Pacers held the Nets to 9-34 shooting (27%) in the second half, with 13 turnovers and just 4 fast-break points. The Nets were 5-23 in the fourth quarter, that defensive stand allowed the Pacers to catch the Nets and eventually win the game.
Pacers Coach Rick Carlisle talked about what his team had to do in order to get back into the game in the second half.
"New Jersey physically dominated us in the first half and we felt like we needed to come back out and have a great defensive half." Carlisle said. "We felt like we had to raise our level of aggression. I thought a 40 point half would give us a chance and a 29 point half did it for us. Down the stretch we executed and made free throws. That's what you have to do to win big time games."
"I just thought the Nets came out in that third quarter completely led by Jason. They really forced the tempo and we got into a little bit of trouble without transition defense. But they do that to you, believe me, I know. They started to get easy baskets. Then they took that back to the defensive end and that causes havoc. We just didn't do it tonight. That's why they've won the Eastern Conference Atlantic Division the last couple of years. They just thrive on that and really put pressure on us."
Jermaine O'Neal led the Pacers with a 20 point, 10 rebound night. O'Neal wasn't the only Pacer who recorded a double-double. Sixth man Al Harrington, came off the bench with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Ron Artest shook off a horrible start in the first half to end up with 18 points, while Jamaal Tinsley score 12 points and handed out 7 assists.
Two of the heroes of last nights' win over the Spurs didnt fare as well tonight. Reggie Miller, who scored 28 points, came back to earth tonight with 9 points, while Jeff Foster, who held two-time MVP Tim Duncan in check the second half, failed to score at all. Like O'Neal and Harrington, Foster was in foul trouble most of the night. Artest and Foster each played with minor injuries. Foster played with a dislocated finger which he suffered last night against San Antonio, while Artest played the second half with tape on his left thumb after spraining the finger late in the first half.
For the night, the Pacers shot 41% (30-74) and a scorching 92% (23-25) from the free-throw line. Turnovers were in abundance on both sides of the court, with the Pacers commiting 15 and the Nets handing the ball over 18 times as well.
The Pacers go for a season sweep of the Hawks on a special Martin Luther King Day afternoon game on Monday in Atlanta. The teams just met on Jan. 14, with the Pacers needing a fourth-quarter surge to pull out an 85-78 victory. The Pacers haven't swept the Hawks since their first NBA season, 1976-77.
Game Time Monday is at 2pm (EST)