Pooh
12-27-2003, 05:05 AM
By Johnnie Clay - Pacers Insider.
December 27, 2003 - 1:00 am
Through the first one-third of the season, two things had been established as constants for the Pacers: solid defense and effective crunch-time execution. Both areas failed badly Friday night, as Milwaukee rallied from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit behind reserve guard Damon Jones, then shut out the Pacers in the final 2:40 to take a 101-96 victory in the Bradley Center.
The Pacers started brilliantly, then went flat in a back-and-forth first half. After beginning the game on a 14-0 run and building a 19-4 lead, the Pacers - suffering the inevitable big-lead letdown - were outscored 17-4 the rest of the period as the Bucks cut it to 23-21. The Pacers started 6 of 7 from the field but finished 3 of 13. The Bucks started 0 of 6 but finished 9 of 13. Michael Redd scored 10 in the quarter.
Toni Kukoc took over in the second quarter, scoring 15 points on 5 of 6 shooting. Though the Pacers managed to maintain the lead at halftime, 50-49, their defense was struggling mightily to contain the quicker Bucks on the perimeter. Jermaine O'Neal had 13 points in the half, while Anthony Johnson scored 12 and Jeff Foster 10. The Pacers shot 50 percent and outrebounded the Bucks 22-13. Milwaukee had just four fast-break points in the half.
With Ron Artest stepping into the leadership role, offensively, the Pacers controlled most of the third quarter, including a 17-4 run in the middle minutes of the period that opened a 73-59 lead. Artest scored 12 in the period, which sent the Pacers into the final 12 minutes with a double-digit lead, 77-67.
As was demonstrated earlier in the game, no lead was safe against Milwaukee's perimeter shooting. Damon Jones came off the bench firing and hit a trio of 3-pointers in an 18-8 run that wiped out the Pacers' lead, tying the game at 85-all with 6:53 remaining. The Pacers got a couple of rare stops and parlayed them into a mini-run that opened a 92-87 lead with 4:32 remaining. But they'd make just one more basket while the Bucks simply could not be stopped.
We were kept off the free throw line for most of the game. We got beat at the three-point line and beat at the free throw line." Pacers Coach Rick Carlisle said afterwards. "My only disagreement with this game was that the fouls shouldn't have been 24-17. We are a post up team, we were taking the ball up strong all night long. Its hard when your team is playing as hard as the other team and you don't get the same consideration when it comes to the whistle being blown."
Leading 92-87 with 4:32 remaining, the Pacers went dry. Jones hit his fourth 3-pointer of the period to tie it 92-all with 3:45 left. Jermaine O'Neal put the Pacers back on top, 96-94, with 2:41 left, but that would conclude the offense for the visitors. Jones drove through an open lane to tie it, then Michael Redd fired in a trey to put the Bucks up 99-96 with 1:14 remaining. The Pacers got quality shots on their final possessions but O'Neal was blocked by Joe Smith and Reggie Miller missed a pair of 3-pointers. After Miller's final miss, a 28-footer with 3 seconds left, Redd rebounded, was fouled and closed out the scoring from the free-throw line.
Pacers point guard Anthony Johnson summed up his feelings on this "up and down" month by the team.
"We were in control. We came out and let them back in the game. Then after halftime we got a lead back and then let them back in again." Johnson said. "When we get a lead we don't play with that killer instinct, we are not playing with a sense of urgency. Until we get that killer instinct we are going to teeter totter on the borderline of being good or bad."
The Pacers shot 50% from the field, 20 assists and just 11 turnovers, but their bench was dominated. The Bucks held a 47-15 advantage in bench points. Jermaine O'Neal lead the Pacers with 27 points and 11 rebounds. Ron Artest had 18 points but was 6-15 from the floor. Anthony Johnson had 16 points on 7-8 shooting, adding four assists. Jeff Foster had 12 points in 21minutes. Al Harrington was the only reserve to have any impact, scoring 13 in 22 minutes.
Tonight's game also marked the appearance of Pacers guard Jammal Tinsley. Tinsley, (who was activated from the injured list on Wednesday) made his first appearance since Nov. 19, coming off the bench. With Kenny Anderson on the injured list, Johnson was moved into the starting lineup.
Tinsley was subsequently knocked out of the game when he was inadvertently elbowed in the face by Kukoc early in the fourth quarter though, ending his night abruptly.
Since a 14-2 start, the Pacers have 7-7. Still, they lead the Eastern Conference with a 21-9 record. However it doesn't get easier. A stretch of four games in five nights continues as the Pacers return home to face their Eastern Conference rivals, the New Jersey Nets, Saturday night at Conseco Fieldhouse. The Pacers won in New Jersey 87-81 on Nov. 6 as ex-Net Anthony Johnson came off the bench to score a season-high 17 points.
Gametime Saturday is at 8:00pm (EST)
December 27, 2003 - 1:00 am
Through the first one-third of the season, two things had been established as constants for the Pacers: solid defense and effective crunch-time execution. Both areas failed badly Friday night, as Milwaukee rallied from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit behind reserve guard Damon Jones, then shut out the Pacers in the final 2:40 to take a 101-96 victory in the Bradley Center.
The Pacers started brilliantly, then went flat in a back-and-forth first half. After beginning the game on a 14-0 run and building a 19-4 lead, the Pacers - suffering the inevitable big-lead letdown - were outscored 17-4 the rest of the period as the Bucks cut it to 23-21. The Pacers started 6 of 7 from the field but finished 3 of 13. The Bucks started 0 of 6 but finished 9 of 13. Michael Redd scored 10 in the quarter.
Toni Kukoc took over in the second quarter, scoring 15 points on 5 of 6 shooting. Though the Pacers managed to maintain the lead at halftime, 50-49, their defense was struggling mightily to contain the quicker Bucks on the perimeter. Jermaine O'Neal had 13 points in the half, while Anthony Johnson scored 12 and Jeff Foster 10. The Pacers shot 50 percent and outrebounded the Bucks 22-13. Milwaukee had just four fast-break points in the half.
With Ron Artest stepping into the leadership role, offensively, the Pacers controlled most of the third quarter, including a 17-4 run in the middle minutes of the period that opened a 73-59 lead. Artest scored 12 in the period, which sent the Pacers into the final 12 minutes with a double-digit lead, 77-67.
As was demonstrated earlier in the game, no lead was safe against Milwaukee's perimeter shooting. Damon Jones came off the bench firing and hit a trio of 3-pointers in an 18-8 run that wiped out the Pacers' lead, tying the game at 85-all with 6:53 remaining. The Pacers got a couple of rare stops and parlayed them into a mini-run that opened a 92-87 lead with 4:32 remaining. But they'd make just one more basket while the Bucks simply could not be stopped.
We were kept off the free throw line for most of the game. We got beat at the three-point line and beat at the free throw line." Pacers Coach Rick Carlisle said afterwards. "My only disagreement with this game was that the fouls shouldn't have been 24-17. We are a post up team, we were taking the ball up strong all night long. Its hard when your team is playing as hard as the other team and you don't get the same consideration when it comes to the whistle being blown."
Leading 92-87 with 4:32 remaining, the Pacers went dry. Jones hit his fourth 3-pointer of the period to tie it 92-all with 3:45 left. Jermaine O'Neal put the Pacers back on top, 96-94, with 2:41 left, but that would conclude the offense for the visitors. Jones drove through an open lane to tie it, then Michael Redd fired in a trey to put the Bucks up 99-96 with 1:14 remaining. The Pacers got quality shots on their final possessions but O'Neal was blocked by Joe Smith and Reggie Miller missed a pair of 3-pointers. After Miller's final miss, a 28-footer with 3 seconds left, Redd rebounded, was fouled and closed out the scoring from the free-throw line.
Pacers point guard Anthony Johnson summed up his feelings on this "up and down" month by the team.
"We were in control. We came out and let them back in the game. Then after halftime we got a lead back and then let them back in again." Johnson said. "When we get a lead we don't play with that killer instinct, we are not playing with a sense of urgency. Until we get that killer instinct we are going to teeter totter on the borderline of being good or bad."
The Pacers shot 50% from the field, 20 assists and just 11 turnovers, but their bench was dominated. The Bucks held a 47-15 advantage in bench points. Jermaine O'Neal lead the Pacers with 27 points and 11 rebounds. Ron Artest had 18 points but was 6-15 from the floor. Anthony Johnson had 16 points on 7-8 shooting, adding four assists. Jeff Foster had 12 points in 21minutes. Al Harrington was the only reserve to have any impact, scoring 13 in 22 minutes.
Tonight's game also marked the appearance of Pacers guard Jammal Tinsley. Tinsley, (who was activated from the injured list on Wednesday) made his first appearance since Nov. 19, coming off the bench. With Kenny Anderson on the injured list, Johnson was moved into the starting lineup.
Tinsley was subsequently knocked out of the game when he was inadvertently elbowed in the face by Kukoc early in the fourth quarter though, ending his night abruptly.
Since a 14-2 start, the Pacers have 7-7. Still, they lead the Eastern Conference with a 21-9 record. However it doesn't get easier. A stretch of four games in five nights continues as the Pacers return home to face their Eastern Conference rivals, the New Jersey Nets, Saturday night at Conseco Fieldhouse. The Pacers won in New Jersey 87-81 on Nov. 6 as ex-Net Anthony Johnson came off the bench to score a season-high 17 points.
Gametime Saturday is at 8:00pm (EST)