Pooh
11-22-2003, 04:03 AM
By Johnnie Clay – Pacers Insider
November 21, 2003 - 11:50 PM
There are games that set the tone for the season, tonight appeared to be one of those games for the Indiana Pacers.
Reggie Miller hit a pair of go ahead free throws with 8.4 seconds left to lift the Indiana Pacers to a 76-75 victory over the Hornets on Friday night.
There was more drama left after Miller's clutch free throws. Jermaine O'Neal was fouled and proceeded to miss the first free throw, then purposely missing the second to run off more time on the clock, setting up a dramatic finish.
It came down to one last shot, but Hornets' rookie David West just missed converting a backdoor alley-oop pass from Sean Rooks to help the Pacers get their sixth straight road win this year.
“We definitely won it." Reggie Miller said. "Anytime you go on the road, and both teams struggle in the fourth quarter…we scored 13 and they scored 11. Defense definitely won the game. I’d rather win ugly than lose pretty, and tonight was one of those cases.”
The Hornets' David Wesley fouled Reggie Miller coming around a screen on the baseline. Miller made both free throws to put the Pacers ahead 76-75 with 8.4 seconds remaining.
Wesley's foul was the key play that helped give the Pacers the win, however some didn't see it that way, the foul sent Hornets coach Tim Floyd into a stomping rage, directing his anger at referee Courtney Kirkland.
Miller however, saw the foul quite differently.
“If you look at it from their point of view, you don’t want the call." Miller said. "You want players to decide the ball game, but you know through the other three quarters, that would be a foul. I’m one of those players who likes players to decide ball games, but is it a foul? Yes it’s a foul and they would call it at any other time of the game."
"If they wouldn’t have called it, (Wesley's foul) I would have had a wide open shot because I had him already set up. So, he could have picked his poison. Either I could have hit a three on him or I could have done it from the free throw line. So he should be lucky I didn’t hit a three on him.”
The one who was draining the three's however, was Baron Davis of the Hornets. Davis buried a team high five consecutive three-pointers in the third quarter to give the Hornets a 64-63 lead at the end of the quarter.
The Pacers led at halftime 42-38, which concluded with Ron Artest's off balance 25-foot three-pointer. The Pacers seized the lead with a 23-8 run in the second quarter.
Artest ended up with 22 points and 7 rebounds for the contest, second only to Jermaine O'Neal's 24 points, 11 rebounds.
Artest and O'Neal were the only Pacers in double-figures for night, a night when the Pacers shot 39% percent and were outrebounded 47-43, but outscored the Hornets 15-9 from the free-throw line.
The Pacers set an NBA franchise record by winning their sixth consecutive road game; their 6-0 start is one shy of matching the 1969-70 ABA Pacers for the all-time fastest start. It also was their fourth win in a row overall, improving their record to 10-2, still the best in the NBA.
After a rare weekend off, the Pacers face a busy holiday week that brings five games in seven days, beginning Monday night in Orlando against the reeling Magic.
Gametime Monday is at 7pm (EST)
November 21, 2003 - 11:50 PM
There are games that set the tone for the season, tonight appeared to be one of those games for the Indiana Pacers.
Reggie Miller hit a pair of go ahead free throws with 8.4 seconds left to lift the Indiana Pacers to a 76-75 victory over the Hornets on Friday night.
There was more drama left after Miller's clutch free throws. Jermaine O'Neal was fouled and proceeded to miss the first free throw, then purposely missing the second to run off more time on the clock, setting up a dramatic finish.
It came down to one last shot, but Hornets' rookie David West just missed converting a backdoor alley-oop pass from Sean Rooks to help the Pacers get their sixth straight road win this year.
“We definitely won it." Reggie Miller said. "Anytime you go on the road, and both teams struggle in the fourth quarter…we scored 13 and they scored 11. Defense definitely won the game. I’d rather win ugly than lose pretty, and tonight was one of those cases.”
The Hornets' David Wesley fouled Reggie Miller coming around a screen on the baseline. Miller made both free throws to put the Pacers ahead 76-75 with 8.4 seconds remaining.
Wesley's foul was the key play that helped give the Pacers the win, however some didn't see it that way, the foul sent Hornets coach Tim Floyd into a stomping rage, directing his anger at referee Courtney Kirkland.
Miller however, saw the foul quite differently.
“If you look at it from their point of view, you don’t want the call." Miller said. "You want players to decide the ball game, but you know through the other three quarters, that would be a foul. I’m one of those players who likes players to decide ball games, but is it a foul? Yes it’s a foul and they would call it at any other time of the game."
"If they wouldn’t have called it, (Wesley's foul) I would have had a wide open shot because I had him already set up. So, he could have picked his poison. Either I could have hit a three on him or I could have done it from the free throw line. So he should be lucky I didn’t hit a three on him.”
The one who was draining the three's however, was Baron Davis of the Hornets. Davis buried a team high five consecutive three-pointers in the third quarter to give the Hornets a 64-63 lead at the end of the quarter.
The Pacers led at halftime 42-38, which concluded with Ron Artest's off balance 25-foot three-pointer. The Pacers seized the lead with a 23-8 run in the second quarter.
Artest ended up with 22 points and 7 rebounds for the contest, second only to Jermaine O'Neal's 24 points, 11 rebounds.
Artest and O'Neal were the only Pacers in double-figures for night, a night when the Pacers shot 39% percent and were outrebounded 47-43, but outscored the Hornets 15-9 from the free-throw line.
The Pacers set an NBA franchise record by winning their sixth consecutive road game; their 6-0 start is one shy of matching the 1969-70 ABA Pacers for the all-time fastest start. It also was their fourth win in a row overall, improving their record to 10-2, still the best in the NBA.
After a rare weekend off, the Pacers face a busy holiday week that brings five games in seven days, beginning Monday night in Orlando against the reeling Magic.
Gametime Monday is at 7pm (EST)