velik_m
11-18-2006, 02:58 AM
Celtics 114, Pacers 88
Pacers get clobbered, fall to .500
By Mike Wells
[email protected]
November 15, 2006
BOSTON -- You can easily point to the Indiana Pacers' inability to rebound -- again -- as the reason they lost to the struggling Boston Celtics on Wednesday.
That would be letting the Pacers off too easily, though.
They let the Celtics' athletic, but inexperienced, point guards outhustle them. For a team of veterans, the Pacers were the ones looking like the team that's rebuilding as they came unraveled mentally and physically in the second half.
The Pacers became Boston's second victim of the season when the Celtics outplayed them in the second half of their easy 114-88 victory at the TD Banknorth Garden.
"Don't ever underestimate a desperate team, and they were desperate and they played their (expletive) off and they deserved to kick our (expletive)," coach Rick Carlisle said afterward.
Frustration mounted after the game when forward Jermaine O'Neal, still in his uniform, went into the coaches' office down the hall from the locker room and had a heated conversation that lasted about 15 minutes. Voices could be heard in the hallway. O'Neal declined to comment on the incident, for which team president Larry Bird was also in the room.
The Pacers, who have dropped two straight games, have said a number of times it's going to take time before they start looking like the team they want to be.
It could take a lot longer than expected because they continue to make the same mistakes Carlisle is trying to correct.
The Pacers (4-4) have yet to beat a team that had a winning record last season.
"I don't know what it is," Pacers shooting guard Stephen Jackson said. "I can't really put my hand on it. Everybody knows we're a lot better than what we're showing. Everybody has different things on their mind. Some things have to change."
One thing that could change is the Pacers' rotation, including the starting lineup. For the second time this season, Carlisle said he's going to look at possibly making a lineup change.
"Right now we have 15 healthy players and we have a chance for some consistency," he said. "I'm going to look at the film and we may have to shuffle the deck. Maybe these pieces don't fit together.
"I still think they can (get it together), but you have to bring commitment, you have to bring the unselfishness and you have to bring the passion, otherwise you are going to get your (expletive) kicked. That's how it works in this league."
The Pacers haven't gotten the memo yet that says they have to rebound missed shots if they want to use their so far nonexistent uptempo offense.
The Pacers followed up their rebounding debacle against Chicago on Saturday by letting the Celtics outrebound them 53-33.
The Pacers reverted to some of their bad habits in the second half when the Celtics shot 60 percent from the field.
Jackson was called for a technical for complaining about a play he thought was a foul. Carlisle promptly benched him. Point guard Jamaal Tinsley was whistled for a flagrant foul on Celtics forward Wally Szczerbiak following a Jackson turnover.
"The disappointing thing was when things got tough, Boston was the tougher team," Carlisle said. "That is not the sign of the type of team we need to be successful."
Paul Pierce led all scorers with 32 points on 11-of-19 shooting in 32 minutes. Al Harrington led the Pacers with 23 points.
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/artikkel?Dato=20061115&Kategori=SPORTS04&Lopenr=611150499&Ref=AR&template=printart
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Is it just me, or does anyone else think that Artest was not their only problem?
Pacers get clobbered, fall to .500
By Mike Wells
[email protected]
November 15, 2006
BOSTON -- You can easily point to the Indiana Pacers' inability to rebound -- again -- as the reason they lost to the struggling Boston Celtics on Wednesday.
That would be letting the Pacers off too easily, though.
They let the Celtics' athletic, but inexperienced, point guards outhustle them. For a team of veterans, the Pacers were the ones looking like the team that's rebuilding as they came unraveled mentally and physically in the second half.
The Pacers became Boston's second victim of the season when the Celtics outplayed them in the second half of their easy 114-88 victory at the TD Banknorth Garden.
"Don't ever underestimate a desperate team, and they were desperate and they played their (expletive) off and they deserved to kick our (expletive)," coach Rick Carlisle said afterward.
Frustration mounted after the game when forward Jermaine O'Neal, still in his uniform, went into the coaches' office down the hall from the locker room and had a heated conversation that lasted about 15 minutes. Voices could be heard in the hallway. O'Neal declined to comment on the incident, for which team president Larry Bird was also in the room.
The Pacers, who have dropped two straight games, have said a number of times it's going to take time before they start looking like the team they want to be.
It could take a lot longer than expected because they continue to make the same mistakes Carlisle is trying to correct.
The Pacers (4-4) have yet to beat a team that had a winning record last season.
"I don't know what it is," Pacers shooting guard Stephen Jackson said. "I can't really put my hand on it. Everybody knows we're a lot better than what we're showing. Everybody has different things on their mind. Some things have to change."
One thing that could change is the Pacers' rotation, including the starting lineup. For the second time this season, Carlisle said he's going to look at possibly making a lineup change.
"Right now we have 15 healthy players and we have a chance for some consistency," he said. "I'm going to look at the film and we may have to shuffle the deck. Maybe these pieces don't fit together.
"I still think they can (get it together), but you have to bring commitment, you have to bring the unselfishness and you have to bring the passion, otherwise you are going to get your (expletive) kicked. That's how it works in this league."
The Pacers haven't gotten the memo yet that says they have to rebound missed shots if they want to use their so far nonexistent uptempo offense.
The Pacers followed up their rebounding debacle against Chicago on Saturday by letting the Celtics outrebound them 53-33.
The Pacers reverted to some of their bad habits in the second half when the Celtics shot 60 percent from the field.
Jackson was called for a technical for complaining about a play he thought was a foul. Carlisle promptly benched him. Point guard Jamaal Tinsley was whistled for a flagrant foul on Celtics forward Wally Szczerbiak following a Jackson turnover.
"The disappointing thing was when things got tough, Boston was the tougher team," Carlisle said. "That is not the sign of the type of team we need to be successful."
Paul Pierce led all scorers with 32 points on 11-of-19 shooting in 32 minutes. Al Harrington led the Pacers with 23 points.
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/artikkel?Dato=20061115&Kategori=SPORTS04&Lopenr=611150499&Ref=AR&template=printart
-----
Is it just me, or does anyone else think that Artest was not their only problem?