Pacers Leave Knicks in their Dust; Taking Talents to South Beach

Years from now, when we look back on the 2013 NBA Playoffs, on the Indiana Pacers' second round victory over their arch-rival, the New York Knicks, it won't be remembered for a single sequence (like '8 points in 9 seconds') or a single stellar game. No, when we're discussing this game five, ten, twenty years from now, the enduring moment of this series will be what came after-the-fact, after the Pacers' series-clinching game six victory when all five Indiana starters had a shared "podium game." 

As customary in these playoffs, the duties of speaking to the media after the game fall on the "star" of that particular game. In beating (and beating up, in some cases) the Knicks, the Pacers underscored what has come to be their calling card all year: defense, rebounding and a total team effort. Thus, after the final buzzer, when it came to that time of the night, it wasn't just going to be Roy Hibbert (21 points, 12 rebounds, 5 blocks, including this*) or George Hill (made four straight free throws to ice it) or David West (17 points, some beautiful dimes in the fourth) or Paul George (23 points, stellar fourth quarter defense on a red-hot Carmelo Anthony) or even Lance "Born Ready" Stephenson (playoff career-high 25 points, 9 in the last five minutes**, 10 rebounds, some absolutely ferocious forays to the hoop). It was all of them up there, answering questions from the assembled media members about how they as a unit came together, grew together and succeeded together. All of them had a hand in leading the team to the next round.

After beginning the season without Danny Granger, the team's leading scorer the previous four years, the question of who would emerge to lead the team was a legitimate concern. Candidates were aplenty. There was rising star George, set to inherit most of Granger's responsibilities on the wing. There was the elder statesman, West. Then there were the two players whom the Pacers spent a lot of money on the past off-season, Hibbert and Hill. Which one of them would become the team's star?

Who would take the driver's seat and command the most attention and scrutiny? 

Who would step up?

"Pacers, who?"

Collectively, they answered: "We."

 

The Indiana Pacers are now in the Eastern Conference Finals. Awaiting them are the defending-champion Miami Heat, led by the best player in the game today, LeBron James. Last year, the Heat and the Pacers faced off in the Eastern Semifinals, with Miami eliminating the young and brash Indiana upstarts in six games. James in particular submitted an epic performance in that series, going for 40-18-9-2-2*** in a game four victory in Indianapolis. With a player like that, it truly will take a total team effort to overcome such greatness. Add to that the Heat's homecourt advantage, it is an uphill climb, but it is one challenge their coach, Frank Vogel, is eager to meet. 

Asked about the Heat, Vogel plainly said, "They are just the next team in our way." And should the Pacers continue to play their team-oriented game, who knows, we might just have another podium moment to look back fondly on. 

*Of course, if fans chose to associate this series with this image, I'm all for it.

**Notice a trend? Clutch performances all around.

***With numbers like that, do you really need to know which one is points, which one is rebounds, etc.?

The Pacers? We Talking About The Pacers?!

Yes, that would be my Indiana Pacers. Why? Because currently, with a 22-12 record, the Indiana Pacers reside at the no. 3 position of the Eastern Conference. One of basketball's proudest franchises (going back to its ABA roots), this organization was once one of the powers of the NBA during the 90's and early 00's. Recent years have been less than kind to Pacer Nation which is what is making the current season all that much sweeter.

Long-time Pacer fans such as myself have been suffering for the better part of the last decade. Between all the suspensions, negativity, the retirement of the great number 31 Reggie Miller, and most depressingly, the multitude of losses, there hasn't been much to talk about when it came to our favorite team. Sure, there have been some shining moments of individual players stepping up or unexpected wins over league powerhouses, but they were all just fleeting moments of pride. A day or too if "Hey, how 'bout them Pacers?" When it came down to it, the Pacers were not all too good.

Then something funny happened last year. Much to the surprise of the public-at-large, the Indiana Pacers somehow made it into the 2011 NBA playoffs, despite owning a losing record. Many pundits were expecting a meek effort from a team that wasn't seen as a legitimate playoff team, let alone a championship contender. And the Pacers did bow out of the race early, losing their first round series against the no. 1-seeded Chicago Bulls, 1-4. Oh but anyone who watched that series would be hard-pressed to call the boys in Blue and Gold, meek. They displayed toughness and swagger, defensive stops were being made and there were actual good ol' fashioned highlights - from Indiana! The Pacers, who many thought "lucked out" into the playoffs actually gave the Bulls a fight and the world a reason to pause and think, "Hey, these guys might actually be good." Well, in sports, winning and losing are miles apart and for all intents and purposes, the Pacers had "another" disappointing season. Except this time around, there was something to build on.

Due to a failure to come to terms between the owners and the players (don't ask), the NBA's 2011-2012 season started later than usual. But when it finally came around, it looked like the Indiana Pacers were picking up right where they left off. The Pacers started off with a bunch of wins, tacked on more, and more and more and more (including wins on the road against the Lakers, Bulls and defending champion Mavericks) until they found themselves near the top of the standings. To the delight of many sports fans who love hearing about the underdog finally breaking through, this was just another overachieving team. To the Pacer faithful? This was our guys finally doing what we long ago believed (and hoped and dreamed) they could do. This was redemption and vindication. This was sweet and long overdue.

Through a combination of tenacity, grit and poise, the Indiana Pacers have rolled through the NBA picking up more wins than losses at a pace (pun non intended) unseen since 2004. Led by high-scoring swingman Danny Granger, the face of the franchise through these past few rough years, vastly improved big man Roy Hibbert (a participant in this past All-Star game), veteran free agent pick-up David West, second-year stud Paul George (who is going to become a regular during All-Star Weekend and not just on Sundays, bet on it) and steady point guard Darren Collison, the citizens of the state of Indiana (and its transplants all over the globe) have a team to root for again. It's a hardworking bunch that will give you your money's worth most nights playing great team defense (buzz words for good teams) and smart offense (a nicer of way saying, "an offense not predicated around one or two individuals").

The great thing about this team is that they really have grown over the past couple years. Hard lessons were learned and crushing experiences were used to build character. Bad eggs were jettisoned, youngins with potential were cultivated and winning was put ahead of everything. They got sick of losing and found the winning cure.

Expectations are high right now, as they should be. Winning does that. For us fans, it's a dream come true. When Larry Bird started assembling this roster not too long ago, we did not know it would all come together this beautifully. Hope was all we had. Hope that Roy would develop into a true, dependable center (just about there); that Darren could join the ranks of the best point guards in the league (almost there); that we could get lucky and snag serviceable rooks and free agents during the off-season (look at all the additions these past three years: George, West, Tyler Hansbrough, George Hill); and that Danny could finally become the leader we needed him to be. Lo and behold, look at where the team is at now.

Of course, the season is far from over and there's a lot more basketball left to be played. The real challenges of being mentally-tough and being better late in the season are on the horizon, challenges that could easily overwhelm undeserving teams. The NBA season is a marathon, not a sprint, as they say, where the importance of peaking at the right time is paramount to ending the season in June rather than April. Well, so far the Pacers have kept pace and are prime in position to make waves in the basketball world. Pacer fans can't wait for the next leg of the race. This team has improved too much to slow down now and the finish line (and first place) has not looked this near in a long time. See you there.

Good Sports Day

The Yankees have just won championship no. 27. WOW. Congratulations boys.

It's always amazing to follow a team during a championship season. You're in for a ride you know? You watch games, check box scores, read every story, and then you see them win it all.

Especially when they beat a really great team too! The Phillies are awesome in their own right and I was legitimately afraid of them everytime they went up to bat. Whether it was Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, Raul Ibanez or whomever was up next, each hitter was a threat to go deep. Cliff Lee led a superb rotation of starting pitchers. People shouldn't overlook the fact that the Yankees beat a really, really, REALLY good team.

Championships are won by the team you know can bring it every night and can bring it as a team. Sacrifice, heart and unity get it done. This team had all of that. Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte and Jorge Posada, just like old times right? Legacy players who won it all one more time. First-timers Mark Teixeira, CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett all got the job done. And of course, Alex Rodriguez finally got his first championship ring. Oh and last but certainly not least, Hideki Matsui as the DH winning World Series MVP. Congrats Godzilla.

AND! The Pacers got their first win today beating (ironically) the New York Knicks. Guess you can't have everything. Haha. Thank God for TJ Ford today. Dahntay Jones, Brandon Rush and Roy Hibbert too! Danny, you better not skip out on the media this time (I suspect reporters will be in a rush to leave though, wanting to get to Yankee Stadium).

Great day.

(Plus, I've got Friday Night Lights to watch later too! Haha!)

All Is Right In The World

There's something really...beautiful, when there are actual NBA box scores to check. It's like finding something that was once lost. You're whole again.

I am whole again. I am complete. Everything's back to normal. Thus, I've made a list of 15 things that I as an NBA fan will do this season.

1.) Hype up every Pacer win.
2.) Continue to drive the Danny Granger bandwagon.
3.) Steadfastly continue to believe that the Pacers are winning the 'chip this year. (They are.)
4.) Bear witness to the King and spread his word to everyone.
5.) Root for the Oklahoma City Thunder kids namely, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Jeff Green.
6.) Laugh at every Laker loss. (Die Sasha, die.)
7.) Laud the exploits of my favorite point guard in the league, Deron Williams and vote for him as a starter for the West.
8.) Scour the waiver wire for people to add/drop throughout the Fantasy season.
9.) Pray that Williams, Westbrook, Green, Monta Ellis, Wilson Chandler, Spencer Hawes, Troy Murphy, Andre Iguodala, Yi Jian Lian, Courtney Lee, Andrei Kirilenko, Aaron Brooks and Channing Frye don't get hurt too much and produce as much as they can.
10.) Predict that the Cavs will beat the Spurs for the title this year.
11.) Totally and fully support the Khlomar show. (I'm praying for a Kim Kardashian-Luke Walton hook-up)
12.) Keep an eye on Tyreke Evans, Trevor Ariza, Greg Oden, Lou Williams, Chris Douglas-Roberts, Eric Gordon, Ryan Gomes, JJ Redick and Randy Foye.
13.) Totally support the Jerry Sloan for Coach of the Year initiative.
14.) Watch Allen Iverson implode in Memphis.
15.) Rejoice in the return of Gilbert Arenas, basketball stud.

Getting a full does of NBA basketball today was quite possibly the best part of not having school. You're around for everything as it happens. They aren't highlights yet; they're moments. And that's what makes it fun watching the NBA. To quote a line from the movie Hitch: "Life isn't the number of breaths you take. It's the moments that take your breath away." God I love this game.

REGGIE!

Good times.

My favorite parts?

1. Larry Bird's reaction: none. The Legend has seen too many of these and made just as much. Nothing to it.

2. Rik Smits was still alive back then.

3. DERRICK McKEY!!!!

4. One of my favorite backcourts ever, Mark Jackson and Reggie Miller.

5. Yeah, he pushed MJ and got away with it.

6. REGGIE DOES IT AGAIN.

I love this game. I love the Pacers. I love Reggie Miller.

What If...?

...The Indiana Pacers did not get Danny Granger in the '05 draft?

That would be terrible. The '05-'06 team, and I use the word loosely, had Ron Artest/Peja Stojakovic, Jermaine O'Neal, Stephen Jackson, Jamaal Tinsley and Anthony Johnson. And Danny. And he played well that year and the Pacers made the playoffs for the last time as the Pacers veteran leaders imploded the following summer which in turn turned the Pacers, for all intents and purposes, into Granger's team. Yay. Had the Pacers not lucked out (remember, guys like Fran Vasquez, Channing Frye and Yaroslav Korolev were picked before him) and not found Danny still team-less by the time it was their turn at number 17, they coulda gotten one of the aforementioned busts or one of the players selected after Danny such as Gerald Green, Julius Hodge and Hakim Warrick (though Nate Robinson, Jarrett Jack, Francisco Garcia, David Lee and Monta Ellis were also still available, I would assume that Green, Hodge and Warrick woulda been picked because Granger and them are similar players.). This would've been another Freddie Jones scenario. Good guys at first with lots of potential but eventually not turn out well for Indy. Thank God.

...I did not go to Ateneo and taken my parents' offer of a larger allowance if I went to UP?

I assume a lot of things would've changed. And the more I think about it, my life would be totally different. So many of the people I know today would not be a part of my life, for better and worse. WOW. I'd probably be hanging out with the rest of the A-boys in UP and not know a good 90% of the people I know today. But bigger allowance means more comics. Haha. But still, the events that have played out over the past 3 years...wow. That's a Sliders episode if I ever saw one. Or at least, a knocked-on-the-head-put-into-a-coma-for-a-few-days story. I wonder...

...I had continued with basketball?

Among the greatest regrets I have in life, this stands out. I think this would've also drastically altered my life. I mean, I'd probably be a better player than I am today and have a totally different mindset about college and the future. Also, I think I'd be fitter. Haha. Wait, fitter's a word right? Moving on, I'd be a baller and all. I could've made the team even. Why are you laughing??

...I was not an A-Boy?

Yikes, let's not even go there. That's a Days-of-Future-Past type story.

...Oceanic Flight 815 never crashed on the island?

What if Desmond waited a day later to decide to frak things up and not push the button? What if another plane, maybe a smaller one carrying LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers would've crashed on the island. Or no, better yet, the plane should've been carrying the 2004 NBA All-Stars. Think about it. We'd lose Jack, Kate and Sawyer (and Hurley and Charlie and Sun) but we'd get LeBron T-Mac and Shaq and Kobe and KG and all on the island. You think Ben and the Others would ever mess with them? I think not! Though I think KG would've sided with them if it gave him a better chance at winning a title. He'd be Michael. Shaq would replace Locke (he'd be able to "run" again) and Kobe would be Kate because of all the legal stuff. Also, Ron Artest would be Sawyer. It would pretty much be a sausagefest though.

...Chad Murray (Made you think for a sec who that was no? Ha!) and Ben Mackenzie had their fates switched and they starred on the other's TV show?

Think about it. Nathan and Lucas would probably still be fighting to this day and Seth would've probably fallen in love with Ryan. Haha.

I love you Danny Granger

Granger for the wiiinn...

BOOM BABY!

Oh yes.

(Welcome back Mike Dunleavy.)

9 Things I REALLY want to Happen in 2009

1. Transformers 2. Harry Potter 6. Wolverine. Star Trek. G.I. Joe.

Can these movies not suck please? PLEASE?

2. "And with the FIRST pick of the 2009 draft, the Indiana Pacers select Blake Griffin from Oklahoma University..."

3. "And your back-to-back, UAAP Men's basketball champions, the Ateneo Blue Eagles!"

4. Ben Reilly. In any comic. Done well. Let's go Joe!

5. To never hear the phrase "$3.99, 32 pages." (Comics related haha)

6. To fit in my old clothes again :|

7. For a surprise birthday party on my 21st birthday haha. I hope all my friends read this.

8. To continue getting good grades.

9.
Me : "So...us?"
(secret): "Us. Yeah."

:D


Nine for '09. Yes we can!

Happy new year folks!

Randomness

1. Okay, here we go again. Let's not make the same mistakes shall we?

2. 7-13 to start the year. Ooohh boy. What's encouraging is the fact that we can play with anybody. There isn't a team in the NBA Indiana can't hang with but the problem lies in the fact that the style of play that gives us a chance against good teams exposes us to the not-so-good teams too. Danny is being keyed in on more now. When Dun comes back, he should have an easier time scoring. We need Hibbert and Rush to contribute more too. Troy, Rasho and Marquis are playing well. There's still a lot of time for the Pacers to make the playoffs. We can do this.

3. Secret Invaion finally finished! Dark Reign here we come!

And that's it. Haha. Later sports fans...

PACERS WIN

PACERS WIN

THAT IS ALL.

(I love you Murph!)

WHAT TEAM? INDIANA PACERS!

Okay so it doesn't have the same ring to it as "Wildcats!" But any day my boys beat the defending champs, 95-79 is a reason to bust out some ill-sounding cheers. It's already a good day. GO PACERS!

Where are you Mike Dunleavy Jr.?

You let your brother do all the work. He did have 33 points but without you, we lost. Please come back to me.

DERON WILLIAMS IS A PACER NOW!

Well, at least, thanks to this trade I made on ESPN's Trade Machine.

I now have a (fictional) first five of Troy Murphy, Jeff Foster, Danny Granger, Mike Dunleavy and DERON FRICKIN' WILLIAMS.

Damn it if only this trade went down in real life.

(If the link don't work, I get Deron, Korver, Ronnie Price, Kosta Koufos and Matt Harpring. The Jazz get Jamaal Tinsley, Rasho and Marquis. Suck on that.)

I really hate Wednesdays

I really hate Wednesdays. If there's one day out of all the seven that never fails to make me sad from the moment I open my eyes it's gotta be Wednesday. Middle of the week hell. Wednesday suck the life completely out of me. Argh.

I like Lupe Fiasco. His voice has a good tone to it, (I sound like Paula) he's fresh, smooth, vanilla, (I sound like Randy...I think) and he does have that quality in his rapping that makes you realize that maybe the dude's got it in him to put a whole new spin on the rap game. (I don't sound like Simon.) His songs are mellow but upbeat. For bouncing your head along to. Here's to Lupe.

No one is reading this blog. Haha.

Indiana plays Houston tomorrow. The Rockets are minus Yao but have so far won 3 games without him to extend their winning-streak to 15. That ends tomorrow, Rockets Fans, it most certainly ends tomorrow. (In my dreams.)

Seriously though, I'm liking the direction the team's heading in. The Danger Bros., Danger Granger and Danger Dun are studs that we could build around on. Granger posts up, knocks down treys and defends like a pitbull. Dunleavy surgically cuts up the opponent's D and uses picks to perfection, with or without the rock. The other guys are stepping it up too. Kareem's got a nice offensive game. Jeff is still rock solid down low, rebounding and playing tough low-post defense. Troy's a mismatch for other bigs and Travis, Marquis, Ike and Shawne (Don't talk to murderers please!) are good support players. What does the team lack? A big who can consistently score in the block and a point guard who can get into the heart of the D...which we already have. Damn it. *sigh* I haven't really given up on Jamaal and Jermaine. I'm just hoping that somehow, someway, these negative thoughts I have find their way into our two "stars'" heads and bother the hell outta them. Fellas, you are the leaders of this team! Reggie didn't give up on the franchise so why should you? C'mon! We can still make the playoffs and makes some noise. Get it together! (Or at least get it together enough so we can fool teams into giving us better players in exchange for you....fly my thoughts, fly!)

My thoughts on the MVP race? LeBron of course. (Yes, I hate the Lakers but that's not the point). LeBron James clearly is the most valuable player in the league. Why? Because A) The Cavs are 0-6 without LeBron, 0-7 if you count the the game in which LeBron got injured, against the Pistons. B) In the losses they've suffered with him, he produced big numbers, his teammates didn't. C) The Gasol trade gives the Lakers a legit team even if Kobe doesn't play. If it was Cavs-Lakers and the fives were, Z-Ben Wallace-Wally-Sasha-Boobie and Gasol-Bynum-Odom-Luke-DFish, which five would you go with? To me, MVP is the guy whose absence will affect his team the most. LeBron is that guy. Plus, 30-8-7-2-1. You do the math.

My playoff predictions:
East:

1st Round

(1) Boston vs (8) Indiana

Boston holds on to the top spot, My Pacers are good enough to make it but c'mon, even I know there's no hope here. Boston in 5 (and that's being generous...sorry guys...)

(2) Detroit vs (7) Washington

I say, Gil, Caron and Antawn play together again this season but Gil never really gets his hibachi going and the other guys don't adjust to not shooting..err...playing with Arenas again. Detroit destroys them in game 1. Then game 2. Then game 3. Gil predicts that they can still win the series, Rasheed says otherwise, harsh words are said, more words are said (this time, crazy words) and Gil scores 50 in game 4...on 50 shots. Detroit still wins. Detroit in 4.

(3) Cleveland vs (6) Atlanta

Atlanta figures out that they actually have enough talent to move up in the standings. Joe Johnson scores. Josh Smith dunks. Mike Bibby misses (just playin' Mike). They all bow down to the King who probably opens the playoffs with either a 40-point game or a 35-12-10. All hail the King....Cleveland in 6.

(4) Orlando vs (5) Toronto

The only "real" playoff series in the East. Orlando wins the first 2 at home. Then Toronto gets the next 2. Followed by game 5, Orlando takes games 6 and we have ourselves a game 7. Dwight comes up big in his first big playoff game and the Magic advance to the semis. Orlando in 7.

Semis

(1) Boston vs (4) Orlando

People say Orlando upsets Boston in 7 but KG ain't havin' any of that. "Wait your turn young fella," Garnett says to D-12 after dropping 30-20-10-5 in the deciding game 6. Dwight though shows everyone though who's got next on that best big man tag, averages 27 and 18 for the series. Boston in 6.

(2) Detroit vs (3) Cleveland

Third straight year these two teams will meet, the first 2 times they split. I say LeBron continues his ascension and it's an ex-Piston who comes up big. No, not Ben Wallace. Joe Smith gives Sheed fits because he can actually match-up with him. Cleveland in 6.

East Finals

(1) Boston vs (3) Cleveland

The Big Three vs The King. Boston-Cleveland 2008 turns out to be LeBron's real coming out party. Mark my words, LeBron will redefine the meaning of big-time performer. Get ready to see at least one 50-point game, three triple-doubles (including one 40-15-10) and countless "Yes-LeBron-James-is-the-best-player-in-the-league" montages (deservedly so) AND enough spectacular plays to fill a top 10. BUT, but, I say the Celtics win in 7. Why? Because Kevin Garnett needs to. He realizes that his place in history as the greatest power forward ever hinges on him reaching the finals. Despite LeBron playing god, the Big Three are too much to overcome and KG finally makes it. Boston in 7.

I'll get to the West tomorrow. Toodles.