So are the Pacers legit now? Does playing the Heat close once and then beating them the second time make a team legit? Does it matter, when they comprehensively beat the Knicks in the last round? My answers: yes, not necessarily, and not really, but the Heat are a much better measurement of legitimacy. One thing can’t be denied, though: the NBA establishment is warming to the previously no-name Pacers. The reaction to Paul George’s dunk last night proves that. And what
For the Indiana Pacers, the game was theirs for the taking. Dwyane Wade fouled out. They won the free throw and rebounding battles while forcing 21 Miami Heat turnovers. Yet when the final buzzer sounded and LeBron James’ layup gave the Heat a 103-102 overtime win in Wednesday night’s Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, Indiana was left sulking and stunned while asking themselves “what the hell happened?” “It just felt like everything was in our favor,” Pacers forward Paul
LeBron James and the Miami Heat are now closing in on not their first, not their second, but their third consecutive NBA Finals appearance, where they will be looking for their second ring with “The Big Three.” But before we can punch Miami’s ticket to the Finals, the Heat still have four games left to win against an Indiana Pacers team they’ve lost 2 out of 3 against this season. [Read more…]
With defensive tenacity and a punishing, menacing front line, the Indiana Pacers have reached the Eastern Conference finals. But if vanquishing the New York Knicks in six games seemed like a tall task, their path to the NBA Finals seems preposterously gargantuan in comparison. To defeat LeBron James in his prime and the Miami Heat in a best-of-seven series is akin to defeating a Michael Jordan-led Bulls team in his prime. James is the best player in the world. He has several
On one of the rare off nights in the NBA playoffs, we have a few precious hours to catch our breaths and take care of everything we’ve neglected — our friends, families and most importantly, errands — for the last six weeks, and reflect. While a handful of teams focus on the NBA draft combine, the Miami Heat, San Antonio Spurs and Memphis Grizzlies are gearing up for the conference finals, which the Spurs and Grizzlies will kick off in San
NEW YORK — How did Frank Vogel get his start in coaching? “That’s a long story you’re getting into there,” I was warned as I asked Vogel that question at the Pacers’ shootaround on Tuesday morning at MSG. Indeed, it is. Vogel, who finished a distant fifth in voting for Coach of the Year honors, isn’t a former NBA player. He is, however, a former Division III, pre-med varsity point guard with a 2.6 GPA (“That was not going to get me into med
When Golden State Warriors and Denver Nuggets played their first game on Saturday in Game 1 of the opening round of the playoffs, most expected a high-scoring game between two of the better offensive teams in the league. The final score of the contest? 97-95. Not exactly what we had in mind. [Related: Why the Warriors can beat the Nuggets in 6 games] Both teams suffered from what appeared to be a case of the butterflies, and the Warriors actually did a better
The Indiana Pacers and Atlanta Hawks both skidded into the playoffs with uninspiring performances in April. It was only a few weeks ago when the Pacers looked solidly positioned to secure the Eastern Conference’s second seed. Instead, they went 2-5 in April and fell to third. Meanwhile, the Hawks also struggled at the end of the season and appeared to strategically tank their final two games in an attempt to avoid the Heat in the early rounds of the playoffs. [Read