Month: April 2014

It’s time for Chris Copeland to play

TYLER SMITH ISL Correspondent After his second consecutive 3-point shot on Monday night, Chris Copeland looked right at Indiana coach Frank Vogel and said, “I told you!” I can’t help but feel like Copeland was speaking for far more people than just himself. I, for one, have been calling, begging, pleading for Copeland to get […]

Second quarter dooms Pacers

TYLER SMITH ISL Correspondent INDIANAPOLIS — After a big Game 4 victory on the road, the Pacers and their fans felt relieved that they had once again gained home-court advantage and control of the first-round series against the Atlanta Hawks. Game 5 was an opportunity to take a lead in the series for the first […]

Chapman: Bulls being out-Bulled by Wizards

By JOSHUA CHAPMAN ISL Correspondent What…huh…how?!? The Chicago Bulls are down three games to one and need to rattle off three straight victories in order to keep their season alive. The Bulls were many “experts” favorite (including yours truly) to move on and face presumably Indiana (not going well for predictions so far). But what […]

Pacers survive to tie series 2-2

TYLER SMITH ISL Correspondent Heading into Saturday’s Game 4, it was put-up or shut-up time for the Indiana Pacers. There has been a lot of talking from the Pacer players all season long, which is OK when you’re backing it up with confident play.  When things are going poorly, however, doing your talking on the […]

Hawks take 2-1 series lead over Pacers

By TYLER SMITH ISL Correspondent The third quarter has been the deciding factor in each game of the Pacers-Hawks series. Thursday night had a similar feel. After an ugly offensive first half which resulted in a one-point lead for Atlanta, the Hawks outscored the Pacers 28-20 in the third quarter, taking control of the game […]

Weber: Pacers bench rights ship with dominant stretch

By ROSS WEBER ISL Correspondent You could feel it coming. Something huge was bound to happen. With under 3:30 to go in the third quarter, David West and George Hill scored back-to-back layups, giving the Pacers a 72-65 lead over the Hawks in this must-win Game 2 for Indiana. Then after a steal, Paul George’s […]

Pacers win big, even series with Hawks

By TYLER SMITH ISL Correspondent INDIANAPOLIS — Tuesday night’s Game 2 was a must-win for the Indiana Pacers, and they delivered a huge third quarter to eventually win 101-85 and tie the series at one game apiece. Things didn’t start out so well for Indiana, as the Pacers trailed 38-27 in the second quarter. It […]

Game 2 Preview: Pacers face must-win situation

TYLER SMITH ISL Correspondent The time between Game 1 and Game 2 of the first-round playoff series will probably feel like a month for the Pacers and their fans. They may have an extra day to make some much-needed adjustments, but I would imagine the players would want to get back on the floor as […]

Chapman: Bulls, Heat to meet in East finals; Pacers to fall short

By JOSHUA CHAPMAN ISL Correspondent Note: Chapman wrote this before Saturday’s games began. Ah, the playoffs are here once again! It is time to crown a champion from the pool of 16. While the West is a gauntlet of great teams, the East (or as some call it, the “Leastern Conference”), presumably has 2 teams […]

Hawks steal Game 1 from Pacers, 101-93

TYLER SMITH ISL Correspondent INDIANAPOLIS — Much discussion has been made all season long about the Pacers gaining home-court advantage in the playoffs. All it took was one game to lose that advantage in the opening series against the Atlanta Hawks. Atlanta used a huge third quarter to pull away from Indiana and steal Game […]

Weber: Pacers and other NBA Playoffs predictions

By ROSS WEBER ISL Correspondent We all know how much the Indiana Pacers have struggled recently, but if there is any other team that has struggled about just as much heading into the NBA Playoffs, it’s the Atlanta Hawks. Certainly, Indiana’s struggles have been more public across the country, but the 12-13 record since March […]