By CHRIS GOFF ISL Correspondent With a 3-1 series lead and Dwight Howard schmoozing with his chiropractor, the game should have been anticlimactic. The Indiana Pacers were going to defeat the Orlando Magic. They inevitably would seize their first playoff series victory since 2005. And they would move on to bigger things, advance to face […]
Continue ReadingBy CHRIS GOFF ISL Correspondent With 2012 winding down, it’s worth a look back at the year that was. This is the point on the calendar when media types step back and attempt to weave a bunch of tiny threads into a larger quilt. In terms of the Indiana Pacers, no need to overthink it. […]
Continue ReadingBy CLIFF BRUNT ISL Editor There were 18,000-plus fans wearing Gold Swagger T-shirts at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. All of them put together probably couldn’t have guarded Dwyane Wade on Thursday night. Wade looked like he was controlled by some kid playing his Wii all night. The All-Star guard had 41 points and 10 rebounds to […]
Continue ReadingBy CLIFF BRUNT ISL Editor Tyler Hansbrough and Lance Stephenson might have dropped the two biggest assists for the Pacers in their second-round series against Miami. By hammering Dwyane Wade in Game 5, the kind of foul Jeff Foster was famous for, Hansbrough turned Miami into a team that felt it needed to prove its […]
Continue ReadingBy CLIFF BRUNT ISL Editor It shouldn’t end this way. The Indiana Pacers have been relatively injury free all season long, and now, they risk the season ending with their two best players sidelined or at less than full strength. Danny Granger went down with a twisted ankle in Game 5 against the Heat, and David West went down […]
Continue ReadingSome things to look for in Sunday’s Miami-Indiana game: Roy Hibbert needs to remain dominant. He had 19 points, 18 rebounds and five blocks in Game 3, but at times in his career, he has been inconsistent, especially on offense. The key to Roy’s success is how aggressive he is about getting position before he […]
Continue ReadingBy CHRIS GOFF ISL Correspondent Playing basketball two nights in a row typically poses a challenge for even the most well-conditioned NBA athletes. Not for the Indiana Pacers. While the Utah Jazz appeared weary, Indiana improved to 6-2 on the second night of a back-to-back and routed the Jazz 104-84 Wednesday night. Paul George scored […]
Continue ReadingFor someone so skinny, somehow Reggie Miller’s shadow has engulfed Danny Granger. The Pacers’ high-scoring forward has his best opportunity yet to step out of it. Granger has taken many big shots during his seven-year career, but he’s known as a scorer who lacks a signature moment or performance in a big-time game. He now […]
Continue ReadingBy CLIFF BRUNT ISL Editor INDIANAPOLIS — Brothers James and Penda Kopwe, natives of Tanzania, East Africa, followed the NBA for years but never attended a game. When they finally decided to go, they chose basketball country. They chose Indiana. The two attended Game 3 of the Eastern Conference playoff series between the Indiana Pacers […]
Continue ReadingThis was the Roy Hibbert everyone was expecting to emerge. Indiana’s 7-foot-2 center had 19 points and 18 rebounds to help the Pacers defeat the Miami Heat 94-75 on Thursday night and take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-7 second-round Eastern Conference playoff series. Hibbert has had great expectations placed on him because Chris Bosh, Miami’s […]
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