Indiana Pacers Roundball Blog

5:16:43 PM EST
I have recently joined a website called Most Valuable Network, in which I write for the Pacers. By doing this, I am not allowed to share content between this blog and my column at MVN. With writing at MVN, writing my Bucks blog, preparing for college, working, going to school, and hanging out with friends here and there, I unfortunately do not have the time to continue my Pacers blog.
 
I want to thank everyone who has helped me while writing about the Pacers, and hopefully you will follow me at MVN, where new opportunities arise, and maybe my word can spread out further. Perhaps I might stop in and post something random, but don’t look for it often. Below is a link to my Pacers column at MVN…

http://pacers.mostvaluablenetwork.com/




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3:49:20 PM EST
After a rough start, the Pacers appear to have gotten into their groove. Last Friday they played host to the Bobcats, and Jermaine O’Neal just dominated, scoring 29 and grabbing 18 boards as he led the team to a 93-85 victory. He did this on 53% shooting from the field, and 92% shooting from the foul line.  Even though Artest had a poor output of 8 and 7, Stephen Jackson and Jamaal Tinsley stepped up to chip in 12 a piece.  

The bench played a key role as well, as Austin Croshere came in to have 15 points and 11 rebounds, and Jasikevicius had 14 points, hitting all 10 of his free throws. The Pacers forced 21 turnovers, but committed 23 themselves, which proves that there is always room for improvement, but a win is a win.

The second of this 4 game homestead came against the Houston Rockets, led by Yao Ming, since T-MAC was out with a back injury. Jermaine had a solid 15 and 11, but the Pacers were lead by the one and only Ron Artest, who had 24 and 5 in 37 minutes of play. The team as a whole shot only 42%, but held the Rockets to 41% on the 85-74 victory. Stephen Jackson was also able to score a quiet 17 points on 60% shooting.

The 3rd, and probably most important, match-up came last night against the red hot Cavs. Ron Artest just basically tore LeBron up to be honest. He held him to 19 points on a horrid 6-20 shooing (30%), and even with 19 points, he was still the leading scorer for the Pacers, who won 98-76. Stephen Jackson played good defense on Larry Hughes as well, holding him to 13 points on 3-8 shooting.

What I really enjoy seeing is the Pacers trend of rarely having a player play 40 minutes in a game. Artest only played 37 minutes, while LeBron played 6 more with 43. Jasikevicius once again stepped it up off the bench, scoring 17 in just 20 minutes.  It was nice to see Danny Granger get a few minutes, and be productive as well. Granger had 6/3/3 in just 14 minutes. This kid is on his way to being some great in this league, and I can’t wait to see how he develops.

At 7-3 the Pacers have a home game against Atlanta tonight, which should be an easy win. Then comes a tough 5 game road trip to face the Clippers, Jazz, Suns, Blazers, and Sonics. I think the team could come away 4-1 or 5-0 on this road trip. The games that could get out of hand are against the Clippers and Suns. In my opinion, we better bring our best on this road trip to prove to the league just who we are. And what better way would it be to come back home with a 13-3 record??



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7:01:25 PM EST
The Pacers came this past Saturday night looking to pick up a road win against a much improved Milwaukee Bucks squad. In the first half, the Pacers looked like they were going to easily do accomplish their goals.

Milwaukee trailed 96-82 with about 3 minutes left, but were able to capitalize on some bad decisions and horrid free throw shooting by the Pacers. And with 7 seconds to go, Bobby Simmons grabbed a rebound and dished it ahead to fellow guard Maurice Williams, who then hit the game winning 3 point shot.

Jermaine O'Neal had 27 points and Ron Artest chipped in with 24, but the Pacers just couldn't make the clutch free throws for some reason. I'm not sure why Sarunas wasn't in the game late, but this is an area that Indiana relied too heavily when Reggie was still here.

"It's a tough way to lose," Indiana coach Rick Carlisle said. "It's too bad because we did so many things well. To be unable to finish is disappointing to say the least." No kidding I'm too disgusted to talk about it anymore.

That brings us to last nights game against the Bobcats, a team Indiana struggled against in the pre-season. Early on, just like the Milwaukee game, the Pacers looked in control, but you never got the feeling they were going to run away with the game.

The Pacers just seemed to hold steady in the first quarter, and were blown away in the next three to lose 122-90. I mean, what can you say about a loss like this? Disappointing, ridiculous, outrageous, no effort, etc. I just don't understand why this team is failing to put it all together right now. Sure it's still very early in the season, but this team has been together for quite a while. Who would have guessed that after 7 games, the Pacers would be 4-3?

The Pacers were murdered in fast break points, 24 - 1, starters out scored 95-69, and gave up 27 points off turnovers. All this equals a loss, and boy did it ever.

Artest and Jackson had a real nice output however. Artest had 27/7/6 while Jackson chipped in 18 points. Jermaine had a quiet game, finishing with 17 and 8. The Pacers just freaking turned the ball over way too much. 26 times?! Are you kidding me?! This from a legit title contender?

The team needs to find a way to put complete games together, and although we still have a ways to go before thinking about the playoffs and Finals, you need all the wind you can get to get home court advantage,especially with the way the Pistons are playing right now.

Believe it or not, I think that one reason we are having trouble is the loss of Jeff Foster. He did all the little things to help a team out, and I especially loved his hustle and rebounding. I can't wait for him to return, and hopefully help the team get back on track yet again.



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11:53:28 AM EST
Feeling Chillin'

 The Pacers were able to what could be a commanding series win against the Heat on Wednesday, beating Miami 95 - 90. Since the 2 teams only meet 3 times this season, winning the first 2 of those games could eventually tell who gets home-court advantage if they were to meet in the playoffs.

Ron Artest appears to have finally found his stride, which can only mean good things for the Pacers. Artest finished with 24 pts, 8 boards, 4 assists, and 3 steals.  Jermaine O'Neal had a decent game, scoring 17 points on a poor 5-17 from the field, and grabbing 8 boards. As I sit here and look over some stats, I can't seem to figure out how Udonis Haslem is able to get more rebounds than Jermaine. Does he just get lucky? Box out better? Better team spacing?

 
Pacers forward Ron Artest driving on Miami.

Moving on, I was happy with our defense. We forced D-Wade into 10, yes TEN turnovers, and Miami into a total of 22. Forcing those turnovers leads to fast breaks, which can lead to easy points, and some fouls on the opponent. Stephen Jackson also looked good. He is starting to become more poised on the floor. He isn't trying to force the issue, but rather allowing the game to come to him. He finished with 14 points on 4-9 shooting. All that I can ask from Jackson is to score anywhere between 10-18 points a game, grab a few boards, pass out a few dimes, and continue to work hard, which it what he seems to be doing.

The team also had some nice bench production. Sarunas came in and scored 8 points, including a huge driving shot to win the game. Fred Jones chipped in a nice 9 points, and backup center David Harrison scored 5 points in 12 minutes, but had a whopping 4 fouls as well.

One guy who hasn't got a lot of attention is Jamaal Tinsley. Tinsley is often known for a few things. Slow movement, bad decisions, bad shots, and turning the ball over. But so far I have been pleased with Jamaal's performance. He is averaging 13 points, 4 rebounds, and 6 assists. And on top of that he has only averaged 2 turnovers, but makes up for that by getting 2 steals per game.

All this team has to do is continue to being aggressive on defense, take good shots, draw fouls, and develop team chemistry. They look as though they are doing most of those things, and that they are ready to take the next step to prove who they really are.

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6:57:39 PM EST
Feeling Chillin'
As you might expect from the title, I’m not happy with the Pacers so far in the first 3 games. I’m glad we started with a win against Orlando (90 - 78) and our defense looked decent in forcing 16 turnovers, and having no one play more than 36 minutes is very nice, but the game never seem to be dominated by the Pacers. Being out-rebounded is absurd for a team like Indy, and Jackson was disappointing to say the least, shooting 0-4 on 3 pointers. Everyone I guess played decent, but no one stuck out in my mind.

Next up was the Heat, who along with the Pacers, are a contender this year. Many expected this to be a preview of the Eastern Conference Finals, and I liked what I saw in this game. The Pacers had a double digit lead throughout most of the game, but the Heat were able to come back late to make things interesting. D-Wade missed a 3 that would have sent the game into overtime, as the Pacers won 105 - 102. Jermaine O’Neal had 27 and 9, Artest with 22 and 4, Tinsley with 13/4/6, S-JAX and Croshere both with 11, and Jasikevicius had 9 points off the bench.

I liked the idea of having Croshere playing center, because it would draw Shaq away from the basket, and you can expect the same thing to happen when the Pacers play the Pistons. Forcing 17 and only committing 12 turnovers proved to be vital, in that the Pacers and Heat were either equal in most categories, or the Heat won that category. For instance, both teams shot 48% for the game, but Miami blocked 6 more shots, but Indy stole the ball 3 more times.

I believe this could have been a blowout by the Pacers, but they didn’t seemed to have that killer instinct for some reason, and in order to win a title, they are going to have to find it.


          Jermaine about to dunk over Zo.

The 3rd was one where I wasn’t able to watch much of, but I can tell you I was disappointed in our defense, ball control, and shooting. We freaking had 21 turnovers and only forced 11 on a 76ers team that is known for a semi fast paced sloppy style of game. And on top of that, we shot a poor 38% as well. Tinsley is still too slow to guard AI, Webber and Jermaine were basically a tie stats wise, though O’Neal did have 6 more boards, Webber shot the ball better. For the first time this season, a Pacer player played 40 minutes or more as Artest and Croshere each played 40. Artest had a OK game in 15/6/3 and Croshere had 12/8/3 in the losing 111 - 109 effort for the Pacers.

Stephen Jackson did well in my opinion. He was 4-6 from behind the arc and 7-14 overall for 50% shooting. He also chipped in 3 boards and 3 assists.\

All in all, it was an OK week, as we came away 2-1, but I just wasn’t impressed at all. I feel this team is way better than they have showed, and Artest is going to have to do more for the team, and I think he will soon. Right now they don’t look like a title contender, but eventually they will. If some analysts are already impressed by the Pacers, and I’m not as a fan, just imagine the damage they could do….

Stats so far (Points/Rebounds/Assists - All per game)

O’Neal = 23/10/2, 1 spg, and 2 bpg
Artest = 18/4/3 and 2 spg
Tinsley = 14/3/6 and 3 spg
Croshere = 13/7/2
Jasikevicius = 7/1/1 and 1 spg
Bender = 5/2/1

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8:20:57 PM EST
Feeling Chillin'
Note: My time is unfortunately very limited tonight, so this will be of different format. Most of the following comes via nba.com and pacers.com.

After winning 5 games in a row, the Pacers fell in their last 2 preseason games. First up to review was the Spurs again. Just like the first meeting the Pacers were able to pull out a nice victory.

Sarunas Jasikevicius made the most of his minutes.

Jasikevicius scored 11 of his 14 points in the decisive second quarter, lifting the Indiana Pacers to a 97-86 preseason victory over the San Antonio Spurs.

Signed as a free agent in the offseason after leading Maccabi Tel Aviv to consecutive Euroleague titles, Jasikevicius is expected to help pick up the slack for the retired Reggie Miller.

Jasikevicius came off the bench and played just 17 minutes, but most of them were in the second period, when he drained three 3-pointers. The Pacers scored 36 points in the quarter to turn a four-point deficit into a 57-43 halftime lead.

Austin Croshere scored 16 points and Jermaine O’Neal and Stephen Jackson added 12 each for Indiana, which shot 51 percent (35-of-69) from the field and had seven players with at least nine points.

The Pacers, particularly O'Neal, had difficulty defending Spurs superstar Tim Duncan, who had 29 points and 10 rebounds in 27 minutes, making 10-of-16 shots.

After beating the defending champs, the Pacers took on the Bobcats, a team that they have struggled against so far, and continued to struggle.

Jermaine had 21 points, and Austin Croshere had 15, but it was no match for the Bobcats. Every single player who played for the Bobcats had a nice game, including Sean May and Ray Felton, who both came off the bench to have 30 points and 13 boards between the 2 in 18 minutes for May (10 pts, 8 boards) and 24 minutes for Felton (20 pts, 5 boards).

Danny Granger had yet another solid game, scoring 13 and grabbing 7 rebounds. Artest came off the bench with Granger to have 15 pts, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists. Sure the Pacers played well, but we have to find ways to win these types of games, as we lost 109 - 103.

The last game of the preseason was also a disappointing one as the Pacers lost 77 - 85 to the Wizards, led by Caron Butler and his 23 points.


         Rookie Forward Danny Granger.

The Pacers opened the final period with a 7-0 run capped by a basket from Jonathan Bender, who scored five points during the spurt, that gave Indiana a 69-63 edge with 8:50 remaining.

However, Butler added all 10 of his fourth-quarter points in a 20-4 run that gave Washington an 83-73 edge with 2:06 left.

Gilbert Arenas scored 16 points and Brendan Haywood contributed 12 for the Wizards, who open the regular season Wednesday at Toronto.

Stephen Jackson did not play in the fourth quarter and finished with 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting, including 4-of-5 from the arc for Indiana, which committed a ridiculous 23 turnovers.

With the season starting on Wednesday at Orlando, the Pacers still have a lot of work to do, and a lot of areas to improve. I really like what I have seen from Artest, Jackson, Granger, and Jasikevicius so far, but O’Neal, Tinsley, and Fred Jones have been disappointing thus far.



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11:27:12 PM EDT
Feeling Quiet
In a possible Finals preview, the Pacers trounced the Spurs 94-81 on Tuesday night. With each team missing their 2 All-Star power forwards - the Pacers in Jermaine O’Neal and the Spurs in Tim Duncan, Ron Artest and rookie Danny Granger were able to run the show. And what a performance both of them put on. Artest had 20 points and 13 boards on 54% shooting. But in my opinion, Granger was the one most surprising. Danny came off the bench to have the following stat line: 19 pts, 15 boards, 2 blocks and 2 steals. Not bad for a rookie huh? Jamaal Tinsley had a decent game in scoring 11 points and grabbing 6 rebounds, BUT he shot a dismal 27% and had a horrible 6 turnovers. Tinsley has a long way to go to become an elite point guard in my opinion, and he may be coming off the bench at some points this season.

Bender also chipped in 17 points, but only managed to squeeze out 1 board. But in 14 minutes, 17 points isn’t all that bad. :)

After missing the Pacers first 4 preseason games, Jermaine O'Neal returned to the court Thursday to lead the Pacers to a 93-76 rout of the Timberwolves. Jermaine had 12 of his 16 total points in the first half, and also had 5 rebounds. Jermaine looked OK in his return, after missing the first 4 games due to a bruised right thigh. Sure he only played 27 minutes, but he did have 3 turnovers, which proves that he has some rust.

Danny Granger continued to impress everyone. This time the rookie forward had 11 points and 11 boards in 25 minutes. I also liked how Croshere started and played 19 minutes, but managed to boast 13 points. Jamaal Tinsley was also a real nice surprise again in having 10 points and 8 boards in 26 minutes.

Once again, Samaki Walker had a real solid game in giving the Pacers 6 points and 4 boards in just 17 minutes. I really hope this guy will make the Pacers final roster.

Fred Jones, Ron Artest, Jeff Foster, David Harrison, and Scot Pollard all sat out the game. The Pacers haven’t been able to get a full team, or even a full frontline at all this preseason. That just makes the 4 consecutive wins that more impressive.



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11:59:38 PM EDT
Feeling Chillin'
So far, so good. That’s what can be said of the Pacers first 3 games this preseason. After falling to the Nets Tuesday by only 2 points, the Pacers have rebounded to take charge, beating both the Jazz and T-Wolves, with Ron Artest leading the way in both wins.

Since I have already reviewed the Nets game, I will jump right in to the Jazz game. We saw what we hope will be glimpses of the future in Sarunas against the Jazz. He chipped in 13 of his 18 total points in the 4th quarter, when the Pacers needed it most, seeing how the reserves had trouble retaining a lead. Jasikevicius shot 6-9 and showed some good passing skills and nice decision making in his 25 minutes on the floor.

Artest started and had 23 points and 6 rebounds in 35 minutes of action. Along with Artest starting and Jasikevicius coming off the bench, there were also a few nice surprises. Austin Croshere and Danny Granger both came off the bench to provide some nice sparks for the team. Croshere came in and had 17 points in 32 minutes, but what I like was that Croshere hit all 13 of the free throws he attempted. This tells me that he is being aggressive and is able to attack the rim and be able to draw costly fouls against the other team. Granger played 25 minutes while shooting 4-11 total field goals, while shooting 1-2 from 3 point land.


     Still the same player.....but a different man.


Not a whole lot of production between Jamaal Tinsley and Jonathan Bender, but Scot Pollard was able to grab 6 boards and score 3 points in his limited 18 minutes of play. Samaki Walker still continues to have decent games in my opinion. He came off the bench to have 8 points. I feel that with Walker averaging 7 points and 5 rebounds so far, that he could be a real nice addition to the team, but with only 1 spot open, it’s tough to say which way the front office will lean. I believe that Walker could become vital to the team come playoff time, considering the injuries the team has gotten.

Speaking of injuries…..is the team cursed for now or what? Jermaine O’Neal, David Harrison, and Jeff Foster haven’t played a single minute so far. In the last game against the T-Wolves, the team had a total of 8 players who didn’t win, and I’m proud that they were able to pull out a victory.

In the T-Wolves game, the standout was once again Artest, scoring 26 points and grabbing 4 boards, though he committed 3 turnovers, which was disappointing, but I guess it happens every now and then. Stephen Jackson scored a decent 11 points, had a block and a steal in 32 minutes. Jasikevicius had 9 points on a quiet 3-6 shooting night. I like how Danny Granger isn’t afraid to go out and ball. Granger came off the bench and scored 12 points and 7 boards in 31 solid minutes. Damone Brown was also a surprise, in that he came off the bench to give the team 11 points.


  S-Jax driving to the hoop against McCants.

As last week wrapped up, I was glad to see Jasikevicius, Artest, and Granger all be able to step up when the team needed them. Without our main big men, I feel we played pretty good. I can’t wait to see people like O’Neal, Foster, and Harrison to return so we can see how the whole team will mesh together.

Summary:

Game 1  =  103 -105 Loss to the Nets
Game 2  =  99 - 92 Win over the Jazz
Game 3  =  93 - 84 Win over the Timberwolves


Note:

The Pacers training camp will be featured on NBA TV tomorrow, along with the Blazers. I'm glad the league went to each team's training camp and showing all of them on TV. You can be sure that I will post my thoughts on the camp at some point this week....so check back soon!






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10:10:58 PM EDT
Feeling Chillin'
Ron Artest officially returned to a pro basketball court Tuesday night, though he didn’t provide the Pacers with a win. Without Jermaine O’Neal, David Harrison, Jeff Foster, and Danny Granger, the Pacers fell in their preseason opener to the Nets, 105-103.

Artest played 12 minutes while giving the Pacers 8 points on 3-8 shooting. The big surprise was camp invitee Jimmie “Snap” Hunter who scored 17 points on 5-10 shooting. Hunter as you may remember is a 6’4” guard out of Life University. Hunter hit a 3 pointer with 10.7 seconds left in the game to tie up the score.


 Artest guarded by Jefferson.

Jonathan Bender played 17 minutes while shooting  1-5 from the field and 11-14 from the foul line for a total of 13 points. Bender’s disappointment came in the rebound department, where he only grabbed 1.  Austin Croshere got to start and chipped in 11 points.

The following is some quotes from Pacers coach Rick Carlisle via Pacers.com:

(On the game) "It was tough because New Jersey has just about all their guys, although they're missing McInnis."

(On the team) "We had an idea of what we wanted to do, but nothing was set in stone. We didn't want to play anybody heavy minutes."

(On Stephen Jackson's thumb) "It was something that happened to him in the summer. He was sore and decided not to push it."

(On Ron Artest) "I thought Ron struggled. At times he went away from what we were doing as a team and that disappointed me."

Some other notes:

-Many of the Pacers arrived to the arena in suits, possibly preparing to do this from here on out, as the NBA is thinking of instituting a dress code for the players.

-Yes, the Pacers wore their road jerseys from last year, as the new jerseys won’t be used until the regular season starts.



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8:39:47 PM EDT
Feeling Chillin'
The Pacers officially began training camp on Tuesday, after having their annual media day on Monday. With that brings forth much optimism about the team.

Below is the official training camp roster:

Ron Artest
Jonathan Bender
Damone Brown
Austin Croshere
Desmon Farmer
Jeff Foster
Danny Granger
Eddie Gill
David Harrison
Jimmie Hunter
Stephen Jackson
Sarunas Jasikevicius
Anthony Johnson
Fred Jones
Jermaine O’Neal
Scot Pollard
Jamaal Tinsley
Samaki Walker

As it stands, the team has 14 players under contract, which means they have room to add one player.

One player on the training camp roster that some of you may have heard of, is forward Samaki Walker. Walker, who stands at 6’10” 260 pounds, is one of two players on the current Pacers team who has a championship ring, which he won with the 2000-2001 Lakers squad. The other is Stephen Jackson, who won a ring with the Spurs in 2003. Walker’s best season was the championship one, in which he averaged 7 points and 7 rebounds in 24 minutes of play per game. Walker spent the 03-04 season with the Heat and last year with the Wizards.

Here are a few additional notes:

- Jonathan Bender is apparently in good health and in good spirits. "Jonathan's amazing," said Stephen Jackson. "He's going to be a key part of this team. To see him out there running and jumping, he looks like the old Jonathan Bender – the high-school Jonathan Bender."

The Pacers officially began training camp on Tuesday, after having their annual media day on Monday. With that brings forth much optimism about the team.

Below is the official training camp roster:

Ron Artest
Jonathan Bender
Damone Brown
Austin Croshere
Desmon Farmer
Jeff Foster
Danny Granger
Eddie Gill
David Harrison
Jimmie Hunter
Stephen Jackson
Sarunas Jasikevicius
Anthony Johnson
Fred Jones
Jermaine O’Neal
Scot Pollard
Jamaal Tinsley
Samaki Walker

As it stands, the team has 14 players under contract, which means they have room to add one player.

One player on the training camp roster that some of you may have heard of, is forward Samaki Walker. Walker, who stands at 6’10” 260 pounds, is one of two players on the current Pacers team who has a championship ring, which he won with the 2000-2001 Lakers squad. The other is Stephen Jackson, who won a ring with the Spurs in 2003. Walker’s best season was the championship one, in which he averaged 7 points and 7 rebounds in 24 minutes of play per game. Walker spent the 03-04 season with the Heat and last year with the Wizards.


      Artest and O'Neal pose for a photo during Media Day.


Here are a few additional notes:

- Jonathan Bender is apparently in good health and in good spirits. "Jonathan's amazing," said Stephen Jackson. "He's going to be a key part of this team. To see him out there running and jumping, he looks like the old Jonathan Bender – the high-school Jonathan Bender."

- Ron Artest has said he is 270 pounds, up from 246 last season. Though rumors of Artest playing a few minutes here and there as a power forward continue to circulate, other reports say Ron is a chiseled 250-255.

- The Anthony Johnson trade rumors continue to pop up as well. Having 4 point guards on the team, Johnson is unlikely to see substantial minutes like he did last year as the 3rd backup. Johnson could be on his way out of town, allowing Eddie Gill to be the 3rd backup. At this point, I would say a trade for Johnson is 50-50.

- Speaking of Johnson….he pleaded no contest today in court to a misdemeanor assault charge stemming from the Pacers vs. Pistons brawl. He was sentenced to one year probation, ordered to perform 100 hours of community service, directed to attend counseling, and fined $250.


      Is this the year Bender finally breaks out??

- Ron Artest has said he is 270 pounds, up from 246 last season. Though rumors of Artest playing a few minutes here and there as a power forward continue to circulate, other reports say Ron is a chiseled 250-255.

- The Anthony Johnson trade rumors continue to pop up as well. Having 4 point guards on the team, Johnson is unlikely to see substantial minutes like he did last year as the 3rd backup. Johnson could be on his way out of town, allowing Eddie Gill to be the 3rd backup. At this point, I would say a trade for Johnson is 50-50.


- Speaking of Johnson….he pleaded no contest today in court to a misdemeanor assault charge stemming from the Pacers vs. Pistons brawl. He was sentenced to one year probation, ordered to perform 100 hours of community service, directed to attend counseling, and fined $250.







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