IC Cold Links: Recapping The Same Old Story

Here are some links of interest from the game last night:

• Pacers.com Postgame Report finds the Pacers in a state of frustration, again. It also reveals that the Grizzlies cashed in on the Pacers' turnovers with a 12-point advantage in points off turnovers. JOB doesn't want to hear about bad luck and injuries, though.

  “I don’t believe in that. We have enough players in uniform and on the court, whether Danny’s (Granger) not in or T.J.’s (Ford) not in, you’ve got to win a basketball game. It doesn’t really matter who’s playing. We’re all professional and when one guy goes out, somebody else has to step up.”

• From Memphis, Jeff Rabjohns reports on the same old story for a Pacer loss. I feel your pain, Jeff.

  But it wasn't enough, and the Pacers added another befuddling outcome to their season of rebuilding. They are the NBA's only team to beat the Celtics and Lakers, the teams with the best records in their respective conferences, yet they have lost to Memphis and the Los Angeles Clippers.

  His mention of Roy Hibbert reminds me that Roy didn't play in the second half. I realize he had five fouls but he seemed to be causing problems for the Griz. JOB tried swapping Jack and Diener in and out hoping they'd change the game, why not see if Roy could do the same? Hinsight...
• Pacers Notebook has more on the recovery of Marquis Daniels and Troy Murphy. Murph thinks he lost 7-8 pounds instead of the reported 20 pounds. Also, T.J.'s back was feeling better, just not good enough to play. Rabjohns also makes a good point about the past couple of games that were not televised in Indy actually having additional local interest because Eric Gordon and Mike Conley were playing.
• Rabjohns post-game post on Pacers Insider offers a cabbie's insights as to why Memphis enjoys the Griz when they win but don't get too worked up over the losses. While Indy is not at that stage of apathy, there were times in the past couple of years when the local apathy was measurable. That's why these tight losses are disheartening despite the effort and enjoyable players. If a few wins don't start stacking up, the locals will start expecting losses and I'd expect more empty seats to appear at the Fieldhouse.
• Marlon W. Morgan reports on the Grizzlies not changing their game plan but instead changing their effort level to turn the game around in the second half.
• 3 Shades of Blue are happy with the effort and of course, the win (well, except for the missed free throws).
• The Toronto Raptors got their $21 million dollars' worth out of Jermaine O'Neal last night. Not only did J.O. lead  the team with 36 points and 9 rebound, but the Raptors won, as well.