IC Cold Links: Ready To Ring In 2009

Before we get to the links, a reminder that the start time for Saturday night's home game against the Kings has been changed to 6PM. Here are a few items of interest from the Pacers' loss last night:

• Bruno's LIVE blog final and Postgame Report (links always include news conference video). Bruno notes that the Pacers finished the 2008 calendar year with a 31-50 record. Here's to more W's in 2009!
• Mike Wells focuses on the missed defensive assignments the ultimately did the Pacers in against the Hawks, specifically the failed rotation that left Joe Johnson open for the game-deciding 3-ball with 32 seconds left. It was a point of emphasis for JOB all night.

  "We did not execute things we practice every single day," a frustrated O'Brien said. "We did it in the first half and they had all kinds of open 3s. Just a complete lack of defensive execution on our part; we just weren't making coverage we work on every single day. That's my fault. We work on something for three straight months and we can't do it, something must be wrong with the teacher, because I can't figure something out."

• Pacers Notebook leads with Saturday's home game start time changing to 6PM. Also, more on Mike Dunleavy, T.J. Ford and Joe Johnson.
• Sekou Smith reports on the Hawks winning their sixth straight win and building confidence along the way.
• Mike Wells doesn't want to hear about the Pacers tanking games in his post-game Pacers Insider. Instead he'd like to see how the team plays once Mike Dunleavy is available.
• Kornheiser's Cartel is already thinking draft. On this cold last day of 2008, a warm day in June does sound pretty good?