IC Cold Links: Nobody Loves A Turnover Like The Indiana Pacers

Well, at least there's still a chance to go 81-1.

After displaying an uncanny ability to dish the ball to the other team, while also allowing the Hawks to run rampant through the paint, the Pacers are now back in Indy preparing for their home opener against the Heat on Friday.

So, for now, we get to bask in the glory of the NBA season officially beginning, and the Pacers officially looking decently good, but a little bad as well. Admit it, Atlanta is a good team. The Pacers hung in there and Danny Granger, nursing a noticeably bothersome foot, led the entire league in scoring last night with 31 points in 34 minutes, which is fantastic news for my fantasy team.

Although last night was already a rollercoaster ride of emotions from me muttering mercilessly that "this is the worst ball-handling team I've ever witnessed" to "we're unstoppable", I'm still very excited about this team and its potential.

Here is a plethora of links that abound on the internet this morning that recap, analyze and then, generally, throw angered adjectives out there about the Pacers turnover-prone first night. If you didn't get your dose of action last night, this should have you covered. Check them out after the jump.

• Box Score
• Photo Gallery
• AP story
• Here is the Pacers.com postgame report, which highlights the quotes, the noteworthy and the interesting stats from the Pacers loss. I'll let Granger sum up the loss with his quote of the night.

"I don't really know how many turnovers we had tonight, but I know that's the reason that we lost this game. When you turn the ball over that many times in this league, you're not going to win. It definitely led to more possessions for the Hawks tonight. We were already having trouble stopping them, and this made the game that much harder. When the other team has the ball many more times than you, that's pretty much the recipe for a loss." -- Granger

• Bruno conducted another live blog during the game over at NBA.com.
  
• NBA.com is also offering exclusive game reports this year from home team writers. Here is the game report from Atlanta citing that both teams left their defense on vacation this summer.
• The Indianapolis Star had a massive spread about the re-ignition of the Pacers defense this season, so it was only fitting that Mike Wells let the blue and gold have it for somehow "losing" that defensive emphasis in the opening game. The Star also produced a story on Indy legend Jeff Teague making his debut for the Hawks last night.
• Eight Points, Nine Seconds' Jared Wade offers some actual observations and some related, possibly stupid conjectures in a splendid look at the season opener. Love the excitement over Earl Watson and Dahntay Jones being tough last night without going Artest on everybody. I'm already enjoying those two a lot.
  
• Examiner.com focuses on the 25 turnovers that caused the loss of many possessions for the Pacers, while 1070 The Fan's Eddie White blogs that fans need to keep in mind that it was only one game.
• For the Atlanta take on the contest, check out SB Nation's Peachtree Hoops for an interesting recap. There is also a story and a column from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
• ESPN's TrueHoop also dives into the fray by citing the Pacers poor ability to pass the ball to their teammates as a reason for the 0-1 start to the season.
• Finally, if you were like me last night, the free preview of NBA League Pass is already ruining your life. I can't flip through 20 channels fast enough. So if you feel like you still missed something from around the league, here is ESPN's Daily Dime to keep you informed.