Pacers Win Washes Away That Familiar Feeling

The Indiana Pacers finished their game against the Charlotte Bobcats last night in familiar fashion save for one detail.

How many times have we seen a good effort and apparent W slip through the Pacers' fingers with a late collapse? Usually the opponent dials up an incredible dagger to make it feel even worse. A couple of losses last year immediately come to mind with Devin Harris and Chris Paul each delivering the death blow leaving the Pacers lifeless at the buzzer and stuck with a loss.

But that one different detail, actually winning, changes so much. Suddenly, the late implosion is merely a collection of teachable moments. Plus, there was some decent defense on those late Charlotte possessions which the win rewards with a little positive reinforcement to build on.

With a road game at Memphis tomorrow night, we'll see if the Pacers can maintain their solid effort of late and indeed build on that winning feeling from last night.

After the jump, a few links of interest from last night's game.

• PACERS: Inside the Game
  Bruno breaks down the numbers and offers up post-game video reactions to the win.

• AP: Murphy's double-double leads Pacers past Bobcats
  

• Pacers nearly blow 18-point lead in win
  Mike Wells reports on the Pacers hanging on to salvage a win after blowing an early lead.

• Pacers Notebook: Ford passes first, then scores
  T.J. Ford found it easier to pile up the assists with teammates moving to get open. Also, JOB plans to move Dunleavy's minutes down to 24 during the four-games-in-five-days stretch coming up. No problems and after last night's game Dunleavy mentioned that he feels fine, just want to stay cautious.

• Bobcats rally comes up 1 shot short
  Rick Bonnell reports on the Bobcats missing out on another comeback win.

• Observations: Flip talks Pacer smack
  Former Pacer Flip Murray jump into the head of his former Hawk teammate, Solo Jones.

• Bobcats Lose to Pacers 101-98; TJ Ford Runs a Clinic
  Rufus on Fire recaps the Bobcats' loss to the Pacers, including highlights and lowlights.

• Pacers Insider: The Dunleavy factor Part II
  Mike Wells emphasizes the impact Mike Dunleavy's made on the offensive flow for the Pacers.

• Greg Oden Addresses Fans
  Greg Oden remains positive in the early stages of his recovery from his season-ending knee injury.

• The essential Reggie Miller documentary - TrueHoop Blog
  Henry Abbott offers his review of the Reggie vs. New York documentary. I agree with Henry on Spike Lee and really hope he isn't the focus of New York's side of the story. I have a feeling I may be disappointed, though.