IC Cold Links: Pacers Expect NBA Trade Deadline To Pass, Everyone Board Plane For New Orleans

The Indiana Pacers were looking for a great deal.  Now they're looking to finish out the season.

With the team ready to go to New Orleans today for the start of a four-game road trip, Jim O'Brien assumed there wouldn't be any new faces showing up at the team hotel tonight, expecting the 3PM trade deadline to quietly pass this afternoon.

"As much as every team in the league wants to do some things to improve your basketball team, it just seems that it's very difficult to make deals and everybody wants to improve their basketball team, but when we go to New Orleans, this will be the group we will have," O'Brien said prior to last night's game.

The Pacers were involved in talks with a few teams but eventually those teams found a better deal. Since the Pacers obviously weren't desperate to make a deal, they were looking to maximize their return. But in the case of Troy Murphy, he was never a top target so in the case of Cleveland they were able to land a preferable talent in Antawn Jamison for about what the Pacers were asking for Murphy. No surprise.

So now, barring a last-second surprise trade today, the Pacers will go into the offseason with a bushel of expiring contracts which will increase in value as the days pass over the summer and next season. How they flip those contracts to help the franchise will determine the fate of the franchise and it's current leadership for several years to come.

After the jump, several links from the loss last night.

• Box score
• Cliff Brunt's AP Report
• PACERS: Inside the Game: Pacers 90, Pacers 87
  Bruno's Inside the Game has all of the numbers, notes, quotes and highlights from the loss, including a head-scratching quote from Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. "We're no better than they are. I guess we have a few more wins than they do. But they're just as good as anyone else." -- Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich on the Pacers . Wha???
• Pacers allow Spurs too many 2nd shots
  Mike Wells reports on the Pacers playing the role of friendly host by giving up too many second helpings to the visiting Spurs.
• To win, the Pacers must lose
  Bob Kravitz implores the Pacers to play the young guys and embrace a loss today for the greater good tomorrow.
• Ailing Parker pours in 28
  Jeff McDonald reports on Tony Parker returning to the lineup for the Spurs and doing his part to earn the win.
• Even with "worst shooting game" of Tim Duncan's career, Indiana Pacers lose to San Antonio, 90-87
  John Oehser recaps the loss and how Tim Duncan found a way to help the Spurs win despite a poor shooting night.
• PtR Quick Cap: Spurs Win Ugly Over Pacers, 90-87 - From The Boxscore Watcher's View - Pounding The Rock
  PtR Quick Cap: Spurs Win Ugly Over Pacers
• Indiana Pacers 87, San Antonio Spurs 90 | 48 Minutes of Hell
  48 Minutes of Hell recaps an ugly win for the Spurs which is a win nonetheless.
• Pacers Notebook: Pacers unlikely to make a deal
  Mike Wells notes the Pacers don't expect to deal, fouls fouling up decent defense and the mini-backcourt of Earl and T.J. making it work last night.
• The seconds are passing
  Mike Wells expects the trade deadline to pass without any action out of the Fieldhouse.

• Former IUPUI Star George Hill Continues Rising Up Professional Ranks With Spurs
  Larry Hawley caught up with former Broad Ripple High School and IUPUI star George Hill last night as he continues to find his niche in the NBA with the San Antonio Spurs.

• The NBA Trade Deadline: Where Cleveland Has Found LeBron James A New Best Friend
  SB Nation continues to update the NBA Trade Deadline stream as news breaks.
• Sources: Houston Rockets agree to acquire Sacramento Kings' Kevin Martin
  Marc Stein has the latest on an expected three-way deal which moves Kevin Martin to Houston and Tracy McGrady to New York.
• Bird, Popovich not accustomed to bumpy roads
  Al Hamnik reports on a couple of Hoosier hoop legends handling their varying challenges this season.

• Game #53 Preview: And, So It Begins…Again
  Tim Donahue previews last night's game.