IC Cold Links: Pacers Execute At Winning Time To Secure Road Win Over Raptors

by Tom Lewis on Dec 29, 2011 2:30 AM EST in Indiana Pacers News

For so many years, Indiana Pacers fans were spoiled with the way Mark Jackson and Reggie Miller worked together to make plays at winning time. Late in the fourth quarter of a tight game, whatever mess happened in the first 40 some odd minutes doesn't mean a thing. because it can all turn into a painless learning experience if you can close out a win by making key buckets down the stretch.

Danny Granger and David West took turns closing out the Raptors for a road win that will be valued by the Pacers simply for the W and not the form with which they played. But the mere fact that the Pacers found a way to keep Toronto at bay late in the game, a task that has been a struggle since, well, Reggie was around to hit a big shot or put away a win at the free throw line, was a huge take away from this game for the current Pacers to build on.

Even the execution on the big shots wasn't real pretty until the ball splashed through the net. Granger had to scoop up a loose ball from a flailing Darren Collison to hit one of his threes and West was knocked down as he snuck his game winner over the defense. The Pacers had options down the stretch without regard to who would win the game, instead focusing on the winning plays, which showed up when Granger was the first to greet West with a chest bump after the power forward put the game on ice.

So the Pacers go back to work with plenty of issues to focus on, but at 2-0 the Pacers are one of three unbeaten teams in the East which is a nice change after a couple of years of finding new and creative ways to lose games.

Check out the links after the jump.

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pleasantly surprised by DC and Hibbert so far this year.

Paul George is going to be epic in the coming years. Can we lock him into an extension right now please?

My Blog on lifting, movies, fish, and some mma: www.themindofshadow.blogspot.com

by dbcb on Dec 29, 2011 6:15 AM EST reply actions

agree

Agree about DC, but still wouldnt mind Hibbert being more consistent and not forcing shots. That first half was pretty tough to watch, but a win is a win i guess.

Paul George is a beast, and the Pacers need to lock him down, or he will be in the LA/Heat/Celtics/Knicks pool in no time. EVERY team is going to want him for big money. A 6’10 SG (can play 4 spots, or even 5 vs. soft centers) who can guard ANYBODY in the league, and knock down shots anywhere on the court. wow.

by dmann31 on Dec 29, 2011 8:31 AM EST reply actions

Unrelated

But I’m a Pacers fan living in New York, and while it was nice to see the Knicks get pounded last night, did anyone else see B-Rush put up 19 coming off the bench for the Warriors. Holy crap. Where was that?

by CowrinHippo on Dec 29, 2011 9:19 AM EST reply actions

He already has 6 blocks in 3 games.

Sometimes you just need a change of scenery. Too bad he couldn’t do that here, cause we certainly could use him.

And it's now my sig
by Bronn on May 17, 2011 4:56 PM EDT

by Sparhawk on Dec 29, 2011 10:04 AM EST up reply actions

No regrets. I wish him the best, but he just plain sucked in Indy.

by MillerTime31 on Dec 29, 2011 10:12 AM EST up reply actions

Yup

Always happy to see a Pacer have success elsewhere, as long as it ain’t agin us.

by CowrinHippo on Dec 29, 2011 11:22 AM EST up reply actions

Rush always had his 10ish games a year where he looked awesome

and its his contract year

My Blog on lifting, movies, fish, and some mma: www.themindofshadow.blogspot.com

by dbcb on Dec 29, 2011 10:23 AM EST up reply actions

I know it stuns a lot of you

but Brandon Rush has actual talentt

Sup Jello Shot?

by IndyPacers on Dec 29, 2011 12:02 PM EST up reply actions

talent for showing up 15% of the year

and then disappearing for the rest

by latrell spreewel on Dec 29, 2011 3:05 PM EST up reply actions

hahahaha

Harper's on Miller, McKey, gets in to Miller for the win and...

CHIEF

by wonillionaire on Dec 29, 2011 3:56 PM EST up reply actions

Don't worry.

I’m sure he’ll come back to earth like he always does. If I recall correctly he did this last year, appearing to have turned a corner then falling back into oblivion.

"A champion is someone who gets up when he can't."
- Jack Dempsey

by infinityzero.systemerror on Dec 29, 2011 8:33 PM EST up reply actions

EXACTLY!

Those are exactly the kind of games this Team needs to win to take us to the next level.
DC is not only a better PG then he was last year, he’s also a better defender.
Magliore should be suspended and given some FOSTER next game.
Watching Hansbrough; after what should have been a flagrant; hit two 20ft jump shots was special.
Hibbert actually showed some athletism going strong to the backet and only hit the floor 1 or 2 times.
Our Team Captain hit some huge shots meaning it may be time to consider……respecting the 5 game rule LOL
For those who think DJones has no value to this team, rewatch games 1 & 2.
Lance should definitely have been used extensively when playing against the zone.
Amundson is going to be fun to watch.
Hill is progressively getting more comfortable with each game

And to think West is still rustly and not yet in game shape.

by jonjonNYC on Dec 29, 2011 11:08 AM EST reply actions

Although Paul George was awesome for the most part

he didn’t do all that well down the stretch on either side of the game, he didn’t lock down or at least lost a bit of concentration on DeRozen in the fourth. In the first half, Paul was crowding him and using his length effectively, in the second half Derozen was running off screens more and Paul just didn’t do a good enough job fighting through the screens and lost Derozen on several plays. Also Paul missed a wide open three which would have been huge at that point. This is why we can’t just have Paul replace Danny right away, Paul is is still developing and honing in his comfort zone, having winning players and veterans to ease his passage will do wonders for his career. Paul is really fortunate that he was drafted by a winning team, most lottery picks go straight into teams in the middle of rebuilding, and they are forced to be the man and hence develop horrible habits. Paul, on the other hand is allowed to develop under his own circumstance and will make him a more succesful player down the line.

by latrell spreewel on Dec 29, 2011 11:43 AM EST reply actions

Granger

I hate the fact the he is the focal point of our offense. He is a volume shooter who will never shoot a good percentage. It’s painful to watch him make a move to the hoop, he turns the ball over at an alarming rate when he tries to put the ball on the deck. I would like to see the team give the ball to PG off down screens, he is the only guy on the team who you can clear out for and can make a good move to the basket. When Danny gets the ball in space he takes one dribble and pulls up for a contested jump shot. I wouldn’t mind the team looking to trade him for a scoring guard who can get his own shot and move PG to the three. The only thing it looks like he improved on in the off season is his D.

by EliB209 on Dec 29, 2011 2:55 PM EST reply actions

Three seasons ago Granger had “old man moves” going to the basket (to quote Michael Jordan on him), but he has somehow lost those – don’t know what the hell he’s thinking/doing…

by FortWayneKarl on Dec 29, 2011 3:05 PM EST up reply actions

“Old man moves” basically means driving toward the basket and getting your opponent off balance, taking/making good shots with miminal physical effort. This was back when Danny averaged ~26 ppg. Everyone was real high on him since that type of scoring didn’t exact a tremendous physical toll… Somehow maybe JOB had ruined this part of his game – wish he could get it back, instead of the drive to the basket and lose the ball 90% of the time Danny we have now! :(

by FortWayneKarl on Dec 29, 2011 3:16 PM EST up reply actions

I think JOB's somewhat unfairly scapegoated

Meaning the teams he had here sucked. Hard. And he maximized the W/L record, for better or worse, but that’s a coach’s job. But it’s clear we kept him too long and he alienated plenty of players. But anyway, I’m not trying to start an argument with that.

Anyway, JOB absolutely ruined a lot of Danny’s previous on floor instincts. He’s a smart guy and a really good player, I have complete confidence in him reverting to more of his previous playing style, he already has a bit.

Sup Jello Shot?

by IndyPacers on Dec 29, 2011 3:23 PM EST up reply actions

No JOB was terrible

He came from the Don Nelson school of coaching all O and no D. It never works.

by EliB209 on Dec 29, 2011 3:30 PM EST up reply actions

I think Danny is a good player, but don’t like how he needs 20 shots to get 20 points. We have scores at every position and a couple on the bench, we don’t need a jump shooter leading the team in attempts every game.

by EliB209 on Dec 29, 2011 3:32 PM EST up reply actions

no one said JOB was a good coach

but for an extremely limited roster full of middling veterans like we had for most of his time here, those teams should have been a lot worse than the mid 30 wins teams he got us.

Sup Jello Shot?

by IndyPacers on Dec 29, 2011 7:30 PM EST up reply actions

Here’s a nice article on the Old Danny’s Old Man Moves, which he seems to have forgotten! :(

by FortWayneKarl on Dec 29, 2011 3:20 PM EST up reply actions

Just saw that Phoenix signed Michael Redd

by go pacers on Dec 29, 2011 3:41 PM EST reply actions

Good that’ll keep Bird from doing something stupid like signing him!!!

by FortWayneKarl on Dec 29, 2011 6:02 PM EST up reply actions

Bird doing something stupid?

PICTURE THAT!

by jonjonNYC on Dec 29, 2011 10:32 PM EST up reply actions

It was an ugly game, and the refs were...ehhhh...

That said – I agree with whomever mentioned DC. I think his defense the last few games has been a really nice surprise. Roy still looks awkward when he shoots, but as long as he gets to the basket and makes those shots, I’m OK.

There were some missed defensive assignments but, so far, the Pacers have looked tough and scrappy on Defense and even winning even when they can’t shoot. Something about being 0-37 when shooting under 40% or something like that before the last two games? Crazy.

by Gwen on Dec 29, 2011 3:57 PM EST reply actions

Been sayin that about Danny for a while now...

I love his shooting ability, but don’t want him dribbling all that much. That’s why I hoped he would talk to/train with Reggie and learn how to move w/o the ball, more like Ray Allen. I can understand improving his handles, but some players just aren’t made to play like that, and he’d be much more effective if he developed a post game to complement his outside shot rather than his handles, both for him and the team.

In other news, this game is much more what I envisioned for this team. DC w/ 10+ assists, Roy w/ 10+ boards, scoring from Danny, Paul, West, and T-Bro. Still waiting for that 100pt game, but a win’s a win. Still want to see more of Lance, but good solid vic on the road. Good job, fellas!

by abeas1 on Dec 29, 2011 8:03 PM EST reply actions

Granger has been trying out a post game.

Especially, when he gets a smaller guy on him. It hasn’t been super effective yet, but as he gets more comfortable it should come around.

"A champion is someone who gets up when he can't."
- Jack Dempsey

by infinityzero.systemerror on Dec 29, 2011 8:37 PM EST up reply actions

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by ipassos on Dec 31, 2011 1:27 PM EST reply actions