 | @ |  |
|---|---|---|
| 28-42 | 31-38 | |
| March 21, 2009 - 7:00PM EST | ||
| Time Warner Cable Arena | ||
| Radio: 1070AM WFNI TV: No local TV | ||
| Probable starters: | ||
| T.J. Ford | PG | Raymond Felton |
| Jarrett Jack | SG | Raja Bell |
| Danny Granger | SF | Gerald Wallace |
| Troy Murphy | PF | Boris Diaw |
| Roy Hibbert | C | Emeka Okafor |
The Indiana Pacers close ranks and head on the road to take on the Charlotte Bobcats after a tumultuous loss to the Dallas Mavericks last night. While Dirk Nowitzki hit the game winner, the Pacers provided plenty of tumult themselves when emotions boiled over between the starting backcourt during the third quarter.
In this case, the back-to-back situation is a blessing since the team has to come together and get right back on the horse which doesn't allow time for a bad situation to fester. There certainly won't be much juice in the building for this game considering the NCAA tournament is going on up the road at Greensboro and North Carolina tips off at 5:45 PM followed by Duke in the same building. There will probably be some misplaced cheers throughout the game.
As for the Bobcats, this is a big game for the home team since they are one game behind Chicago for the 8th playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Charlotte comes into the game with a three game winning streak which has kept the scent of the playoffs strong. Granted the wins were against Toronto, Sacramento and Toronto, but they won games they were supposed to, something the Pacers certainly can't say.
Another thing the Bobcats have going for them is their health. It appears they are firing on all cylinders with no key players sidelined heading into the game tonight. For the Pacers, Marquis Daniels is doubtful with a wrist injury.
Here are the Pacers.com Matchups.
For a Charlotte perspective, check out Rufus on Fire.
Gameday Reading
- Bruno's Inside the Game LIVE blogcast and Postgame Report.
- Mike Wells reports on Dirk Nowitzki pushing the Pacers losing streak to five.
- Pacers Notebook informs on the Jack and Ford tangling plus updates on former Pacers, Shawne Williams and Darrell Armstrong.
- David Moore reports on the Mavs sneaking out of Indy with a W.
- David Stern and the NBA players union appear ready to look for a solution to the NBA's broken financial model. Great to hear Stern looking to act before the current agreement is up in 2011.
Leave your thoughts and observations in the comments. I'll be at a wedding during this one so I'll be catching up after the fact. Let me know what I missed.