The Indiana Pacers maintain a stiff upper lip as they head into their game Saturday night at the Miami Heat where they were beaten and bruised by 35 points on their last visit in early January.
The Pacers lost by 15 points when they faced the Heat back at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Valentines Day but that game played out more like a massacre with a garbage time run masking the 30-plus point game it really was for much of regulation. This was a game that I felt shook the Pacers confidence and sucked the swagger out of their game that Larry Bird is hoping returns.
A win tonight on South Beach would certainly right the ship in a hurry, but even a focused, competitive effort that gives the Pacers a chance to win late would help at least move things in the right direction. Hopefully, Frank Vogel won't have a well rested starting unit heading into Orlando on Sunday due to another extended garbage time run for the bench.
For once, a little fatigue would be welcomed for the Pacers. Speaking of the Magic, Hedo Turkoglu will sit out against the Pacers due to a suspension for contacting a referee in Orlando's win at Chicago. That's one less three-point shooter the Pacers have to mark around the arc for the Magic.
Check out the links after the jump with stories on the Pacers looking forward to the challenge of playing the Heat again.
- PACERS: Caught in the Web Indiana Pacers blog: Pacers face huge weekend in Sunshine State
- Pacers play at Miami on Saturday | The Indianapolis Star | indystar.com
- Miami Heat, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh commentary from Ira Winderman - South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com
- Orlando’s Turkoglu suspended one game for touching referee | ProBasketballTalk
- Just because the Indiana Pacers can make a deal, it doesn’t mean they should | Ball Don't Lie - Yahoo! Sports
- Reports: Pacers Interested In Chris Kaman, Jamal Crawford | SI Tracking Blog – Tracking the MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, and NCAA On Twitter
- Big 3's final run stirs bittersweet memories for original trio - ESPN Boston
- Report: Ray Allen Offered to Pacers for Tyler Hansbrough, First-Round Draft Pick - Boston Celtics - NESN.com
- Ricky Rubio could have serious knee injury - NBA - Yahoo! Sports