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Omar the barber wasn't the reason the Indiana Pacers pounded the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night, but his presence did help motivate the blue and gold heading into the game.
The reason the Pacers won was due to another stifling defensive effort which allowed the offense to join the party in the second half and run the Mavs and Omar out of the American Airlines Center. In their prior 14 games in March, Dallas averaged almost 105 points per game while posting a 10-4 record. Last night the Pacers held Dallas to just 78 points, their lowest score since mid-December when they were sans Dirk Nowitzki and instead starting Derek FIsher and Dahntay Jones.
So while Frank Vogel jumped at the chance to discuss the Mavericks' post-game plans with his team prior to the game, those Dallas beards were not the key factor, it was the defense. But the Pacers still made sure the Mavs won't be talking about shaving their beards again, as Tim McMahon reports.
"We wanted to shut that s--- down," big man Roy Hibbert said after the Pacers' 103-78 blowout win, which guaranteed that the bearded Mavs won't be shaving on this homestand.
Shut it down they did.
Check out the links:
Pacers at Mavericks - Box score and highlights
Game Rewind: Pacers 103, Mavericks 78 | THE OFFICIAL SITE OF THE INDIANA PACERS
Paul George, Pacers topple Mavericks 103-78 | Indianapolis Star | indystar.com
Pacers: Shutting Granger down is the right thing for him and the team | Pacers Insider
Walsh says Granger very much in plans moving forward | 1070 The Fan – Opinion & Analysis
Pacers Notebook: Is Granger gone for good? - Indy Sports Legends
Granger Mystery Resolved — For Now | Pacers Blogs
George, Pacers topple Mavericks 103-78 - AP
No barber necessary after Mavs blown out - Dallas Mavericks Blog - ESPN Dallas
Mavericks Final Score: Indiana rolls over Dallas, 103-78 - Mavs Moneyball
Sefko: Why was this no close shave? Pacers are just much better than Mavs | Dallas Mavericks Blog
Post-Game Grades: Pacers Destroy Mavericks | 8 Points, 9 Seconds