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The Indiana Pacers took the day off on Thursday to rest and recoup while looking ahead to Game 3 in Atlanta. For Lance Stephenson, that meant grimacing through treatment on his hip with the plan to be ready to go on Saturday night.
A couple of other stories of interest in the links today include a look back at the progress Paul George's sister made while playing at Pepperdine which follows the similar arc to PG's rise in importance on the Pacers roster.
Also, Tom Ziller at SBNation.com breaks down the possible landing places for Dwight Howard next year and includes a plausible path that have him join the Pacers. Playing off of Portland's interest in Roy Hibbert last summer, here is the theory.
PACERS: I have other ideas for Portland, though. They went after Roy Hibbert a year ago. If they were still interested, they could trade for him while sending the Pacers only minimal salary and draft picks. Indiana would then have room to sign Howard. Or we could get really fancy and pull a three-way deal: Hibbert to Portland, Danny Granger to the Lakers in a sign-and-trade that sends Howard to Indiana. Regardless: Dwight, a re-signed David West, Paul George, George Hill, Lance Stephenson, wins wins wins.
That would make for a wild offseason, no? But as TZ goes on to note, the minor detail in this speculation is Howard signing off on such a deal where he'd have to be looking for a championship situation as a priority instead of a big market team.
Check out the links:
Will Dwight Howard have any better championship options than L.A. Lakers? - SBNation.com
Paul George's sister will kick your butt - TrueHoop Blog - ESPN
Hawks’ defensive woes have them in playoff hole | www.myajc.com
Pacers Playoffs Notebook: Pick your poster, Hibbert or Green? | Fox 59 News – fox59.com
2013 Playoffs: Pacers head to Atlanta closer to finishing act - Indy Sports Legends
Bulls vs. Nets final score: Bulls survive late Nets comeback to go up 2-1 in series - Blog a Bull
Boozer helps Bulls beat Nets 79-76 in Game 3 - AP