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Following Game 2, Frank Vogel expressed his intent for the Indiana Pacers to go for the kill in Game 3 while putting an end to their 11-game losing streak against the Atlanta Hawks in their gym.
Instead the Hawks flipped the script and killed the Pacers, leaving a glob of blue and gold road pulp on the side of the street near Philips Arena. The good thing about such a lopsided, never-had-a-chance loss was that it is easy to move on and look forward to Game 4 with nothing of value to review in Game 3.
The bad part of the loss is that the Hawks are back in the game. Al Horford and Josh Smith played like All-Stars as the Pacers couldn't handle the adjustments Larry Drew made to his game plan for slowing down the Pacers. Sill, it isn't all on the Hawks. The Pacers shot below 30 percent and turned the ball over 22 times, nearly as many donations as they had in the first two games combined.
One thing is for sure, any hopes of a stress-free first round are out the door. Now the Pacers have to go on the grind to jump back in control in Game 4.
Check out the links:
Pacers at Hawks - Box score and highlights
Game Rewind: Pacers 69, Hawks 90 | THE OFFICIAL SITE OF THE INDIANA PACERS
Pacers Lose Game 3 Thoroughly | THE OFFICIAL SITE OF THE INDIANA PACERS
Bob Kravitz: Hawks reveal Pacers soft side with Game 3 rout | Indianapolis Star | indystar.com
Hawks rout Pacers to get back in playoff series (updated) | www.ajc.com
Pacers: A poor shooting night from the starters leads to a long game | Pacers Insider
Pacers vs. Hawks final score: Atlanta rolls to 90-69 win in Game 3 over Indiana - Peachtree Hoops
A dominating victory proves the Hawks do care | www.myajc.com
2013 Playoffs: Hawks knock down Pacers in stunning Game 3 reversal - Indy Sports Legends