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The bad news is that David West is sick, dealing with an upper respiratory infection which kept him out of the Pacers shoot around on Saturday. The good news is, West plans to play which puts his cough and sneeze capabilities into the Pacers defensive game plan.
Krissy Myers let the masses know that West was out this morning but expected to be ready to go in front of the Fieldhouse faithful for the opening tip of Game 6.
David West missed Saturday morning's shootaround with an upper respiratory infection..he will play in Saturday night's game.
— Krissy Myers (@PacersKrissy) June 1, 2013
No, this doesn't even things up with the Heat for having to play without Birdman Andersen. West is far more valuable in a variety of ways to what the Pacers are trying to do on court every game. I'll be surprised if West show no ill effects once he hits the court, but then again, I'm not sick, either.
Oh, and for those complaining about Birdman's after-the-fact suspension, which I heard on national radio on the way to the Fieldhouse, sorry, but David Stern was boxed into a corner with that one. He destroyed the Pacers for a few years with his crack-down on a similar incident that escalated out of control. The Pacers, like no other team, are schooled in the art of not responding to such tempting physical fodder. Tyler Hansbrough didn't take the bait, despite Birdman's repeated attempts to create a fracas.
Stern had to deliver a strong response.