Most teams would have mailed it in.
Subtract your two leading scorers and your leading rebounder and it will probably get ugly and you most likely will lose at this level.
Someone forgot to tell the Pacers how this works. With Danny Granger, Marquis Daniels, and Troy Murphy out of the lineup, they had more than their work cut out for them in recent games against the Los Angeles Clippers and the Philadelphia 76ers.
But the Pacers responded with an effort nothing short of spectacular and showed what grit and determination can do when you are up against adverse circumstances to say the least.
Against the Clippers the Pacers bench players stepped up and those who normally might not play provided a spark. They pushed Los Angeles to double overtime before losing 117-109. Jarrett Jack scored 27 points to lead a Pacer attack that placed five players in double figures. T. J. Ford added 17 while Roy Hibbert contributed 16 points and grabbed 8 boards.
The Pacers out rebounded the Clippers and held them to just 43 percent from the field, but committed a whopping 25 turnovers. Despite that, they still had a chance to win the game in regulation when Al Thornton of the Clippers drained a three point shot to send the game into the first overtime period.
The Clippers were lead in scoring by former Marion Indiana High School star Zach Randolph who went wild on the Pacers with 34 points and a game high 16 rebounds. Thornton added 25 and former IU standout Eric Gordon added 15 in his first appearance at Conseco Fieldhouse since entering the NBA.
The Pacers flew to Philadelphia after the game to visit the 76ers the next evening and no doubt were wondering what this set of back to back games would be like with a depleted roster.
Again, they did not disappoint as they rallied behind yet another spirited performance to produce an improbable outcome and defeated Philadelphia 95 to 94.
T.J. Ford who led Indiana with 25 points, hit a jumper with just 3.9 seconds left to put Indiana ahead, and the Pacers watched Andre Iguodala’s driving shot at the buzzer fall short to secure a victory that nobody in NBA circles ever could have expected.
Seldom used Josh McRoberts gave Indiana a major lift with 10 points and 8 rebounds off the bench on a night when the Pacers who dressed just nine players, clearly would not give up.
Philadelphia who played without Elton Brand, was led by Iguodala, who scored 26 points. Andre Miller enjoyed a triple double night by hitting the Pacers with 14 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists.
Notes: Eric Gordon declined to elaborate after the game in regards to statements he had made earlier in the week regarding drug usage by the basketball team last season at Indiana University. Gordon did tell me that he was simply responding to an inquiry by the media and was not seeking a forum for the comments. He also said there was a division amongst the team due to the problem that led him to stay away from campus in terms of his social life and his living arrangements.
The Pacers close out 2008 with home games against New Orleans on December 28th and Atlanta on December 30th. Tickets for both games are still available at Ticketmaster.com or the Conseco Fieldhouse box office.
Happy New Year and thanks for reading.
Danny Bridges can be reached at (317) 578-1780 or Bridgeshd@aol.com.
