| The Golden Tip-In Authored by Andrew Perna - December 3, 2008 - 8:21 pm
| Current Featured Columns | | Merry Christmas, Raptors Fans The Raptors might not be playing good basketball right now, but there are plenty of things for Toronto fans to be thankful for this holiday season.
A Melo Behind The SuperstarsCarmelo Anthony has never been one of the league's most efficient offensive players.
 |
Maynor Using Utah’s Resources
Eric Maynor is an increasingly rare four-year, small college rookie. He sat down with RealGM to discuss how his first few weeks of NBA life has gone and what he has learned from Deron Williams and Jerry Sloan.
|
 |
Why LeBron To The Clippers Makes Sense
LeBron James already plays for a perennial underdog in Cleveland, but moving to the Clippers would allow him to do so in a huge market and with a core that will immediately compete for championships while also having an encouraging long term outlook.
|
 |
‘Home-Heavy Schedule’ Brings Question Marks
The Heat have been plagued by inconsistencies, making it difficult to determine how good they really are this season.
|
|
More from RealGM's Columnists
|
| |
As unlikely as it sounds, that is exactly what happened on Tuesday night at Conseco Fieldhouse when Troy Murphy tipped-in a missed layup by Marquis Daniels as the buzzer sounded.
The victory brought the home fans –- those who remained in their seats after the Pacers fell behind by sixteen with a little more than ten minutes left to play -– to their feet and led to a celebration at center court that looked more like one that would take place in the May or June than early December.
Watching the play over-and-over, there’s no way any of the players involved where going to claim coach Jim O’Brien drew it up the same way it played out.
"We were lucky this time, but we have lost a few games in the last second. It can go both ways in those situations," Rasho Nesterovic said. "There will be more games like that."
Nesterovic, who probably wasn’t mentioned on Sportscenter or written about in the paper, played an important part in the outcome. No matter how firmly he deflects any credit.
"Daniels was just open, so I threw the easy pass," he said.
The reality is that not every big man would have the presence of mind, or possesses the court vision needed to find the open man with just seconds left on the clock.
"I wasn’t sure if he [Daniels] was going to make the shot," Nesterovic admitted, "but everything worked out."
The gears were put in motion for Murphy’s game-winning tip when Daniels drove in from the right side of the basket for a lay-up that wasn’t textbook by any stretch of the imagination.
"It slipped on the way up," Daniels admitted, "and I was like 'uh-oh'...
...Actually, you know, it was a pass to [Troy] Murphy," he added with a smile.
No matter how it happened, it did. The Pacers are now the only team to defeat both participants from last season’s NBA Finals, who had just four losses between them through Tuesday night’s action.
"It was a big win for us, regardless of the team that we were playing," said Daniels. "We had lost so many games in a row, that it was good to stop the bleeding."
After playing well through two-and-a-half quarters before falling behind by double-digits, Tuesday’s game against the Lakers was a perfect representation of how Indiana has played his season.
They have beaten the Celtics, Lakers and Rockets, but lost ugly games to the 76ers, Heat and Bobcats.
There are still growing pains to overcome, especially less than twenty games into a season that began with the introduction of seven new players.
"There are a lot of new guys, and we are still trying to figure each other out fully, but we’re not there yet," Nesterovic said. "If we continue to work hard and progress like we have, we’ll be in good shape."
Daniels wasn’t as kind with his assessment of why the Pacers have struggled with their consistency through the season’s first five weeks.
"We have to focus and concentrate better. It’s something that we have to learn as a group, something that we have to do together."
I tend to agree with Daniels’ reasoning for the ebb and flow of the team so far, and those issues are only going to intensify with a brutal slate of games upcoming.
After Wednesday night’s game against the Celtics, the Pacers will face the Cavaliers, Celtics (again), Raptors and Pistons before a lighter schedule in mid-December.
Until then, they could sure use a few more bounces like the one Murphy got against the Lakers.
Andrew Perna is a Senior Writer for RealGM.com. Please feel free to contact him with comments or questions via e-mail – Andrew.Perna@RealGM.com. |
