This deep into the playoffs for the first time in four years, most of the Indiana Pacers are making it up as they go along.
That's why they took special pride in Tuesday's 73-70 win at Miami that sent them to the Eastern Conference finals, no matter how ugly it got at times.
Yes, they struggled to score.
Yes, they lacked poise early and late.
Yes, they looked neither stylish nor dominant.
But, yes, they found the substance within themselves to make winning plays in what for most of them was the most challenging game of their NBA careers.
They entered the series against Miami riding a nine-game winning streak and fresh off a first-round sweep of Boston. They absorbed two losses before ending the series but walked away with greater confidence because they felt they had learned something. Namely, how to win a playoff game on the road when shots aren't falling.
"We're much better, because we're in sync now," Jermaine O'Neal said. "The 11-day layoff (before the series) really hurt us, in more ways than one. We didn't realize that until we got here last week. We won (Games 1 and 2) in Indiana because Miami hasn't played that well on the road. It finally caught up with us in Games 3 and 4. It took us a second to get our rhythm, but Game 5 in Conseco really helped us."
The Pacers, outrebounded in the first four games of the series by a smaller Miami team, regained control of the boards in Games 5 and 6. They also regained the defensive mind-set that carried them to 61 regular-season wins. Most important, they came together emotionally.
That was obvious after the morning shootaround and in the pregame locker room, in small but important ways.
A video of the Pacers' most recent game against that night's opponent always plays on a monitor in the Pacers' locker room before it is closed to the media. Normally, Reggie Miller is the only player to pay close attention. Tuesday, however, he was joined by Ron Artest, Jamaal Tinsley, Anthony Johnson, Fred Jones, Austin Croshere and Jeff Foster for the review of Game 5.
They huddled around the monitor in chairs and on the floor like kids watching Saturday morning cartoons, quietly pointing out flaws and opportunities to one another. Except when Jamaal Tinsley was knocked down after a drive to the basket and then fell after trying to stand up right away.
"You look like Roy Jones!" Miller said, referring to the boxer who lost a championship fight last Saturday.
"My head was light," Tinsley said, laughing.
Focused, but not uptight. That attitude carried them through a game in which they committed nine turnovers in the opening 101/2 minutes and then missed two foul shots, a field goal and committed two turnovers in the final 2:18.
"This was the most tied together our team has been all year," coach Rick Carlisle said. "Their concentration (Tuesday) morning was great. There were 12 guys in uniform completely committed to one another and three guys in street clothes (players on the inactive roster) who were helping those guys out. Anything else wouldn't have gotten it done.
"This was an important test of our cohesiveness and our collective strength as a team."
The Pacers weren't nearly as smooth as the team that won Game 6s on the road to eliminate Philadelphia and New York on its way to the NBA Finals in 2000. But that was a 30-something team, much more battle-scarred than this one.
This one seemed pleased to pick up a scar or two, for future reference.
Miller is the only returning starter from the Finals team. Croshere is the only other player who was part of the regular rotation. Tuesday's game, then, was a first for O'Neal, Artest, Foster, Tinsley, Al Harrington, Jonathan Bender and others who had never played a meaningful role in such an important game.
The victory, uneven as it was, provided a landmark for them.
"That's really where you make your mark in this league: how you perform on the road," Miller said. "Everyone expects you to win at home. On the road is where a team can grow up, especially a young team like ourselves."
Another series older, another series wiser, the Pacers resume play in the conference finals Saturday.
Most of them don't know what awaits them, but they're starting to get a clue.
http://www.indystar.com/articles/0/148088-9880-179.html
That's why they took special pride in Tuesday's 73-70 win at Miami that sent them to the Eastern Conference finals, no matter how ugly it got at times.
Yes, they struggled to score.
Yes, they lacked poise early and late.
Yes, they looked neither stylish nor dominant.
But, yes, they found the substance within themselves to make winning plays in what for most of them was the most challenging game of their NBA careers.
They entered the series against Miami riding a nine-game winning streak and fresh off a first-round sweep of Boston. They absorbed two losses before ending the series but walked away with greater confidence because they felt they had learned something. Namely, how to win a playoff game on the road when shots aren't falling.
"We're much better, because we're in sync now," Jermaine O'Neal said. "The 11-day layoff (before the series) really hurt us, in more ways than one. We didn't realize that until we got here last week. We won (Games 1 and 2) in Indiana because Miami hasn't played that well on the road. It finally caught up with us in Games 3 and 4. It took us a second to get our rhythm, but Game 5 in Conseco really helped us."
The Pacers, outrebounded in the first four games of the series by a smaller Miami team, regained control of the boards in Games 5 and 6. They also regained the defensive mind-set that carried them to 61 regular-season wins. Most important, they came together emotionally.
That was obvious after the morning shootaround and in the pregame locker room, in small but important ways.
A video of the Pacers' most recent game against that night's opponent always plays on a monitor in the Pacers' locker room before it is closed to the media. Normally, Reggie Miller is the only player to pay close attention. Tuesday, however, he was joined by Ron Artest, Jamaal Tinsley, Anthony Johnson, Fred Jones, Austin Croshere and Jeff Foster for the review of Game 5.
They huddled around the monitor in chairs and on the floor like kids watching Saturday morning cartoons, quietly pointing out flaws and opportunities to one another. Except when Jamaal Tinsley was knocked down after a drive to the basket and then fell after trying to stand up right away.
"You look like Roy Jones!" Miller said, referring to the boxer who lost a championship fight last Saturday.
"My head was light," Tinsley said, laughing.
Focused, but not uptight. That attitude carried them through a game in which they committed nine turnovers in the opening 101/2 minutes and then missed two foul shots, a field goal and committed two turnovers in the final 2:18.
"This was the most tied together our team has been all year," coach Rick Carlisle said. "Their concentration (Tuesday) morning was great. There were 12 guys in uniform completely committed to one another and three guys in street clothes (players on the inactive roster) who were helping those guys out. Anything else wouldn't have gotten it done.
"This was an important test of our cohesiveness and our collective strength as a team."
The Pacers weren't nearly as smooth as the team that won Game 6s on the road to eliminate Philadelphia and New York on its way to the NBA Finals in 2000. But that was a 30-something team, much more battle-scarred than this one.
This one seemed pleased to pick up a scar or two, for future reference.
Miller is the only returning starter from the Finals team. Croshere is the only other player who was part of the regular rotation. Tuesday's game, then, was a first for O'Neal, Artest, Foster, Tinsley, Al Harrington, Jonathan Bender and others who had never played a meaningful role in such an important game.
The victory, uneven as it was, provided a landmark for them.
"That's really where you make your mark in this league: how you perform on the road," Miller said. "Everyone expects you to win at home. On the road is where a team can grow up, especially a young team like ourselves."
Another series older, another series wiser, the Pacers resume play in the conference finals Saturday.
Most of them don't know what awaits them, but they're starting to get a clue.
http://www.indystar.com/articles/0/148088-9880-179.html
