Magic-Pacers Preview

By CLIFF BRUNT
Posted Apr 27 2012 6:10PM

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) Indiana coach Frank Vogel is known for his bold declarations.

He's toning it down, at least for now.

The Pacers are in a new role as postseason favorites in Vogel's first full season as head coach. As much time as Vogel has spent building his team up the past 15 months, now he has to teach a different lesson heading into the playoffs - guarding against overconfidence.

Orlando's All-Star center, Dwight Howard, is out for the season after having back surgery. Howard averaged 23.8 points and 10.8 rebounds while shooting 69 percent from the field against Indiana this season and the Magic took three of four in the regular-season series.

Vogel said Orlando's offensive style, which focuses on spacing the floor and shooting 3-pointers, will present a challenge when their first-round playoff series opens on Saturday night. Orlando led the league in 3-pointers made and attempted and was third in percentage (.375).

"Anybody that knows basketball knows that a 3-point shooting team like Orlando is extremely dangerous," Vogel said. "It doesn't matter who's in the middle, they can get red hot and shoot you out of the game. Our antennas are going to be up, and we'll be ready to go."

Orlando forward Ryan Anderson led the league with 166 3-pointers this season. Indiana will have to deal with a combination of Glen "Big Baby" Davis, Earl Clark and Daniel Orton inside.

"Their spread pick-and-roll attack, whether it's Dwight Howard rolling to the basket, or Big Baby or Earl Clark or Orton, they are extremely dangerous the way they spread the floor with Anderson and all those shooters," Vogel said. "In a lot of ways, they are just as dangerous, and in some ways, even more dangerous because they shoot all those 3s."

Orlando's players said being without Howard has been an adjustment.

"Our game has changed," Magic point guard Jameer Nelson said. "Over the past two weeks, we've been without the most dominant player in the game, but we just have to stick together and help out defensively and do things the right way."

Another injured Orlando player, Hedo Turkoglu, had cheekbone surgery on April 7 and will play with a mask.

"It's not comfortable at all, but for my safety I have to put it on," Turkoglu said. "I don't know how long I will hold onto that, but especially in the beginning of the playoffs, I will wear it, but I can't promise for how long."

Davis, who sprained an ankle last week, is expected to start Game 1.

Missing Howard is a particular problem against the Pacers because Indiana is one of the biggest teams in the league. All-Star center Roy Hibbert is 7-foot-2 and David West at 6-9 is one of the league's strongest players. Lou Amundson and Tyler Hansbrough bring energy off the bench.

"There are two major challenges with them and they go hand in hand," Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy said. "Their size is just a major challenge for us. Clearly we're not loaded with size right now and they are. Going from Hibbert to David West and then Amundson and Hansbrough off the bench, and then their wing guys are both 6-9. Their size is a major issue and then they're also very, very difficult to score on."

Indiana's only injury issue involves reserve guard Leandro Barbosa. He is nursing a sprained left ankle, and Vogel said he is a game-time decision.

Orlando has more postseason experience than Indiana, but the Pacers have come on the past two seasons. Last year, Indiana barely got into the playoffs after a postseason drought, then played Chicago tough before losing their first-round series 4-1.

Last year's experience has helped the Pacers carry a sense of calm heading into this year's playoffs.

"I think we're even more focused this year," Pacers forward Danny Granger said. "I think we had a focus last year against the Bulls, but this year we're even more focused. Last year, we were kind of limping in, try to get into the playoffs."

Indiana has added playoff veterans West, Barbosa and George Hill. The third-seeded Pacers have home-court advantage in the series. They went 12-3 in April, and Vogel was selected Eastern Conference Coach of the Month on Friday.

Granger averaged 21.6 points in April, seventh-best in the league, and the Pacers went 11-2 in the games he played. He has averaged 7.8 points in the fourth quarter and overtime in 10 games since the start of April. During those stretches he shot 47 percent from the field, made 12 of 19 3-pointers and hit 16 of 17 free-throw attempts. Indiana won eight of those games, and his play has a lot to do with Indiana's confidence level.

"This year, we have a lot more expectations," Granger said. "We're the favorite in this series. We know that. For us to go in not expecting to win would be selling ourselves short."

Vogel believes the Pacers have the right approach.

"Last year, I didn't know how these guys were going to perform," he said. "They had never been there before. Now, they've tasted it. It's a much more confident feel."

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Follow Cliff Brunt on Twitter: www.twitter.com/cliffbruntap

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AP Sports Writer Kyle Hightower in Orlando, Fla. Contributed to this report.

Magic shock Pacers 81-77 in Game 1

By CLIFF BRUNT
Posted Apr 28 2012 10:54PM

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) The Orlando Magic entered Indiana's building as huge underdogs and walked out talking trash.

Jason Richardson and Jameer Nelson scored 17 points apiece to help sixth-seeded Orlando, playing without Dwight Howard, surprise the third-seeded Pacers 81-77 in Game 1 of the first-round Eastern Conference playoff series on Saturday night.

"Y'all look real stunned," Magic center Glen Davis, Howard's replacement, yelled at the crowd as he left the court. "Y'all look real stunned."

Howard, the Magic's leading scorer and the league's top rebounder, will miss the rest of the season after having back surgery. The Magic played defense Howard would have been proud of down the stretch, overcoming a seven-point deficit by holding the Pacers scoreless for the final 4:05.

"We're all we got," said Davis, who had 16 points and 13 rebounds. "We're not trying to impress the doubters or make them believe. Only if we believe. When we believe, there's unlimited things that we can do. We've been through a lot mentally, physically. We've overcame and did a great job out there today."

Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy was fine with the chatter about his team's chances. Before the game, he joked that the best prediction he had heard was the Magic losing in five games. He quickly followed that by saying opinions don't matter.

His team backed him up.

Orlando took a 68-67 lead on a dunk by Earl Clark with 9:41 remaining, but the Pacers held the Magic scoreless for nearly five minutes to take a 75-68 lead.

A 3-pointer by Richardson cut Indiana's lead to 77-75. The Pacers missed 3-pointers on three consecutive possessions, and Danny Granger missed two free throws with 1:14 left. Richardson made another 3-pointer to give the Magic a 78-77 lead with 1:04 to play.

"With Dwight being out, the 3-point line is what we had to take care of, and we didn't," Pacers guard Paul George said.

Granger missed in close, and Orlando snagged the rebound. Nelson was fouled and made two free throws with 24.5 seconds left to give the Magic an 80-77 lead.

Darren Collison missed a shot from near the free throw line, and Orlando rebounded. Clark missed two free throws with 12.1 seconds remaining, giving Indiana one more chance. Indiana barely got the ball inbounds, then Granger traveled with 7.5 seconds remaining. J.J. Redick's free throw at the other end finished the scoring.

"This team is full of talented players who can play hard," Orlando forward Ryan Anderson said. "That's a great mix and we have each other's backs. Everybody says that, you know, the underdog thing and stuff. We don't believe it. We don't look into that at all. We know how we can play and we know how good we are."

David West scored 19 points, Granger added 17 and Roy Hibbert had eight points, 13 rebounds and nine blocks for the Pacers.

"In one game, you give up what you played all season for," West said. "We talked about how good this team was, how dangerous they were in shooting the ball. They got us."

Indiana coach Frank Vogel expected Orlando's offensive style, which focuses on spacing the floor and shooting 3-pointers, to present a challenge. Orlando led the league in 3-pointers made and attempted during the regular season and was third in percentage (.375).

He was right.

Orlando fell behind by 10 in the first quarter before rallying in the second. A 3-pointer by Richardson gave Orlando a 43-40 lead, and the Magic increased that lead to 49-42 on a bucket by Nelson. The Magic led 51-44 at halftime, taking the air out of a crowd that showed up with high expectations. The Pacers made numerous atypical mistakes; among them, shooting just 9 for 15 from the free throw line.

Indiana opened the second half on an 8-2 run that included a 3-pointer and a fadeaway by Granger. George Hill was fouled on a 3-pointer, and he made all three free throws to finally give Indiana a 58-57 edge and bring the crowd back into the game.

Anderson's 3-pointer in the final minute of the quarter, his first of the game, gave the Magic a 64-63 lead at the end of period. Indiana held Orlando to 13 points on 6-for-19 shooting in the period, but couldn't support its good defense with offensive production in the fourth. Indiana shot 30 percent in the final 12 minutes and 35 percent overall.

"We definitely let this one get away," George said. "We went through a stretch of a lot of in and out shots."

Game 2 will be Monday night in Indianapolis.

"It is huge, to go out there and get Game 1 in their place," Davis said. "Now their back's against the wall and they've got to win Game 2. We're trying to get every game we can. We're not trying to slow down. We're not trying to be complacent."

Indiana doesn't plan to fall behind 2-0.

"We need to be sharper on reads offensively and execute in crunch time," Vogel said. "I have every bit of confidence we will bounce back."

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Notes: Indiana G Leandro Barbosa, who was nursing a sprained left ankle, finished with three points in 20 minutes. ... Orlando F Hedo Turkoglu wore a mask during the game. ... Vogel was named Eastern Conference Coach of the Month for April. ... Collison, who recently lost his starting job, played most of the fourth quarter. ... Magic assistant Patrick Ewing had a walking boot on his left foot because of an infection.

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Follow Cliff Brunt on Twitter: www.twitter.com/cliffbruntap

Notebook: Magic 81, Pacers 77

Posted Saturday April 28, 2012 11:16PM

By Tom Rietmann, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: Orlando's starting guard tandem of Jameer Nelson and Jason Richardson combined for 34 points, including Richardson's 5-of-8 shooting from the 3-point line, to lead the tough-minded Magic to an 81-77 victory over Indiana in Saturday's opener of their first-round playoff series at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The Pacers' worst fears came true. Indiana worried that the Magic, even in the absence of injured star center Dwight Howard, could do severe damage from the 3-point arc. Orlando hit 9-of-24, outscoring the Pacers 27-12 on 3-pointers. Glen Davis, subbing for Howard, collected 16 points and 13 rebounds.

QUOTABLE: " Even in games we haven't played well, I think our guys never quit fighting. Our goal is to hang in there."
-- Orlando head coach Stan Van Gundy.

THE STAT: Indiana's Roy Hibbert, who had a five-inch height advantage on Davis in the middle, blocked nine shots for an all-time franchise playoff high. However, Davis held his own, playing 40 minutes on a gimpy ankle and blocking three shots to go with his strong offensive production. ... Indiana hit only 13-of-22 free throws (59.1 percent).

TURNING POINT: The Pacers went the final 4:05 of the game with zero points, missing nine shots. Orlando closed them out with an 11-0 run.

QUOTABLE II: "We understand it's a series and we have a chance to respond. We're a great 3-point-shooting team and free throw-shooting team. We just didn't make them tonight. We didn't execute in crunch time."
-- Indiana head coach Frank Vogel.

HOT: Indiana's David West scored a game-high 19 points on 8-of-14 shooting and grabbed nine rebounds. ... Of Richardson's 17 points for Orlando, six came in the fourth quarter, including two 3-pointers in the final 2:39.

NOT: The Pacers, after taking an early 10-point lead, saw the visitors finish the first half with 13-6 run that gave them a 51-44 advantage at the break. Indiana went the final 3:41 without a field goal. ...Orlando's Ryan Anderson, who had scored 23 or more points in four of his last five regular-season games, managed only five against the Pacers.

QUOTABLE III: "We're not trying to impress the doubters or make them believe in us. We believe in ourselves. We've been through a lot this year, both mentally and physically. And we have been able to overcome it. This is huge to get Game 1 at their place."
-- Magic center Davis.

GOOD MOVE: The Magic used 6-10 Earl Clark for 19 1/2 minutes against Indiana's bigger front line. Clark scored six points, grabbed nine rebounds and blocked four shots.

BAD MOVE: The Pacers called a timeout with an 80-77 deficit and 10.3 seconds remaining. The ball went to leading scorer Danny Granger. As he tried to maneuver for a 3-pointer, he was called for traveling with 7.5 seconds left.

NOTABLE: The Magic have won six consecutive games at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, including a pair during the 2011-12 regular season. ... The Pacers' 11 blocks were one short of their NBA playoff record. ... Without Howard to anchor Orlando's defense, the Pacers outscored the Magic 36-26 in the paint and also had a 21-13 edge in second-chance points. ... In the first half, Orlando shot 42.9 percent on 3-pointers (6-of-14) and 41.7 percent overall (20-of-48). ... After a taking a 17-7 lead in the first quarter, Indiana was outscored 44-27 the rest of the half.

UP NEXT: Game 2 of the first-round Eastern Conference playoff series will be at 7:30 ET on Monday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

• Magic: Howard, Liggins
• Pacers: Fesenko, Foster

• Magic: --
• Pacers: --

• Lead Changes: 17
• Times Tied: 7

• Arena: Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
• Officials: #41 Ken Mauer, #36 David Jones, #40 Leon Wood
• Attendance: 18165
• Duration: 2:29