| Inside the Game LIVE: Pacers vs. Heat | (03/25/2009) |
6:19 | We come out of the box tonight with breaking news: Troy Murphy will miss the game with a sprained medical collateral ligament in his left knee. The injury apparently occurred during the final stages of this morning's shootaround when Murphy got tangled in a screen. |
6:20 | The initial diagnosis is a Grade 1 sprain, the mildest of the three grades but the full severity won't be known until after Murphy undergoes an MRI exam. |
6:22 | With Murphy out, Jeff Foster will slide into the starting lineup at power forward. Expect Coach Jim O'Brien to go small quite a bit for a couple of reasons. Without Murphy, the Pacers lose the ability to space the floor with 3-point shooting. The Pacers got blown out in the last game Murphy missed, against Portland a week ago. |
6:23 | Marquis Daniels also will be out with a sprained right wrist, meaning the Pacers will be without three of their top six players (including Mike Dunleavy). |
6:26 | The other storyline tonight is the Pacers' 13-game home winning streak (16 if you include the 2004 playoffs) against the Heat. Dwyane Wade has never won in Conseco Fieldhouse. The last time Miami won here was Dec. 31, 2001. |
| 6:27 | How many players on the active rosters the last time the Heat beat the Pacers in Conseco Fieldhouse (on Dec. 31, 2001) are still in the NBA? 15 ( 33% ) ( 0% ) ( 0% ) ( 33% ) ( 0% ) ( 33% ) |
6:52 | [Comment From Mike] Conrad is there anymore word on Troy's knee injury? Is it serious like he'll miss the next few games or will he back for the game Saturday in Chicago? |
6:52 | We won't know any more until after the MRI, so we may have something more definitive tomorrow. |
6:58 | Sorry for the delays. Wireless connection cuts out when I make the transition from the media workroom to courtside. Good to go now. |
6:59 | Also had to take a 10-minute break to do a bit on the pregame TV show with Mike Wells and Kevin Lee, discussing the NBA MVP race. |
7:00 | Every time I have to do one of those things, I'm glad I learned to type fast at an early age. |
7:01 | I don't think there's much of a debate, really. LeBron will win. D-Wade will probably finish second because of his strong finish, not necessarily because he's a stronger candidate than Kobe. If I still had a vote, I'd have to give serious consideration to Dwight Howard. |
7:06 | The Kansas basketball team just arrived and is populating one of the lower level rows in their blue warmup suits. Their primary interest will be supporting Brandon Rush and Mario Chalmers. Although I suspect they may contemplate booing Michael Beasley. |
7:10 | Tom Crean's also in the house, sitting in the second row. |
7:11 | Ball's in the air ... |
7:17 | Pacers get off to very good start, attacking the Heat in transition at every opportunity. Rush hits his first 3-point attempt which has to boost his mindset with so many Jayhawks in the crowd. Not to mention being matched up with D-Wade. Pacers jump out 13-6, forcing Erik Spoelstra to take a timeout with 8:10 left. |
7:17 | Spoelstra made one lineup switch, starting Beasley instead of Jamario Moon. |
7:18 | Former Indianapolis Mayor Steve Goldsmith is also in attendance, sitting in the front row next to Emmis boss Jeff Smulyan. |
7:21 | I can't believe what I just saw. Roy Hibbert blocked D-Wade one-on-one in transition and no foul was called. |
7:27 | Heat are working J.O. quite a bit early apparently trying to get him some love against his former team. Fans are booing when he touches. Miami goes on a 10-2 run to take an 18-17 lead on a J.O. jumper but the Pacers answer as Rasho Nesterovic, in after HIbbert picks up his second foul, scores twice and Granger takes advantage of being left wide open for a 3-pointer and it's 24-18 with 2:56 left. |
7:28 | [Comment From Alexander Mayorov] What you can say about team play of Pacers? |
7:29 | For most of the season, it has been quite good. Because they lack a transcendant superstar talent, the Pacers myst rely on cohesive team play and unit chemistry. |
7:33 | Here's a good early indicator. Miami is 0-of-3 from the 3-point line. The Heat has a 21-3 record when hitting 40 percent or better from the arc, but just 17-29 otherwise. |
7:35 | Make that 0-of-4 as Wade misses a halfcourt heave at the buzzer as the Pacers lead 27-24 after one. Granger leads the Pacers with nine, Wade leads the Heat with 8. |
7:44 | Foul trouble starting to become an issue up front. Rasho joins Hibbert with two, bringing Maceo Baston into the game. Josh McRoberts also got some run in the first quarter. Pacers hanging on, 34-32, with 9:56 left in the half. |
7:50 | [Comment From coop-a-loop] What is the Pacers and/or NBA record for fouls in a season for a rookie? |
7:50 | Great question but don't have the answer handy. Will have to do some digging to look that up. |
7:51 | Beasley is hitting his jumper and has been a big factor in the period. He alread has seven points and four boards and is a big reason Miami has taken the lead without D-Wade, who has yet to appear in the quarter. I suspect he'll check in now, at the 5:50 timeout with the Heat up 38-37. |
7:52 | Granger goes down hard on a drive as Beasley takes a charge. From the reaction of the Heat bench, Beasley doesn't take too many chargers. Granger leaves the game as Rush checks in. Will keep a close eye on that. |
7:52 | [Comment From erk2044] Do you think hibbert will have a longer and more successful career than greg oden? cause i do. |
7:53 | That's a pretty bold prediction, Erk. I'm not aligned with that one. |
7:54 | Granger heads to the scorer's table to check back in with J.O. at the line with 4:31 left, so he's OK. |
7:59 | This game's getting feisty quickly. D-Wade just runs over Jarrett Jack for no particular reason. Foster and J.O. are going at it on every possession. Miami clearly wants to end that 13-game losing streak and leads 43-41 with 2:09 left in the half. |
7:59 | [Comment From Frederick] Glad to hear Granger's OK! In your opinion, is a PF, who's a bit of a bruiser a missing component of this young Pacers team? Thanks for at least reading the question! |
8:01 | In theory, a banger inside would be nice. But in many ways Murphy is the perfect PF for O'Brien's system because of his shooting range. But there is a need for post presence at both ends. |
8:01 | [Comment From Guest] Is this going to be a routine, Granger would keep shooting bad the first half? |
8:02 | He's 4-of-11 so far and is not making Miami pay for leaving him open. |
8:08 | A very entertaining and competitive first half comes to a close with Miami leading 49-48. Pacers are shooting .476 form the half. Granger has 11 but is 4-of-12 from the field and 1-of-4 from the arc. Jack (nine) and Rush (seven) are both playin gwell. |
8:09 | Miami is shooting .422 as Wade is 3-of-13 but has six of his 12 points from the line. J.O. has nine with two rebounds, Haslem eight and Beasley seven. Miami is 1-of-6 from the arc. |
8:09 | [Comment From Mike] We're doing a great job keeping Wade from scoring. The tight defense is key in this game. We need to keep O'Neal from getting good looks as well. |
8:21 | [Comment From Ruby from Brownsburg] Conrad -- what do you do during halftime? Break down the box score? Hit the men's room? Take a smoke break? |
| 8:22 | What do I do during halftime? Break down the box score ( 60% ) ( 20% ) ( 20% ) |
8:22 | Third quarter underway ... |
8:24 | The answer to the first poll question (how many players are still in the NBA from the two rosters the last time the Heat beat the Pacers in CFH in 2001?) is .... seven. From the Indiana roster: Jeff Foster, Jermaine O'Neal, Al Harrington and Jamaal Tinsley. From the Miami roster: Mike James, Malik Allen and Eddie House. |
8:25 | Teams open the second half 0-for-10 in the first 3 minutes. |
8:25 | [Comment From Frederick] Forgot Eddie House ever was a Heat... Go Pacers! Win the 2nd half! |
8:26 | Granger finally breaks the drought with a layup that puts the Pacers up 50-49. |
8:31 | [Comment From coop-a-loop] I heard Bruno hits up the carrot cake in the media workroom. |
8:31 | Haslem is it for the Heat so far and he's enough, hitting five straight mid-range jumpers as Miami takes a 59-56 lead midway through the period. |
8:32 | Actually, coop-a-loop, I'm more of an oatmeal-raisin cookie kind of guy. Us AARP members need our fiber, even with dessert. |
8:39 | [Comment From Guest] Haslem is the leading scorer, whats up with that? |
8:39 | When the defense collapses on Wade's drive, Haslem is usually the guy left open by the defensive rotations. |
8:41 | With Haslem out of the mix, Miami goes gold again, particularly Wade, who's 3-of-16. Granger, meanwhile scores on a drive and a mid-range jumper as the Pacers push back into a 64-60 lead with 2:53 left in the quarter. Keep an eye on Granger. He often needs just a little spark like this to ignite. |
8:41 | [Comment From Frederick] Any particular Pacers player(s) picking up the slack of the injured double-double waiting to happen, Troy Murphy? |
8:42 | Foster has 14 boards. Rush threatening a double-double with nine points and seven boards. Team up 36-28 on the boards without Murphy. |
8:52 | Good news is Pacers are very much in the game, down 68-67 after three. Bad news is they're trailing on a night when Wade is shooting 4-of-18. The law of averages suggests that percentage will not hold up. Pacers missed all six of their 3-pointers in the quarter. Granger has 18 and Jack 13. Haslem leads Miami with 18 on 9-of-10 shooting. Wade has 16 (eight from the line). |
8:52 | [Comment From Frederick] Thanks! Foster being Foster, hitting the boards. And a great effort from young Mr. Rush! I hope they can expand the lead while Haslem gets a breather... Never thought he'd be the Heat player I'd worry about... |
8:52 | [Comment From Mats Norway] I like seeing the young guys getting some floor time at this pointin the season. Do you see Rush or Hibbert starting next season? |
8:52 | [Comment From Cornrows via Lowcountry] Pacers have covered up DWade pretty well this quarter. Looks like he's going to have to force the action and start drawing calls. |
8:52 | [Comment From jake] bruno, i missed the first half did oneal get heavily booed when he was introduced or was it a mixed reaction? |
8:53 | I wouldn't say heavily booed but he was definitely booed when introduced and the first few times he touched the ball. |
8:54 | The answer to the second poll question about what I do at halftime is actually a trick question. I break down the box score AND hit the men's room. I definitely do not take a smoke break. |
9:00 | Pacers made their first two 3-pointers of the game. They're 1-of-13 since, including 0-of-8 in the second half. With Wade on the bench Miami has maintained the lead, 74-72, with 8:39 left. Pacers must shake this 3-point funk to pull this one out. |
9:00 | [Comment From Guest] answer norway |
9:00 | Sorry, Mats, forgot to answer your last question. Hibbert's already starting so it's reasonable to project him in the lineup next season. Whether Rush starts could depend on Mike Dunleavy's recovery from knee surgery. |
9:03 | T.J. Ford is taking care of the offense at the moment, getting Chalmers into the lane and shooting that little mid-range fadeaway. He's got six in the quarter and 16 for the game as the Pacers take back the lead, 76-76, with 7:38 left. |
9:04 | [Comment From Andrew] Rush has had a couple of good games starting. If he can do that off the bench on a consistant basis then when everyone is healthy they can do well. |
9:05 | Granger snaps the 3-point slide to put the Pacers up four, 79-75, with 7:01 left. Heat will no doubt put it in Wade's hands. Pacers will no doubt try to get it out of Wade's hands. Outcome could hinge on how well the other Heat players do with their opportunities. |
9:06 | [Comment From Cornrows via Lowcountry] Appears to be a real good crowd tonight. |
9:07 | A large crowd indeed -- 17,117. And other than the three folks sitting behind the scorer's table constantly chanting for the Heat, it's a good crowd. |
9:11 | It's officially a run now. Granger follows his 3-pointer with a hard drive that nets a pair of free throws, then scores on a 3-on-2 break on a sweet feed from Ford. The run is up to 11-0, Granger is up to 25 for the game, and the lead is up to 83-75 with 5:42 left. |
9:17 | [Comment From Cornrows via Lowcountry] I don't want to overstate things but...that may have been the best transition bucket this season. |
9:17 | Lead reaches double-figures on another Granger 3-pointer that makes it 90-80 with 3:46 remaining. Don't get comfortable. This one's far from over. |
9:18 | [Comment From Cornrows via Lowcountry] TJ may make a late run at 6th man of the year. |
9:18 | Very, very, very, very late. |
9:18 | [Comment From Andrew] do you know why super stars get calls and other players don't? |
9:18 | Because when games are on the line, superstars generally have the ball and the action revolves around them. |
9:22 | [Comment From Andrew] How many points does Granger and Ford have in this quarter |
9:22 | They've combined for 20 of the Pacers' 23 in the period. |
9:24 | Offense comes up dry on five straight possessions and Miami scores eight in a row, closing to 90-88 with 41.2 seconds left after O'Neal hits a free-throw line jumper and James Jones -- another ex-Pacer -- makes a pair of free throws. |
9:26 | Make it six straight empty possessions as Granger drives, misses and doesn't get a call with 25 seconds left. Pacers get the stop as Wade drives and feeds an open Haslem on the baseline but he misses the jumper. However, Chalmers wins the race to the rebound and Heat call a timeout with 2.8 seconds left. Give you three guesses who's going to take this shot. |
9:26 | [Comment From Guest] Wade is having a really, really bad shooting night, 5-of-23 |
9:27 | Watch out for the ball-fake and quick drive in hopes of drawing a foul. |
9:28 | Excellent defense by Rush on the final play as he chases Wade through two screens and leaves him with nothing better than a well-challenged corner 3-pointer that clangs off at the buzzer and the Pacers hold on for a 90-88 win. |
9:29 | Pacers win despite going scoreless in the final 3:45 after taking the 90-80 lead. Granger scores 28 with four rebounds, three steals and two blocks. Ford has 20 with nine rebounds and three assists. Jack has 13 and Rush has 11 with eight rebounds. |
9:29 | Wade leads Heat with 21 but shoots 5-of-24 overall. Haslem scores 18. J.O. has 13 with two rebounds. |
9:30 | Pacers win their 14th straight home game against the Heat, 17 including the playoffs. A truly amazing streak. |
9:30 | That's all for tonight. See you Saturday afternoon. TELL YOUR FRIENDS. WE NEED THE DUES. |
9:30 |  |
