| ||
| PACERS | vs. | CLIPPERS |
 Jamaal Tinsley |
Point Guard |
 Sam Cassell |
 Mike Dunleavy |
Shooting Guard |
 Cuttino Mobley |
 Danny Granger |
Small Forward |
 Quinton Ross |
 Jermaine O'Neal |
Power Forward |
 Elton Brand |
 Troy Murphy |
Center |  Chris Kaman |
 Darrell Armstrong |
Sixth Man |
 Shaun Livingston |
 Rick Carlisle |
Coach |  Mike Dunleavy |
Suddenly Slumping, Pacers Eye Turnaround
By Conrad Brunner | Feb. 10, 2007
| Sunday's Game | ||
|---|---|---|
2:30 p.m., Home TV: None Radio: WIBC 1070-AM |
Just two games out of first place and riding a surge of six wins and seven games when the week began, the Pacers have suddenly gone flat, losing three in a row to sub-.500 teams. Now they're closer to the lottery (2˝ games ahead of ninth-place New Jersey) than the lead (five games behind Detroit). With just two games left before the All-Star break, the team has few opportunities left to develop some positive momentum heading into the respite.
"We're a team that has to be firing on all cylinders to really play our best and when we don't we’re going to tempt fate," said Coach Rick Carlisle. "When you don't rebound well one night, you're going to be exposed at the end of the game like the Seattle game. If you're not defending well for 48 (minutes), you're giving to give up high-percentage shooting which we did most of the game tonight against Seattle, you put yourself in harm's way.
"We've got to stick with it, keep working and battle our way back to playing good basketball. When you're going bad, you're probably not as far from being good as you think and vice versa. We've just got to stick with it."
The primary culprits have been porous defense and perimeter offense.
The Pacers have allowed four straight opponents to score at least 100 points, yielding an average of 107.0 on .490 shooting in that span. Offensively, they've become overly reliant on the 3-point shot. Though they've been successful, hitting 28-of-73 (.384) in the last three games, the average of 24.3 attempts represents more than one-quarter of their shot total.
Dominant in points in the paint during their seven-game surge, outscoring opponents by 54, the Pacers have been outscored by 22 in that category in the last three. With fewer forays into the lane have also come fewer free-throw opportunities. The Pacers have been outscored 75-49 at the line in the last three, including 34-11 by Denver in Friday night's 102-95 loss.
"There are going to be games like that especially where they send people to double-team me every single time (and) it forces us to be a perimeter team," said Jermaine O'Neal. "We have to figure out a better way to get ourselves going, and I have to figure out a better way to get myself going. If they’re going to double me in the low post, then I have to step out and try to beat these guys off the dribble."
Mike Dunleavy, who scored 23 against Denver, will oppose his father's team for the first time since being traded to the Pacers from Golden State on Jan. 17. The elder Dunleavy's Clippers will be playing their fifth straight road game and are coming off a 90-89 victory in Philadelphia Friday.
"We’re not happy with ourselves but we can’t get down and feel bad about it," said the Pacers' Dunleavy. "We have to get ready to take care of these last two (games), two more Western Conference opponents. Us guys who came over in the trade know the West is pretty good and every time out, no matter who you play in that conference, it's a tough game."
Clippers - F Corey Maggette (flu) and F Tim Thomas (hyperextended right knee) are day-to-day; C Zeljko Rebraca (lower back) is out.
