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| PACERS | vs. | NETS |
 Keith McLeod |
Point Guard |
 Jason Kidd |
 Mike Dunleavy |
Shooting Guard |
 Richard Jefferson |
 Danny Granger |
Small Forward |
 Vince Carter |
 Jeff Foster |
Power Forward |
 Mikki Moore |
 Jermaine O'Neal |
Center |  Jason Collins |
 Darrell Armstrong |
Sixth Man |
 Bostjan Nachbar |
 Rick Carlisle |
Coach |  Lawrence Frank |
Pacers Try To Keep Playoff Hopes Alive
By Conrad Brunner | April 14, 2007
What looked like a playoff showdown not that long ago has lost its meaning completely for the Nets, who clinched a playoff berth with a 100-86 rout of the Knicks Friday night. For the Pacers, however, it is much more.
It might not represent their last chance to keep playoff hopes alive, but it's close.
| Sunday's Game |
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3:30 p.m., Home TV: None Radio: WIBC 1070-AM |
Blowing an eight-point fourth-quarter lead in a 100-96 loss at Miami Friday night, the Pacers (35-44) can no longer catch the Nets (38-41), who hold the season series tie-breaker. To slip past Orlando into eighth place, thus extending their Eastern Conference-best streak of nine consecutive playoff berths, they must win at least two of their three remaining games and hope the Magic (which faces the 76ers in Philadelphia tonight) loses at least three of four.
"Anything can happen," said Mike Dunleavy. "We have three games left, we might as well play them and keep score and see what happens. We are still alive. Who knows whats going to happen with the rest of these teams the rest of the way?
The Nets have proven a most difficult foe for the Pacers, winning the first three meetings by an average margin of 14.4 points, shooting 49.1 percent while holding the Pacers to 39.7 percent. New Jersey has shot 51.7 percent from the 3-point line against Indiana. New Jersey dominated the most recent meeting 118-94 on March 28.
Though Indiana has gotten solid performances from complementary players like Dunleavy (16.7 points, 8.1 rebounds, 3.3 assists in the last seven games), Danny Granger (21.0 points, 6.5 assists, 5.0 rebounds in the last two) and the point guard combination of Keith McLeod and Darrell Armstrong (a combined 22.4 points and 8.0 assists in the last five), their franchise cornerstone has crumbled under the weight of nagging injuries to his left knee and ankle.
Jermaine O'Neal has averaged just 14.4 points on 33.6 percent shooting in the last seven games. In the team's last two, most devastating, losses to the 76ers and Heat, he shot a combined 9-of-35 (25.7 percent).
New Jersey's playoff berth is its sixth in a row, the longest such streak in franchise history.
Nets - G Eddie House (hip), F Mile Ilic (ankle), C Nenad Kristic (knee) and F Bernard Robinson (strep throat) are out.
