| ||
 |
vs. |  |
 Diener |
Point Guard |
 Calderon |
 Dunleavy |
Shooting Guard |
 Parker |
 Granger |
Small Forward |
 Moon |
 Foster |
Power Forward |
 Bosh |
 Murphy |
Center |  Bargnani |
 O'Brien |
Coach |  Mitchell |
Graham bides time, always ready
By Conrad Brunner | Feb. 24, 2008
Monday, 7 p.m. Conseco Fieldhouse TV: FSN-Indiana Radio: WFNI 1070-AM Buy tickets |
Though he has toiled in relative anonymity, with most of his sweat dripping on the practice court, Graham has proven himself not only a solid professional but a capable player. Though he has appeared in just 10 games total 52 minutes, he has been mightily productive, totaling 42 points on 18-of-28 shooting (.643).
And yet when the Pacers face Toronto Monday night, Graham likely will share fates with his twin brother Joey, who has become a fixture on the Raptors' bench.
"As frustrating as I think Stephen is I’m probably just as frustrated for him," said Coach Jim O'Brien. "I think he’s a product of the fact that we have a number of people that play the wing positions. They’re probably right now as good a players as we have. Danny (Granger) and Mike (Dunleavy) are putting up really strong offensive numbers. We’re trying to find a spot for Shawne Williams who we think is going to be a real anchor to our franchise. We've got Kareem Rush who has really come on strong at both ends of the court for us. I didn’t even mention Marquis Daniels, that’s another guy that we have and continue to have a lot of hope for. So it’s really a situation where he is not getting playing time because of the numbers.
"He has certainly played hard every day, knows what we have to do. He’s a guy that I hope to have in an Indiana uniform for a long time. I have a lot of confidence (in him,) I think he’s a person of tremendous character, and I think if he has the type of summer this summer that he did last year he could beat out some of these guys."
The Grahams have reached their current state through decidedly different paths. Joey, the first-born of the fraternal twins, was a first-round pick (No. 16 overall) in 2005 and played regularly his first two seasons in Toronto before falling victim to the Raptors' numbers this season. Stephen, slightly shorter but stockier, has played in the D-League, CBA and the Pacers are his fifth NBA team in three seasons.
"To me it’s kind of frustrating knowing that I know I definitely can go out there and help the team and boost the team up defensively and offensively, but just like (O'Brien) said we have a lot of guards that are competing at the same position trying to get the same minutes," said Stephen. "So I’m frustrated but I’m kind of optimistic and staying positive and just staying pretty much ready at the same time. …
"I can’t really do anything but pretty much stay ready and just wait my time."
KEY TO THE GAME
Simply put, Toronto won the first two meetings with the Pacers because of its bench. The Raptors' second unit racked up a 107-56 scoring advantage and combined to make 16-of-29 (.552) from the 3-point line. Jason Kapono has been particularly problematic off the bench, averaging 20.5 points on 14-of-23 (.609) shooting overall and 8-of-11 (.727) from the 3-point line. Indiana has struggled with inconsistent bench production, particularly in recent weeks as injuries have forced second unit players into the starting lineup.
TRENDS
Marquis Daniels has shot 7-of-28 (.250) in the last four games. … Mike Dunleavy has averaged 26.5 points on 18-of-35 (.514) shooting overall and 5-of-12 (.417) from the 3-point line in the last two. … Danny Granger has averaged 25.0 points on 27-of-60 (.450) shooting overall and 10-of-22 (.455) from the 3-point line in the last three. … Jermaine O'Neal has missed the last 16 games and 23 overall. The Pacers are 9-14 in his absence. … Kareem Rush has shot 24-of-71 (.338) in the last six games. … Jamaal Tinsley has missed seven straight games and 17 overall; the Pacers are 6-11 in his absence. … Shawne Williams has shot 12-of-51 (.235) overall and 3-of-22 (.136) from the 3-point line in the last eight. … The Pacers are 3-19 when they fail to score at least 100 points, and 13-5 when they score at least 110.
SERIES
The Raptors have won both meetings this year, 110-101 on Nov. 16 and 104-93 on Dec. 14. The Pacers had double-digit leads in both games: 30-19 in the second quarter of the first meeting and 66-49 in the third quarter of the second meeting. The Pacers lead the overall series 30-17 and are 18-6 at home.
INJURIES
Pacers - G Jamaal Tinsley (sore L knee) and F-C Jermaine O'Neal (bone bruise, L knee) are out.
Raptors - G T.J. Ford (strained abdominal muscle) is day-to-day; F Jorge Garbajosa (left ankle) is out.
