Pacers win thriller in front of sellout crowd
By TYLER SMITH
ISL Editor
INDIANAPOLIS — With a new year approaching, it felt like the Pacers turned back the clock on Thursday night against Cleveland. It was a sellout crowd (first of the season), and it had the energy of those 2018 or 2014 games in the Fieldhouse. It made me reminiscence how loud and proud the crowds use to be on a nightly basis in this building. We even heard the “In. Dy.” chant from PA announcer Troy Pepper, (made famous by Grady.) We saw a Rick Carlisle ejection, huge dunks, a roller coaster of emotions, and 3’s raining down from every direction. At the end of all, the Pacers defeated the Cavs 135-126 to improve to 19-17 on the season.
“This is the most fun I’ve had playing basketball in a very long time,” said Aaron Nesmith after the win, (a guy who went to the NBA Finals last season). “It’s such a great group of guys. And we’re playing for each other.”
When asked about the monster dunk, Nesmith said: “I tried a pocket pass to Myles and turned it over the first time. They told me to dunk it. So that was on the top of my mind the next time.. Go dunk the basketball.”
Nesmith finished with 22 points, including huge bucket after huge bucket down the stretch.
Lloyd Pierce took over for Rick Carlisle after the ejection and commented on Nesmith’s play: “I’m happy for Aaron. He is the ultimate team guy. He has no problem with any role we give him. And for him to be a closer tonight? Big moment. The guys gave him a lot of love in the locker room.”
Where to even begin with the other stats in this game?
•Tyrese Haliburton had 29 points and nine assists.
•Buddy Hield had 25 points
•Ben Mathurin had 23 and helped keep the Pacers alive in the early portion of the 4th quarter.
•Myles Turner had 14 points, 12 rebounds, and six blocks.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: This team is already nearing the projected win-total that many experts gave them before the season started. Think they’ll win 20-25 games? They’re about to win 20 before the end of December.
“This group is special,” said Myles Turner. “I was in a similar situation my 3rd year where we weren’t projected to do much. With this group- Everybody is putting their work in. When you grow those habits as young players, the sky is the limit.”
There’s still a long way to go this season, with many scenarios still to play out. But one thing is already clear: This rebuild is off to a fantastic start, and the Fieldhouse is rocking once again.
