Pacers improve to 3-0
By TYLER SMITH (@TylerSmith_ISL)
ISL Editor
INDIANAPOLIS — Is it 2013 again? That was the last time the Indiana Pacers started the season 3-0. That was also the last time the Pacers dominated 3rd quarters. After another great 3rd quarter on Monday night, the Pacers defeated the Boston Celtics in impressive fashion, earning that elusive 3-0 record.
“They fight,” Head Coach Nate Bjorkgren said about his team. “This is a group that really plays hard for each other, no matter who’s on the floor. Very physical game, and I thought our guys handled it very nicely. This is a group that really wants to win. They know when somebody needs the ball, and they get it to them. Very unselfish group.”
Take a look at these 3rd-quarter scores so far this season:
Beating the Boston Celtics is never an easy task. Playing on a back-to-back, and also playing without Victor Oladipo (knee management) made the victory even more impressive. Malcolm Brogdon led the way with 25 points, five rebounds, and five assists. Domantas Sabonis added 19 points, 10 boards, and scored the man-child bucket to give the Pacers the lead in the closing seconds.
“We’ve been practicing that play in training camp,” Sabonis said. “Coach trusts me with the ball in my hands. That’s a great feeling.” Sabonis continues to have very high praise for his new coach, Nate Bjorkgren- “He’s a genius. He knows the game, and trusts us.” Malcolm Brogdon echoed that praise: “I think we’ve got great coaching,” Brogdon said. “We’ve got a coach that motivates us, great with the X’s and O’s, stays calm. We feed off of him. It comes through for us.”
All last season, I posed this question: What could this team do if they were healthy and had good coaching? We’ve already been given a glimpse of this formula, and it will hopefully continue.
The Pacers have been terrible from 3-point range to start the season, and it hasn’t even mattered. Imagine when those shots start to fall.. and they will eventually. It’s extremely early, but Indy is already showing the world that they’ve probably been overlooked yet again in the Eastern Conference. For now, they’ll enjoy their hot start while taking things one day at a time.
