Pacers win Game 7, advance to 2nd round
By TYLER SMITH
ISL Correspondent
INDIANAPOLIS — In the first home Game 7 in the franchise’s NBA history, the Pacers prevailed, defeating the stingy Atlanta Hawks 92-80 and advancing to the second round.
This entire series had been upside down from the regular season. The Pacers dropped two games at home in the series, after only losing six at home the entire season. They had also dropped 13 of their previous 17 games on the road, but managed to win two games in Atlanta. Few teams have come back from a 3-2 deficit, but the Pacers came together at the right time and did just that.
It was the first game all series where the Pacers didn’t trail by double digits. For the first time, they seemed to control the pace and play their style from start to finish. They held the Hawks to an abysmal 30 percent from the field and 25 percent from 3.
The calmness of coach Frank Vogel may have been driving some fans crazy, but it was absolutely needed for this team. He said he didn’t “feel any pressure” going into Game 6, and in Game 7, during a rough start with turnovers, Vogel smiled at his guys and said, “Calm down.”
He’s been under a lot of scrutiny in the past month or so, but he deserves a lot of credit for his calming presence during this emotional series.
Vogel also decided to stick with Roy Hibbert throughout. The big fella rewarded him Saturday, playing by far his best game of the series. He finished the night with 13 points, seven rebounds and five blocked shots.
“Give Roy Hibbert a lot of credit,” Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said. “He impacted the game on both ends of the court.”
Paul George carried the Pacers, especially in the second half. He finished with a game-high 30 points and also added 11 rebounds. For the series, George averaged 23.8 points and 10.7 rebounds per game.
“We’ve played in a Game 7, so we knew what to expect,” George said. “We know where we want to get to. We can’t get too high or too low. One game at a time.”
Lance Stephenson also had a big night, finishing with 19 points, 14 rebounds and five assists.
The Pacers will now face the well-rested Washington Wizards. Game 1 is Monday night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The Pacers and their fans can breathe a huge sigh of relief as they survived the first-round scare. But now, it’s time to go right back to work.
Follow Tyler Smith on Twitter: www.twitter.com/sports_TYs_20.
