Category: Pacers

Pacers’ hand already seems a royal flush as Game 7 looms

By CHRIS GOFF Is it possible for a team to be winning a playoff series that’s tied? It sure feels like the Pacers are doing that. Maybe it’s because the composite score has them up 44 points in this memorable first-round series against defending Eastern Conference champion Cleveland. Or maybe it feels like everything that […]

Pacers dominate Cavs, force Game 7

By TYLER SMITH (@TylerSmith_ISL) ISL Editor  INDIANAPOLIS —  Every time the Pacers have been doubted this season, they’ve responded.  With the season on the line in Game 6, they did it once again. The Pacers put together their largest victory in their playoff history, defeating the Cavaliers 121-87 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.  They forced a […]

Sorting out alternate endings to Pacers’ Game 5 heartbreaker

By CHRIS GOFF Nate McMillan fell on his sword Wednesday night, implying that his Pacers, just prior to LeBron James’ game-winning shot, should have taken advantage of their foul to give. Credit Indiana’s coach for accountability, but McMillan is being raked over the coals over what really should be seen as a non-issue. Cleveland inbounded […]

Hero-ball explains Pacers’ offensive collapse

By CHRIS GOFF ISL Columnist Well, it was there for the taking Sunday night. Make a list of the things the Pacers would have wanted to happen in Game 4 and put a check box next to them, and you’ll see Indiana had a tremendous opportunity to take control of its best-of-seven first-round series with […]

Why ball security is Pacers’ last hurdle

By CHRIS GOFF (@PacersScribe) Perhaps the most shocking part of the Pacers’ Game 3 win over Cleveland on Friday night was that it occurred despite Indiana’s inability to take care of the basketball. The Pacers committed a staggering 20 turnovers, which was peculiar given the two teams’ regular-season profiles. Indiana was among the league’s best at […]

Pacers one step closer to shocking the world

By TYLER SMITH (@TylerSmith_ISL) ISL Editor INDIANAPOLIS —  One year ago, LeBron James and the Cavaliers put together a huge comeback victory in Game 3 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse- a game that still gives Pacer fans nightmares. This time, it was the Pacers turn. Indiana fought back from a huge deficit, as they’ve done all […]

How pace is working in Pacers’ favor against Cavs

By CHRIS GOFF All in all, it was a good trip to Cleveland for the Pacers. They got out of “Believeland” with a split, and even in losing Game 2 on Wednesday night put enough of a scare into the fourth-seeded Cavaliers to have Indiana feeling good about these next two, both in Indianapolis, starting […]

Pacers looked the part in Game 1

By CHRIS GOFF (@PacersScribe) ISL Columnist Teams are fond of saying “nobody believed in us,” but in the Pacers’ case it’s really true. Before the season not one NBA expert had them making the playoffs, much less ending LeBron James’ 21-game first-round winning streak. In only their second national television appearance this season, Indiana delivered […]

Reliving Pacers fairy-tale season

By TYLER SMITH (@TylerSmith_ISL) ISL Editor I started covering the Pacers back in 2014.  Over the last five years, I’ve seen a lot of ups and downs.  No season has been quite like this one.  I wanted to take a look back at the season’s main story-lines.  Looking back helps us remember the journey. Here […]

Smith: Bogdanovic might be the key for the Pacers

By TYLER SMITH (@TylerSmith_ISL) ISL Editor When the Indiana Pacers signed Bojan Bogdanovic last July, very few believed it was a “winning move.”  The Pacers weren’t expected to compete at a playoff level, and Bogdanovic was brought in to give the team some shooting or possibly become a trade chip as they began to rebuild… […]

Pacers continue impressive season, dominate the champs

By DEREK KRAMER (@ipacersblog) ISL Contributor  INDIANAPOLIS –The Indiana Pacers blew out the defending champion Golden State Warriors by 20 points and swept the season series 2-0. Now, read that again. Pinch yourself. This is not a dream. It’s just another day in a terrific season. Yes, the Warriors didn’t have Steph Curry tonight and […]