By CHRIS GOFF ISL Correspondent Let’s take a quick look at how the Atlanta Hawks routed the Indiana Pacers 90-69 on Saturday night at Philips Arena in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference first round series. The Pacers still lead the series 2-1. WHY IT HAPPENED: The Pacers badly struggled on offense and couldn’t make […]
By CHRIS GOFF ISL Correspondent The Pacers are 48 minutes from a 3-0 lead – something no NBA team has ever blown -but they’ll have to fend off a desperate team in front of a charged crowd today in Philips Arena. Even tougher, Indiana’s starting guards George Hill (sore right elbow) and Lance Stephenson (bruised […]
By CHRIS GOFF ISL Correspondent At Philips Arena, known to host some rowdy playoff crowds, a feeling of inevitability will likely hang in the stadium like a dense cloud of smoke from pregame fireworks when the NBA playoffs return there for a sixth consecutive season. Unless they win the next four contests, the Atlanta Hawks’ […]
By CHRIS GOFF ISL Correspondent INDIANAPOLIS – In the playoffs, it really doesn’t matter how you got there. If it did, the Indiana Pacers are learning, they wouldn’t be lighting up the scoreboard. More than 72 hours after opening the 2013 postseason in grand style, the Pacers doubled down with a 113-98 demolition of the […]
By CLIFF BRUNT ISL Founder It made sense that the “Human Highlight Film” was in the building for the Pacers-Hawks game. Dominique Wilkins, the former dunking machine and current vice president of basketball operations and broadcaster for the Hawks, witnessed some highlights that were worthy of his presence. Indiana’s Roy Hibbert put this facial on Ivan Johnson, courtesy […]
By CHRIS GOFF ISL Correspondent Let’s take a quick look at how the Indiana Pacers pounded the Atlanta Hawks 113-98 on Wednesday night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. WHY IT HAPPENED: Indiana’s offense overwhelmed the Hawks’ defense for a second consecutive game to give the Pacers a 2-0 lead in this best-of-seven first round series. The […]
By CHRIS GOFF ISL Correspondent The favored Pacers won their playoff opener at home fairly easily, and Atlanta now faces a crucial Game 2 on Wednesday. Whether the Hawks dramatically improve their odds of winning the series will hinge on their ability to make successful adjustments. None is more important than improved shot selection. Based […]
By CLIFF BRUNT ISL Founder INDIANAPOLIS — So, how great was Paul George’s performance on Sunday? In case you’re unaware, George had the second triple-double in Pacers playoff history to help Indiana defeat Atlanta 107-90 in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference first-round series. The high-flying forward finished with 23 points, 12 assists and 11 […]
By CLIFF BRUNT ISL Founder Last year, Frank Vogel finished third in the NBA’s coach-of-the-year balloting. This year, he might have been even better. The Indiana Pacers, despite facing numerous challenges, won the Central Division title. At just 39 years old, Vogel has proven to be one of the league’s up-and-coming coaches. If he gets […]
By CHRIS GOFF ISL Correspondent So here we go again. For the fifth time, and first since 1996, the Pacers will play the Hawks in the playoffs. Indiana has won twice: 4-2 in 1994 and 3-0 in 1995. How do they match up in this year’s first round? Let’s take a look. SMALL FORWARD: Kyle […]
By CHRIS GOFF ISL Correspondent Keys to the Series Both teams have polished mid-level post stars – David West for Indiana, Al Horford for Atlanta – supported by flashier, wild card forwards (Paul George, Josh Smith). On both sides, look for the ability of the supporting cast to dial it up in the postseason. That […]