Category: Pacers

Playoff Preview: Pacers face pressures of proving progress

By CHRIS GOFF ISL Correspondent Paul George needed only a nanosecond to answer the question. Given last season’s trip to the Eastern Conference semifinals, he was asked, ought not these Pacers be expected to advance past the second round? “We should,” he said, making eye contact. And therein lies a new way of life for […]

Playoff Preview: Pacers cap solid season with another 3-seed

By CHRIS GOFF ISL Correspondent A season that began with Danny Granger fighting a sore knee ended with the Pacers making their third consecutive trip to the postseason. In between, there was amazing play on defense, the arrival of Lance Stephenson and an All-Star season for Paul George. October/November (8-8) George Hill set the tone […]

Pacers Notebook: Who should they hope to see in first round?

By CHRIS GOFF ISL Correspondent What’s interesting for the Pacers is that their two potential Round 1 opponents are the two clubs they probably want to see the most in the postseason: Atlanta and Chicago. Those teams are less apt to pull an upset than, say, Boston. Presuming they survive, which won’t be easy given […]

First Thoughts: New York 90, Indiana 80

By CHRIS GOFF ISL Correspondent Let’s take a quick look at how the Indiana Pacers lost an ugly 90-80 game to the New York Knicks on Sunday afternoon at Madison Square Garden. WHY IT HAPPENED:  Playing a team without any healthy big men, the Pacers looked clueless and flat throughout the day and fell behind […]

Pacers stumbling into a deficit problem

By CHRIS GOFF ISL Correspondent INDIANAPOLIS – Written on the whiteboard in the Indiana Pacers’ dressing area prior to Friday night’s game was the warning, If you leave dirty plates in the locker room, rats will come. Perhaps a wiser message would have been, If you fall behind by huge deficits, losses will come. For […]

First Thoughts: Brooklyn 117, Indiana 109

By CHRIS GOFF ISL Correspondent Let’s take a quick look at how the Indiana Pacers fell 117-109 in a seesaw battle with the Brooklyn Nets on Friday night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. WHY IT HAPPENED:  Indiana mounted another valiant comeback, but a 24-point second-half deficit proved too big a hill to climb. The Pacers allowed […]

First Thoughts: Washington 104, Indiana 85

By CHRIS GOFF ISL Correspondent Let’s take a quick look at how the Indiana Pacers were blown out by the Washington Wizards 104-85 on Saturday night at the Verizon Center. WHY IT HAPPENED:  John Wall dominated most of the way. He went off for 37 points and five assists — seemingly playing against himself at both […]

Pacers meet a rare match in Oklahoma City

By CHRIS GOFF ISL Correspondent INDIANAPOLIS – Paul George, David West and the Pacers are used to having the upper hand on most opponents. After a 97-75 defeat on Friday night, Indiana was in awe of how the Oklahoma City Thunder controlled the game in the Pacers’ own building. That’s a championship-caliber team, said West, […]

First Thoughts: Oklahoma City 97, Indiana 75

By CHRIS GOFF ISL Correspondent Let’s take a quick look at how the Indiana Pacers were routed 97-75 by the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. WHY IT HAPPENED:  Kevin Durant’s skill and Russell Westbrook’s extreme athleticism were a little too much for Indiana. The Pacers fell behind by 14  in […]

Pacers Notebook: Is Granger gone for good?

By CHRIS GOFF ISL Correspondent THE SCOOP: Pacers forward Danny Granger is out for the season, the team announced Thursday prior to a game in Dallas. He will undergo surgery on his left knee. The longtime franchise mainstay had played in only five games this season, scoring as many as 12 points on Feb. 28 […]