Game #7 Recap: Making the Most of the Moment

We’ve been here before.  Indy Cornrow’s spstevenson nicely outlines the parallels between the 4-3 starts for this year and last.  However, he feels something different, and so do I:

"So it feels the same as last year, right? Nah, I don’t think so. As I am screaming at the TV waiting patiently for the Pacers to hold on in the final minutes last night, I got the feeling that this wasn’t just luck. Maybe this team is different from last year."

NBA regular season games are just like days. They begin, and they end. In between, time passes and a series of events occur. Most of these events are repetitive, and sometimes they can create a monotonous rhythm that make it difficult to tell one game from another.

Within each game, there are moments. Flashes of something memorable — perhaps even special. They bring fans out of their seats or leave them cradling their heads in despair. As a recent NBA commercial noted, they are at once inspiring and demoralizing.

One of those moments occurred last night with the clock clicking through the 10 minute mark of the fourth quarter. After a shaky first half left the Pacers trailing by nine, the team responded with a dominant third quarter. A Brandon Rush three with 0:01 on the clock gave the Pacers a 5-point lead entering the final stanza. The Celtics, being the championship caliber team that they are, opened the fourth quarter with a 7-2 run to tie the game and set up our moment.

Pacer rookie Tyler Hansbrough tried to make a series of post moves — or he had a seizure, it’s difficult to tell — before putting up what could generously be described as a weak fadeaway. It was erased, with extreme prejudice, by Shelden Williams, who then beat Bro Hands down the floor to receive an alley-oop from Ray Allen and give the Cs an 88-86 lead. The relatively sizable contingent of Boston fans in Conseco went nuts, and the Pacers were forced to take a time out.

So, why in the world am I highlighting a moment that is so clearly inspirational for the Celtics and demoralizing for the Pacers? Because while a moment is over in an instant, its meaning is not yet defined. With the exception buzzer beaters, moments are defined by what happens after them. Moments become what the people involved can make of them.

Indiana made that moment the spot that they would make their stand. Less than a minute of game time after the time out, the Pacers had scored five points and grabbed a lead they would not relinquish. Instead of shrinking, they attacked, recapturing the intensity and pressure that they had brought to bear during their impressive third quarter. It was not the young Pacers who wilted, but the proud Celtics. It was not the Pacers who lost their composure, but the Celtics.

As the game started to slip away, the Celtics became chippier and more plaintive. Kendrick Perkins and Doc Rivers earned technicals that helped push the lead from one to four. The attack continued as O’Brien repeatedly called for Dahntay Jones (12 points, 2 assists, and 8 FTAs in the fourth) to isolate and exploit an injured Paul Pierce. The lead reached 11. And though the Celtics cut it to 6 a couple of times, the Pacers grip on the game seemed only to get stronger.

Attack, Attack, Attack

It is still important to keep things in perspective. The Indiana Pacers have not suddenly established themselves as a contender. They still will have a long, tough struggle to even make the playoffs. However, less than two weeks ago, things were very shaky. They had started the season 0-3. Worse yet, they had not been even vaguely competitive in their two home games. The team was chippy, and their starting backcourt (Ford and Rush) was horrible.

Even their three-game winning streak coming into last night’s game was viewed with a good deal of skepticism. The teams they defeated (Knicks, Wizards and Warriors) were far from a murderer’s row, and the offense had still been very spotty.

But, last night was different. It was a glimpse into what could be. The third quarter last night was as perfect as this Pacers team is likely to get. For the quarter, they posted an offensive rating of 149 and a defensive rating of 83.9. More importantly, the second half illustrated how successful the aggressive philosophy being preached by Coach Jim O’Brien can be. The question is always sustainability. Can they keep it up?

Last season, the only Pacer that really had the attack mentality that is so valuable in such a system was Jarrett Jack. His loss is a quality loss, but the new faces may make up for it with quantity. Luther Head, Earl Watson and Tyler Hansbrough each bring a great deal of intensity and a willingness to battle. Each has made good contributions so far. However, Dahntay Jones is clearly the most glowing example of this new attitude.

These guys all attack, attack, attack. The great part is that it’s clearly having a positive influence on some important Pacers. Roy Hibbert is becoming more confident and, subsequently, a far more effective and important piece of this team. T.J. Ford has become more comfortable with his role and is working better with his teammates. Brandon Rush has relaxed and become more aggressive defensively and on the boards and, as a result, become more confident with his shooting.

Perhaps most importantly, Danny Granger is growing to trust these new faces. He is no longer forcing the action, and he’s regained his shooting touch (50% overall and from three the last two games). He’s playing a more complete game, grabbing 16 boards against the Warriors and adding 4 assists, 3 steals and 1 block to his 29 points and 6 boards last night.

What Will the Pacers Make of This Moment?

Perhaps we are seeing the coalescing of a playoff team. Maybe, just maybe, this year’s core is establishing itself in unexpected places. The Pacers have a very favorable early schedule. This week brings them a back-to-back against the currently winless Nets and the currently incompetent Knicks. This will be a good test of their focus and ability to beat bad teams.

Next Friday, they’ll get to test themselves against the elite again, as LeBron James and the Cavaliers come to town. That will mark the first 10 games of the season, and it will be a nice place for a progress report.

They say you can’t win championships (or make the playoffs) in November and December, but you sure can lose them. The 2009 Pacers finished 10 games under .500 and three games out of the playoffs. They left December 2008 sitting 11 games under .500.

This week is important.