Post-Game Grades: Indiana Pacers Rally from 21-Point Deficit, Run Away With Win
By Ben Gibson
106. 100. Final. 90. 81
The Indiana Pacers decided to spot the Toronto Raptors a 21-point lead but they should have spotted the Raptors 40 as they erased the deficit and ran away with the victory.
The Bad: Starting off the first quarter by going down 26-5 and looking like the team that has played terribly in the last few games with the exception of the win over the Miami Heat. The Pacers redeemed themselves with a 22-0 run (sounds familiar), taking back the lead for a brief moment before the quarter ended with the Raptors up 28-27.
The Good: That run continued… into a 39-4 run. The Pacers went on a 35-point swing, going from down 21, then lead by 14. That was rather amazing. The body language looked so bad after the Raptors run, much like it had in the recent losses. The real beauty of that run in no single player really fueled it, though Monta Ellis and Jordan Hill were key contributors. Despite cutting the lead to single digits in the 3rd quarter, the lead would swell to as much 25 in the 4th quarter, a full 46-point swing.
MVP: Jordan Hill help kick start the comeback with the angry rebounding. He stepped up his defensive game and by the end of the night he had a double-double 20 points and 13 rebounds.
LVP: Not anyone on the Pacers. We could pick on Luis Scola for his 2 of 7 shooting, but I miss the guy.
X-Factor: Monta Ellis could have also been the MVP for helping with the Pacers turnaround tonight, but his exceptional defense produced three steals along with his 18 points on the night.
B-. <p>This wasn’t a great game, or even a good one for Paul George, but 16 points and going 4 of 8 on 3-pointers isn’t a bad night either.</p>. Power Forward. Indiana Pacers. PAUL GEORGE
A. <p>See Vine above.</p><p><span style=. Shooting Guard. Indiana Pacers. MONTA ELLIS
Indiana Pacers. GEORGE HILL. B-. <p>Only 6 points and 3 assists, but he played great defense after the team’s terrible start. Also consider he only took six shots and made three of them</p>. Point Guard
Shooting Guard. Indiana Pacers. C.J. MILES. A. <p>How do you spell perfection? C.J. Miles. 5 of 5 from 3-point range.</p>
C-. <p>Not a great night with only 2 points and 2 rebounds.</p>. Center. Indiana Pacers. IAN MAHINMI
A. <p>GODNEY STUCKEY RETURNS! He was 5 of 9 shooting for 10 points, but perhaps most impressively his +/- on the night was +42 thanks to being on the court for most of the team’s amazing rally. It sometimes is thrown out as filler for no real thoughts, but not all of his contributions show up in the box score.</p>. Point Guard. Indiana Pacers. RODNEY STUCKEY
JORDAN HILL. A+. <p>A +/- of +27 in his best game with the Indiana Pacers.</p>. Center. Indiana Pacers
Indiana Pacers. SOLOMON HILL. INC. <p>Garbage time.</p>. Small Forward
Indiana Pacers. LAVOY ALLEN. A. <p>Allen was 3 of 6 from the field and 2 of 2 from the free throw line, but a +/- of +38 tells me he played a big part in the team’s success tonight.</p>. Power Forward
Small Forward. Indiana Pacers. CHASE BUDINGER. C. <p>5 points, 4 rebounds, played aggressively but nothing special tonight.</p>
Indiana Pacers. JOE YOUNG. INC. <p>Garbage time, but made the only shot he took.</p>. Point Guard
INC. <p>Garbage time, but made the only shot he took.</p>. Small Forward. Indiana Pacers. GLENN ROBINSON