by Kent Sterling For nearly the entire season, I’ve been undecided about whether Indiana Pacers guard Lance Stephenson should be back next year and beyond, but when the team rallied behind his defensive intensity in the third quarter of Game Five against Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat, he showed exactly how important he is. […]
by Kent Sterling With two more wins against the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals this discussion becomes academic, but the Indiana Pacers have earned the opportunity to take a swing at winning the first NBA title in franchise history. And that means signing Lance Stephenson to a longterm deal that will make him […]
by Kent Sterling With the Indiana Pacers playing passive basketball on both ends of the floor in last night’s win-or-die Game Five, the Miami Heat enjoyed a 50-43 with 5:48 remaining in the third quarter. Then, Lance Stephenson awakened. Not sure the cause, but the first sign of life was a Stephenson foul on Dwyane […]
by Kent Sterling When LeBron James is inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, all recorded traces of the Pacers Game Five win tonight over his Heat will be destroyed as a favor to his legacy. Seven points, two rebounds, four assists, and five fouls do not comprise the line the Heat needed from the […]
by Kent Sterling There is a reason that Michael Jordan and Isiah Thomas didn’t win an NBA Championship until each turned 28. It’s the same reason LeBron James didn’t win one until he was 27, and Wilt Chamberlain won his first at 31. Winning occurs as athletic mastery and behavioral maturity intersect, and regardless of […]
by Kent Sterling Whether the Indiana Pacers win or lose tonight’s Game Five, fans at Bankers Life Fieldhouse should take the time to do two things – enjoy watching this group play together, and thank them for the total body of work they cobbled together during a weird, weird year. Click here to follow Kent […]
by Kent Sterling The 2013-2014 season isn’t over yet for the Indiana Pacers, but the odds of a trip to the NBA Finals grew long as the buzzer sounded following the Heat’s 102-90 victory in Game Four. Coming back from the 3-1 deficit the Pacers currently face is a tough putt. In the 222 times […]
by Kent Sterling This one was over shortly after it started. Chris Bosh scored early and often, and the Heat’s defense had intensity the Pacers were unable to match at either end. Last year, it appeared throughout the Eastern Conference Finals that the Pacers were the better team. Not so much in 2014. Not sure […]
by Kent Sterling The Pacers 42-38 halftime lead might have been the most precarious in basketball history. At the downtown Indianapolis Kilroy’s, no Pacers fan felt confident, and no Heat fan was unsure they would find a way to win. For some strange reason, I can’t believe it’s a purposeful strategic decision, the Heat begin […]
by Kent Sterling The weight of the world and resulting slumped shoulders of the Indiana Pacers are gone, replaced by smiles, banter, and a bounce in their step. For a long time during the last third of the regular season and the playoff series against the the Atlanta Hawks and Washington Wizards, the Pacers looked […]