by Kent Sterling Everyone reported yesterday what only made sense – that Indiana Pacers head coach Frank Vogel will return for his fourth full season as coach. It wasn’t news, but a fait accompli. After two straight appearances in the NBA’s Final Four, it would have been an act of petulance to fire the mostly […]
Indiana Pacers – Indy Star’s Bob Kravitz and coaching great Rick Venturi talk about decision to sign Lance Stephenson
by Kent Sterling The insights of both Indianapolis Star columnist Bob Kravitz and former NFL defensive guru Rick Venturi are well-informed and processed through great deliberation, and they disagree completely about whether the Indiana Pacers should retain mercurial guard Lance Stephenson. Click here to follow Kent Sterling on Twitter In athletics, there has always been […]
by Kent Sterling Last night was not the way Pacers fans wanted the supposed dream season to end. Beating the Miami Heat to force a Game Seven in Bankers Life Fieldhouse would have made for a sweet finale to a series against a hated rival, but the Pacers never competed at a level that threatened […]
by Kent Sterling Looking back on this death march of a Game Six that sent the Indiana Pacers to their long dirt nap, I can’t imagine that at one point the Indiana Pacers led 9-2. For several brief moments there was hope, but it flew out the window and vanished with stunning speed. Trailing a […]
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 Indianapolis Colts owner and local billionaire Jim Irsay was arrested on March 16th for a bunch of stuff, including some serious drug related issues that could have brought felony charges. After more than two months on the Friday afternoon of a holiday weekend, the Hamilton County prosecutor’s office decided to chafe Irsay […]