Author Archives: Kent Sterling

Indiana Pacers – Beat the Washington Wizards and punch your ticket to the NBA Finals

by Kent Sterling

The Indiana Pacers will either win or lose tonight. What, you thought I would pull out a deck of Tarot cards or read tea leaves to tell you something else.

Since the Indiana Pacers played their way past the eight seed Atlanta Hawks less than 48 hours ago, I’ve unsuccessfully tried to get a feel for the second round matchup with the Washington Wizards that begins in 90 minutes.

I usually have a feeling one way or the other, but I feel like the grizzled lady at the carnival gazing into a foggy crystal ball. She usually finds a way to bluff her way through seeing the future. Me? I can see the Pacers winning or losing this series in five games, which is not a solid perspective.

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Washington is really good, led by lightning fast point guard John Wall and talented second-year wing Bradley Beal. The Pacers have done this dance enough times to know what it takes.

Wall won’t be a big problem for his counterpart on the Pacers. George Hill has been a mostly successful answer to Wall, but the former #1 pick out of Kentucky could be a big problem for rim protector Roy Hibbert. Quick shots prior to Hibbert settling in on defense could keep him from affecting the Wizards efforts to drive to the bucket.

The series will depend on the pace of play even more than during the Indiana vs. Atlanta series. Indiana was 2-1 against the Wizards during the regular season. In the losses, Washington scored 73 and 66 points on 73 and 81 shots with an average of seven fast break points. In the lone win, the Wizards scored 91 on 87 shots, and 18 fast break points.

That said, the assumption that fast is better for the Wizards was disproven in the final game of the series against the Bulls, when the Wizards won despite scoring only 75 points on 74 shots.n Of course, it’s true the Bulls sucked, so getting a feel for the Wizards based upon the result against Chicago is a futile effort.

Indiana lost the final game the two teams played two days after the all important home win March 26th against the Miami Heat. Whether it was a trap game or not, who knows? But as you look at the schedule, that assumption is easy to make.

It’s hard to imagine that the Pacers learned nothing about focus during the Hawks series, but they haven’t been too keen on learning while winning. With their backs against the wall, the Pacers are resilient, but it appears to require serious peril to motivate them. The Pacers lost Game One to the Hawks and still won the series, so it’s entirely possible the wrong lesson has taken root.

Presenting a coherent series of arguments about the Pacers likelihood of winning or losing this series would prompt a passionate response, and that’s sort of the point of sharing perspective about sports, so here is my bold statement:

If the Pacers win this series against the Wizards, they will sprint straight through the Eastern Conference Finals to the NBA Finals, where they will lose to the representative of the West. That’s it. Other than that, I have no idea what the hell is going to happen.

Unlike Game One against the Hawks, tonight is going to be a big deal in this series. The Pacers need to be ready to attack from the tip because if they don’t, Wall and Beal are not Teague and Korver. The Pacers might not be able to crawl back into this thing against a more talented team.

I wish I had a more definitive series of thoughts about this series. Speed kills – advantage Wizards. Defense wins in the playoffs, and in all three regular season games, the Pacers held Washington to less than 40% shooting from the field – advantage Pacers. The best player on the floor for 43 minutes each game will be Paul George – advantage Pacers. Lance Stephenson may decide to celebrate tomorrow’s election day by making this series a personal referendum between him and Beal – advantage Wizards.

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The Pacers may sweep, and the Wizards might win in six. The Pacers could win in seven, or the Wizards could sweep. Everything is possible because nothing is out of the question.

I’m picking the Pacers in seven, because doing anything the easy way is not in their character. Looking into the abyss and fighting is in the Pacers DNA, but so is crawling to the very edge to take a look.

Whatever happens, fans are likely to alternately feel very good and terrible about the Pacers prospects. They will be wrong regardless. Such will be the legacy of NBA’s lovable and frustrating schizophrenics.

Six NFL Draft answers – Will Texans take Clowney, can Colts find help, and is Bradford still Rams QB?

by Kent Sterling

There are very few nights that are anticipated by sports fans with more glee than the NFL Draft. Because no one can anticipate all the movement among teams, no one can accurately predict who will go where. ESPN’s Mel Kiper gets paid big bucks to analyze the draft, and I am as likely to pick the top ten picks in order as he is.

The draft makes us all feel smart, or equally dumb, and what used to be an one-day party for owners and general managers is now an American obsession.

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Many questions will be answered beginning Thursday night, and even more questions will be prompted by those answers. Here are my top ten issues that may be resolved or caused by the draft:

1 – Are the Rams still convinced that Sam Bradford is their long term answer at quarterback?

Not if they watch their own games. Bradford misses reads regularly, and while he took a step forward in his fourth season, it was from a C level quarterback to a B- level. It’s difficult to see any common threads between Bradford and the quarterbacks who have played at a championship level.

If the Rams are committed to the very expensive Bradford who is coming off ACL surgery, the reason is hard to fathom. Are the Rams really interested in Johnny Manziel, or was the workout at Texas A&M a smoke screen? I think the interest is real, and this draft might provide a pleasant shock for Rams fans tired of watching former #1 overall pick Bradford play like a third rounder.

Manziel would provide a major headache for defensive coordinators, and Jeff Fisher likes accumulating headache causing players. An offense with Tavon Austin, Zac Stacy, and Manziel would make for a tough week of prep. The 49ers and Seahawks are built to harass Bradford, but would have trouble finding Manziel.

2 – Can the Colts get enough help with their first pick at #59 and only four other selections to take a step forward toward a Super Bowl?

Sure they can, but given only five cuts, GM Ryan Grigson can’t afford to swing and miss. Grigson is going to have to make hay with undrafted free agents too. The Colts need a safety and interior offensive linemen – not sexy positions of need, but sexy isn’t an option at 59 anyway (unless you’re talking TV channels, and then sports director Chris Hagan comes immediately to mind).

Unless Northern Illinois safety Jimmie Ward drops to 59, it’s unlikely Colts fans will recognize the player’s name, but whomever is selected will absolutely be expected to help the Colts immediately.

3 – Why is Penn State wide receiver Allen Robinson not an upper half of the first round guy?

He ran a 4.61 40 at the Combine. That didn’t help, but he has great size and was an elite player in the Big Ten. While speed is very important for a receiver, so are all the other things Robinson brings to the table – a 40-inch vertical, great hands, and the ability to gain position to make a play on the ball despite consistent double teams this past season.

Robinson caught eight balls or more for 100+ yards against Ohio State, Wisconsin, Indiana, Central Florida, and Illinois, and while that and while that and $1.85 will get you a half dozen donut holes at Taylor’s Bakery, it shows that despite constant attention, he can make plays.

Sometimes a football player’s potential should be calculated by doing more than assessing statistics. Robinson is a good football player.

4 – Will the Rams trade out of the #2 or #13 spot in the first round?

If the Rams want a tackle, they will deal the #2 pick. There are three elite guys – Greg Robinson, Jake Matthews, and Taylor Lewan – and one of them is going to be available as far down as #10. Throw Chatard High School’s Zach Martin in that mix, and the Rams are damn likely to have a solid option at #13, so why not deal in the same way they did in the 2012 draft when they fleeced the Redskins? The #2 pick is the last installment of the RG3 bounty, and the Rams might spin it into another set of gifts that just keep on giving.

If they want a special target for whomever plays quarterback, Clemson’s Sammy Watkins is a special receiver, according to every expert going. But the Rams have invested two picks in the first four rounds of the past three drafts on receivers with varying degrees of success – Austin, Stedman Bailey, Brian Quick, Chris Givens, Austin Pettis, and Greg Salas.

The Rams have 12 picks in the draft, and could wind up with as many as 15 if they choose to slide down a couple of times.

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5 – Is Houston hell bent on trading out of their #1 overall pick?

Earning a #1 pick is a blessing and a curse. The decision made will attach itself to the general manager forever, and they occasionally cost a team executive his job. If they hold on to the pick and take Jadeveon Clowney, he better prove worthy of that trust. If GM Rick Smith deals the pick and Clowney becomes the second coming of Deacon Jones, that’s costly too.

Combine the level of awful the Texans represent and the depth of this draft, and the logical answer is to deal the pick to a team just a piece or two away from a Super Bowl for a bunch of picks.

6 – Did Grigson make a fatal error in dealing what became the 26th overall pick for running back Trent Richardson?

That’s the question that will be asked repeatedly until both Grigson and Richardson have left town. In mock drafts, guys in the 26 area include cornerback Jason Verrett, offensive tackle Cyrus Kouandijo, and cornerback Bradley Roby of Ohio State.

The Colts will doubtless implement schemes to specifically exploit Richardson’s strengths, and that should help, but this season will doubtless determine Richardson’s value to the Colts moving forward.

So far, they trade, despite Richardson’s mediocrity in 2013, is a win for the Colts because the 26th pick of the 2014 Draft has yet to play a down.

Jim Brown rips NCAA; should save venom for university presidents

by Kent Sterling

Jim Brown shows up with a grimace, even self-immersed doofuses like college presidents will listen intently to what he has to say.

The NCAA was a miscast target of one of the greatest collegiate athletes of all time.

Hall of famer Jim Brown correctly feels that college football and men’s basketball players are exploited, but hanging responsibility on the Indianapolis based organization that oversees college athletics misses the mark.

NCAA president Mark Emmert and his staff operate at the pleasure of university presidents from member institutions.

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It’s easier to blame the NCAA because understanding the complex structure that actually self-governs college sports doesn’t comport to our need to be angry at something easily

Among his quotes while on a panel at the Pro Football Hall of Fame:

“The NCAA is probably the most reprehensible organization God ever created.”
“Total exploitation. The kind of money they make, the kind of life they live, it’s embarrassing.”
“I’m totally for change and total change, and I think that body needs to be torn apart and put back together with everybody’s best interests in mind.”
“I wanted to say it as harsh as I could, because I want them to come at me in any way they want to because it’s a shame the way that it happens.”

All of the issues that sparked Brown’s well-intentioned diatribe are authored by the schools themselves, not the NCAA. That’s not a minor distinction because as long as dissatisfaction is aimed at Emmert, the presidents with the power get a free pass.

Emmert rightly reviled as a bureaucratic twit, but he has no more power to affect change in college athletics than you and I do. University presidents vote on rule changes as recommended by committees staffed by small groups of university representatives.

Not a day has gone by during the four years Emmert has been in charge of the NCAA that he hasn’t privately lamented some of the less logical rules he is paid to enforce. The cream-cheese-elevating-a-bagel’s-status-from-snack-to-meal rule that will finally be corrected on August 1 being at the top of the list, but without the members voting to change it, Emmert was forced to answer for the rule during every interview he took part in.

Brown has been on the right side of history many times as an advocate for common sense, and everything he said was reasonable, but he should hold the correct people accountable if he wants to affect the changes he seeks.

He should start with the recently named head of his alma mater, Syracuse University. A visit by Brown to SU president Kent Syverud would likely be an impactful moment and might turn the former dean of Washington University’s law school into an ambassador for all that college sports can and should be.

Indiana Pacers – Frank Vogel vindicated by great effort from Roy Hibbert and rest of team

by Kent Sterling

Frank Vogel has exerienced a lot of ups and downs in one fascinating season.

Fans thought Pacers coach Frank Vogel was crazy for faithfully trotting Roy Hibbert out there to start every single game of the series against the Atlanta Hawks. After games five and six, when Hibbert scored a grand total of zero points, Vogel was virtually alone in believing there might be a different result for the big fella in Game Seven.

Decisions like starting Hibbert yesterday are why Vogel makes the big bucks, and also why he emerged from obscurity just over three years ago to lead one of the NBA’s emerging powers.

Finally, after six games of a frustrating lack of production, Hibbert earned position on the block, caught the ball, and scored 13 points in 31 minutes. Most importantly, he and Ian Mahinmi did a great job of discouraging the Hawks from trying to score the ball anywhere near the basket as the Hawks attempted a dizzying 44 three-pointers which accounted for 47.8% of their total attempts.

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The Pacers are moving on to the second round against the Washington Wizards in large part because of Hibbert’s contributions to the 92-80 victory, and they are going to need Hibbert at his best to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the second straight season.

Vultures have been circling Bankers Life Fieldhouse for weeks awaiting the corpse of Vogel’s coaching career to be thrown onto Pennsyvania Street as the Pacers appeared on the brink of a histories collapse, but fans and media need to remember that their narrative isn’t always THE narrative. Vogel had been identified by an anonymous source to ESPN’s Marc Stein as the scapegoat for the pending doom, and then ESPN reporters repeatedly pestered Vogel and the rest of the Pacers about the reports.

As is the case with effective leaders, Vogel paid no attention to his own obituary, the increasingly hostile level of questions from media, or boos from frustrated fans. He backed his boys, and in turn they delivered for him.

Just as was the case at the end of the regular season when they finished atop the Eastern Conference, the Pacers are exactly where they hoped to be after the first round. Style points mean nothing in sports (figure skating is a skill, not a sport), and that’s a good thing for the Pacers because finding their way to the second round was not pretty.

Vogel remains the coach, and Hibbert remains the starting center for a team that is one step closer to the NBA Championship it craves.

The Wizards run a more traditional offense, which is more good news for Vogel, Hibbert, and the rest of the Pacers. Marcin Gortat and Nene are 6-45 from beyond the arc in a combined 19 seasons in the NBA. Translation – they are not stretch bigs, and that means Hibbert won’t be asked to move around too much defensively.

The bad news is that if the Pacers tired of Jeff Teague’s speed in breaking down their defense, John Wall and Bradley Beal are even faster. In transition, Wall is blinding, and Beal is a very productive offensive player in only his second season out of Florida.

While fans are still celebrating the win against the Hawks, Vogel and the Pacers are working on quickly implementing a more customary game plan for a Wizards series that begins tomorrow night in Indy.

Fans who were clamoring for Vogel’s ouster are now smiling advocates for his reign as coach to continue. Those who were hoping that Phil Jackson might be enticed to offer the Pacers some combination of expensive spare parts for Hibbert (a Bill Cartwright-esque triangle offense center), are now singing his praises.

Winning cures a lot of ills, and vanquishing the Hawks after being down 3-2 was a nice first step in the refurbishment of the Vogel brand in Indianapolis, but it was only a step. To finally silence the doubters, the Pacers will need to advance one more time.

As for Hibbert, this matchup is much better for him. While averaging only 11 points per game, his +/- was +43 during the three regular season games against the Wizards.

The road to redemption continues tomorrow night at 7p for the Pacers and their former future ex-coach.

NFL Draft – Coach Rick Venturi talks Colts and Rams Draft options

by Kent Sterling

It’s always a treat to listen to Rick Venturi talk football.

From longtime NFL coach Rick Venturi you get unique and informed insight. The NFL Draft is five days away, and understanding how the needs of the Indianapolis Colts and St. Louis Rams might dovetail with the best players available meant a quick call to Rick.

With all the claptrap being spouted this week about mock drafts, and so-called experts yammering breathlessly about who will fall to the Buffalo Bills at #9 or the out of the first round entirely, the real deal is normally hard to find.

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Lucky for us, Rick lives in Indianapolis and continues to evaluate players as though he was still responsible to a team for perspective.

For the Colts, everyone knows the needs – safety, interior offensive linemen, and maybe another wide receiver in what Rick believes is an outstanding draft for receivers.

The Rams are a young team with the #2 and #13 picks, and have shown an aggressive attitude in dealing first round picks under GM Les Snead and coach Jeff Fisher. What they will do provides the real intrigue in the first round.

Who might fit those holes when the Colts draft #58 and #90 is not stuff left to men who haven’t been in a war room.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulVL5dUHoWY

Game Seven edition of “Ahead of the Curve” today at 11a on 1070 the Fan

by Kent Sterling

A day like today has not happened in the blossoming sports history of Indianapolis. There has never been an NBA Game Seven played here, so it’s a special day for Fox 59’s Chris Hagan and me.

But there is a hell of a lot more than that going on – the NFL Draft, Donald Sterling revealing himself as a racist, and Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston pushing the envelope of acceptable behavior at Florida State.

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We’ll spend most of the time between 11a-1p talking about whether the Pacers will show up for a second consecutive game for the first time since February 7th against a playoff team. The Pacers practice seemed to be focused, and the players left with more bounce than we’ve seen in a long time. Whether that translates to the game, we’ll have to wait and see.

Chris Copeland will join us at 11:45a to share his insights on Game Seven, what he thinks fans need to know about the Pacers, and how he became such a dynamic shooter.

The NFL Draft is five days away, and although the Colts are currently set to select 59th, and only have five picks, general manager Ryan Grigson’s performance will be instrumental in continuing to build a roster that can contend for a championship.

Coach Rick Venturi will break the draft down as he sees it at Noon. The weaknesses that can be addressed through the draft for the Colts, and who might be available when the Colts select throughout the second and third day.

The Colts won’t be the only team we discuss as whether the Texans will select Jadeveon Clowney or swap spots in this very deep draft. The Rams hold the #2 and #13 selections, and as we have seen over the first two drafts managed by GM Les Snead and coach Jeff Fisher, they are not exactly trade averse.

Race in sports has been a hot button topic since the idiotic rant from Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling, and there are few voices in media more articulate about race than former St. Louis Rams All-Pro defensive tackle D’Marco Farr. D’Marco will join us at 11:15a to tell those who may not witness racism in their lives just what it’s like to hear Sterling’s words.

Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston was cited for stealing $32 worth of crab legs in Tallahasee Tuesday night, and former Indiana Basketball player Mark Robinson is a Bay Area counselor for collegiate and professional athletes like Winston who come to college feeling entitled surrounded by those who enable them.

What can be done to help athletes to whom no one denies a request learn that what knee ligaments snap, muscles weaken, or concussions mount that hearing “No!” becomes a major part of life? Mark will tell us at 12:30p.

Add Frank Vogel and a whole bunch of Fox 59’s Chris Hagan, and who can believe that show will fit into two hours?

Can’t wait for 11a!

Indiana Pacers – Common sense prevails; no Game 7 suspensions for Paul George, Rasual Butler, and Hawks Mike Scott

by Kent Sterling

Lots of arms and hands flying, but no damage done was the verdict of the NBA.

The NBA made its second correct call of the week when it decided that the teachers handled this ruckus correctly in the gym, and the principal needn’t busy himself with additional punishment for a couple of good kids.

Indiana Pacers wings Paul George and Rasual Butler of the Pacers both took a step or two onto the court when the Atlanta Hawks Mike Scott and Pacers guard George Hill went after each other after being tangled up as they pursued a rebound.

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Rules governing bench players entering an on-court altercation allow for some gray area interpretation of the suspension required for leaving the immediate area of the bench, and it was correctly applied.

George and Butler will be in uniform and ready to wage war in the contest that will determine whether the Pacers will join the ignominious roster of #1 seeds upset by an eight seed, or advance to play the Washington Wizards in the second round of the NBA Playoffs.

What many, including me, did not know is the benches at Philips Arena are closer to the sideline than in many NBA arenas, so a step onto the floor as George and Butler took last night might have been a foot off the court at other arenas.

Another mitigating circumstance might have been the photo of the Hawks bench that showed many Hawks who took to the court to get a better view of the melee. Their behavior was no more or less menacing than either George’s or Butler’s. The video evidence of who stepped onto the court was blurry, and determining who among the Hawks might have violated the rule would have been impossible without the photo enhancement software the FBI uses.

There was speculation that Scott might receive a one-game rip for a shove to Hill late in the fracas, but that was deemed equally unnecessary.

This situation was better left unaddressed by the NBA, and thankfully the Pacers and Hawks will both be at even strength 24-hours from now when the odd saga of this interminable series comes to a climax.

This will be the first NBA Game Seven in Indianapolis history, and it’s good and right their best player will be allowed to play.

Indiana Pacers – According to the letter and spirit of the rule, Paul George should not be suspended

by Kent Sterling

Whether this puts Paul George’f feet in the “immediate vicinity” of the Pacers bench is being discussed right now at the NBA offices in New York.

During the little altercation between Mike Scott of the Atlanta Hawks and Indiana Pacers guard George Hill, Paul George took a step on to the court before assistant coaches formed a human blockade between the players and the fracas.

The media is discussing the possibility of George being suspended for leaving the bench, as though stepping onto the court requires an automatic response from the NBA in the form of a one-game suspension.

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Fortunately for the Pacers and their hopes to win tomorrow’s Game Seven, the rule is not so strictly worded. Rule 12A, Section 7c reads, “During an altercation, all players not participating in the game must remain in the immediate vicinity of their bench. Violators will be suspended, without pay, for a minimum of one game and fined up to $50,000. The suspensions will commence prior to the start of their next game.”

The operative phrase is “immediate vicinity.” What the rule does not say is “if you place your feet within the boundaries of the court during an altercation, you WILL be suspended.”

Video clearly shows George taking one slow step onto the floor and stopping before the Pacers assistant coaches intervened.

Pacers forward Rasual Butler was further out on the floor, and far more demonstrative as he pointed toward the something beyond the sideline.

On the other end of the floor, there are clearly Hawks players off the bench on the floor, but in no way posing any more of less a threat than George.

While there might be an issue with Butler, a suspension of George would violate both the letter and spirit of the rule. Discouraging players on the bench from engaging in a fight between opposing players is what the rule was enacted to prevent, and George’s behavior at no point resembled that of a bench player who for even a moment indulged in an impulse to insert himself into the action.

The letter of the rule allows for a gray area interpretation of the just what the immediate vicinity of the bench is, and the pace and emotionless steps George took should prompt the inaction from the league that the wording of the rule encourages.

It’s not a matter of Game Seven being so important that a suspension would create an unfair and difficult to overcome competitive imbalance for the Pacers, but a real world interpretation of a well-worded and designed rule.

Stu Jackson is the guy who used to issue these suspensions for the NBA, and at 1:14 a.m., he tweeted, “During George Hill @mikescott altercation @Paul_George24 @RasualButler45 leave bench. George still in vicinity, Butler is not=1 gm sups.”

If the NBA wants to play hard ass, they can suspend Butler, but taking George off the floor would be an asinine overreaction to solve a problem that didn’t exist.

Commissioner Adam Silver has had a good week with his universally applaud lifetime ban for Donald Sterling (no relation). Sullying his image by costing the Pacers a legitimate shot at winning the first NBA Game Seven at home in franchise history would not only be imprudent but absurd.

Indiana Pacers rise up to force a Game Seven in Atlanta thriller; Will Paul George be suspended for Game Seven?

by Kent Sterling

Pacers forward grimaced and balled in equal measure in tonight’s Game Six win.

Game Seven on Saturday night in Indianapolis is the reward for the 82 regular season games of hard work. The top seed will host the winner-take-all matchup between two very different but similarly determined teams.

The Pacers closed Game Six with the confidence of a #1 seed to wrap up the kind of battle of attrition they are built to play and win.

The Pacers won 95-88 in a game that was there for the taking for both teams. David West made the decision that he was not going to go into that good night without a serious fight, and put the Pacers on his shoulders down five points with three-minutes left. He scored 12 in the fourth quarter and six in the final three minutes as he led or tied for the team lead in every positive statistical category but blocks (24 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, and two steals).

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Because of a report of Paul George leaving the bench during a squabble between George Hill and Mike Scott late in the second quarter, there is some question as to whether George might be suspended for Game Seven. I’ve watched the Fox Sports replay too many times to count, and George barrel got his feet on the playing area before being corralled by assistant coach Nate McMillan.

George never made an aggressive move onto the floor – more of a passive step barely across the sideline. The can be no inference of a desire to engage in the brief spat.

To suspend George as a result of his movement toward the fracas would massacre the spirit of the rule, and cause a wildly disproportionate disadvantage for the Pacers in a critical game. It would be a stunning turn if somehow the NBA felt a suspension appropriate, but awaiting word from the NBA office certainly will make Friday interesting for Pacers fans.

Problems for center Roy Hibbert continued as he failed to score in 12 minutes. Hibbert’s +/- was a -12. That can occasionally be a misleading statistic – as with Chris Copeland’s +17 in Game Five – but in this case it was an accurate snapshot of Hibbert’s night.

He was one of only two Pacers with a negative number, nearly double George Hill’s -7. Paul George was a dominating +19 as he shared Pacers scoring honors with West.

Let’s give the Hibbert bashing – earned though it may be – a rest for one night. This oddly dysfunctional and unpredictable group found a way to extend their season for at least one more game, and as is usually the case in a win, the defense came through with some spectacular late stops.

Throughout the game, the Pacers made it difficult for the Hawks to shoot well by challenging shots. The Hawks made only 35.8% from the field and were 9-35 from beyond the arc. The Pacers weren’t much better, hitting 42.9% and 30%, but it was enough.

Secrets are few between these two teams, and Saturday night’s deciding game will likely be a war won by the team that is willing to make one more play than their opponent. One loose ball, one great screen, one great hedge, one great pass, one great blockout, one great post up, one great cut to the basket, or one great observation from the bench. Very little separates these two teams, and this series will go to the team that digs just a little bit deeper and executes a little more precisely.

If the Pacers win Saturday night, there will be questions about how they can possibly stop the Washington Wizards, who are even faster that the Hawks. If they lose, it will be time for the obituary the Indianapolis media has been itching to write for weeks.

Fans should concentrate on the same thing the Pacers will – exist in the moment, and enjoy it. And hope Paul George isn’t in street clothes.

No chance John Calipari takes the Lakers job; why would he?

by Kent Sterling

John Calipari will have a much more talented front line in Lexington than what the Lakers will cobble together.

There have been rumors for weeks that Mike D’Antoni would be fired as coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, and that Kentucky coach John Calipari would be a front-runner for the gig.

D’Antoni was removed yesterday (do you think the Lakers are paying him better than half his 2014-2015 salary because the Buss Family is acting like Don Ameche in “Cocoon”?), and Calipari is being prominently discussed as his replacement.

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Only one reason is needed to explain Calipari’s indifference to the Lakers’ job. The money would be sweetened a little in LA, and the climate is more than a little better, so it isn’t either of those. It’s always not an affinity to celebrities either. In Lexington, seldom employed Ashley Judd is always weeping or cheering somewhere in Rupp Arena. Los Angeles has Shia LaBouef, Tom Cruise, Corey Feldman, and thousands of other self-important doofuses. I guess that’s a push.

The advantage in the Lakers vs. Lexington battle for Calipari’s loyalty is listed on the rosters for both. The Lakers are a dysfunctional calamity with the perhaps terminally injured Kobe Bryant, the ancient Steve Nash, and the NBA’s Mr. Irrelevant for 2012 Robert Sacre. Sacre bleu! He sure did.

Kentucky will return the best stable of players in the country, and add to it with four of the top ranked 35 incoming freshmen. If Calipari ever dreamed of a shot at going undefeated, this is the roster to do it. Willie Cauley-Stein, Alex Poythress, Dakari Johnson, Karl Townes Jr., and Trey Lyles gives the Wildcats five future first rounders on their front line. Marcus Lee on a roster would thrill the fans of 350 of the division one teams in college basketball. At Kentucky, he’s going to have a tough time getting on the floor.

The Lakers will be active in the free agent market, but a game between Kentucky and the Lakers opening night roster would have to be a pick ’em at best for LA.

There is no stack of cash high enough to make Calipari look twice at heading west. He said as much today on twitter, “Before it starts, I’m totally committed to helping this group of young men reach their dreams. I wouldn’t & couldn’t leave this group!”

Ninety percent of the time, I have no trust in what Calipari says on Twitter or to the media, but why would he bolt for another job now when his stock is almost guaranteed to be higher after next season?

Calipari isn’t going anywhere.