Author Archives: Kent Sterling

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.

Indiana Pacers – Win or lose tonight, Frank Vogel should keep his job

by Kent Sterling

Frank Vogel spent three years succeeding beyond anyone’s expectation, but may be fired for a bad three months if the Pacers lose tonight.

Did Indiana Pacers coach Frank Vogel suffer a massive head injury while I wasn’t looking? Did he get dumb all of a sudden? Were his biorhythms in perfect sync for the first three years as the Pacers coach, and then spin totally out of kilter?

Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird claimed when he resigned as coach in 2000 that coaches have a three-year period when players respond to them. After that, there is an unavoidable tune out.

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Well, Vogel was hired as the interim head coach on January 30, 2011. Exactly three years later on the morning of January 30, 2014, the Pacers were an outstanding 35-9. Since then, they have sported a very average 23-20. My God, Bird is a smart guy!

What really makes team executives smart is sticking with the smart coaches through mostly thick and a little thin, and that is what Vogel has helped bring to the Pacers. There are times when changes need to be made, like when Isiah Thomas, Rick Carlisle, and Jim O’Brien were fired. Those were well-timed obvious moves.

Vogel being fired if the Pacers don’t win this series against the Atlanta Hawks and then the following series against the Washington Wizards, as was reported by ESPN, is not nearly so obvious.

Through the first three years of his run, Vogel could only have been described as a spectacular success. Each year under Vogel’s steady hand, the Pacers moved a step further in the playoffs. Each year, the expectations have grown.

The issue for the Pacers is not the wins and losses, but the failure to measure up to reach the bar set by the 33-7 start to the 2013-2014 season. A team that wins that many that quickly by that much must make the NBA Finals, right?

Well, maybe, but the Pacers sure haven’t played like potential finalists against the formerly mediocre Hawks, and tonight they will either find a way to relentlessly compete or wilt under the pressure.

Either way, Vogel may be in trouble. But what part of this current mess is attributable to how Vogel has handled any of the challenging situations? He consistently supports, empowers and enlightens his players. That is what the best leaders do.

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There will be consequences for failure, as there always should be in sports and business when a team fails, but before the Pacers tell Vogel to clean out his desk, they need to assess what Vogel might have done differently to change the result. More importantly, they need to know that whomever they might hire would have done it differently – and better.

I don’t claim to have intimate knowledge of every potential candidate for the Pacers coaching job, but Vogel is exactly the kind of guy who I believe does that job best. Fans like coaches who share their angst and aren’t afraid to display it. Vogel is invested in his players, and anger is the tool of the self-immersed.

After three years of great success, the Pacers have stumbled through three months of mediocrity. That’s not enough to justify firing Vogel.

There is every reason to believe that the same qualities that brought escalating results in 2011, 2012, and 2013, may bring even more success in 2015 and beyond.

Indiana Pacers – Must-win game tonight might be Frank Vogel’s last with Pacers

by Kent Sterling

All eyes will be on Frank Vogel tonight as he coaches what could be his last game on the Pacers bench.

Dime store philosophy tells us to live each day like it’s our last. Indiana Pacers coach Frank Vogel needs to to heed that advice and lead tonight like this might be his last as an NBA head coach. Because with a loss, it might be.

Doing the same thing over and over, and expecting different results defines insanity. Vogel has been a big proponent of dancing with the girl that brung him – or being loyal to the same five guys regardless of the match ups. Through the first half of the season it worked very well. Insanity or loyalty will be the verdict of coach Vogel’s leadership after tonight’s Game Six in Atlanta.

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Either Vogel’s far-sighted, confident, and conservative response to adversity will be applauded because the Pacers find a way to win tonight and Saturday, or seen as the most obvious cause of the dissolution of what was thought three months ago to be a championship contender.

That Vogel is now considered a candidate for the scrap pile of failed coaches is the result of what could be one of the more profound collapses in modern sports history. With the Pacers at 46-13 a couple of months ago, Vogel appeared to be among the five most secure coaches in the NBA. Now, with Mike D’Antoni out as Lakers coach, he’s neck and neck with Golden State’s Mark Jackson as the next to be canned.

No matter the strategy, a loss tonight will be hung on the personnel decisions made by Vogel. Even if the Pacers lineup is adjusted tonight, fans and media will claim it came later than it should have regardless of the result. That’s the burden of coaching in professional sports. Win and the players are great. Lose and the coach sucks.

The first thing coaches need to do to keep their jobs is out coach the fans, and with all-star center stumbling around on both ends, fans know that either Luis Scola or Chris Copeland are better options.

Hibbert has been the poster boy for ineffective play since the Heat game where he took a blow to the head from LeBron James, but Vogel knows the Pacers need Hibbert if they are going to beat the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals. As sensitive as Hibbert is, benching him could throw his mood kattywampus. Play him, and the Pacers could easily see their season end tonight in Atlanta.

Not an easy decision because there may not be a right answer.

Lance Stephenson is a one-man dilemma for Vogel. He’s capable of incredibly productive one-on-one play, but his pounding the ball corrupts the rhythm of the offense and causes teammates to stand around and watch.

Just as hustle on defense brings crisp movement offensively, standing on offense causes lethargic defense. Stephenson knows how he plays best, but when that corrupts the team’s energy, his presence becomes a problem.

The issue isn’t that Stephenson values his own production over winning, but that he sees himself doing what he does best as a change agent for the team’s fortunes. There are enough times when he’s right to justify that confidence – at least in his own mind.

Vogel needs to weigh the enormous pros of Stephenson’s play against the substantial negatives. That’s why he makes the big bucks.

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To think that a team that finished 30 games over .500 would need to adjust its lineup and style of play to compete with a team that finished six-games under is silly, and it explains Vogel’s reluctance to alter either. But just as the Pacers need to play with the abandon that comes by knowing they have nothing to lose tonight, Vogel needs to coach the same way.

Whether the season ends tonight in Atlanta or continues through the NBA Finals, this is one of the most interesting seasons an NBA team has ever played. There have been splendid ups, torturous downs, rumors of bizarre internal issues, and a coming offseason of change.

Winning cures all, and Vogel’s professional ailments are no different.

Jameis Winston – Time has come for Famous Jameis to learn about life from meaningful consequence

by Kent Sterling

The time has come for Jameis Winston to grow up a little bit.

The time has come for Florida State University to say goodbye to quarterback and pitcher Jameis Winston, who has shown a complete disregard for rules during the past 18 months. It’s not for one individual incident, but for the totality of his missteps while in Tallahassee.

Shoplifting $32.72 worth of crab legs, as Winston was accused of last night, is not that big a deal. In “Animal House,” Boon stuffed several pot roasts down Delta pledge Pinto’s pants, and everyone laughed.

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In November, 2012, Winston and teammates were questioned by police because they allegedly participated in a BB gun fight. That’s typical college hijinx, and I’m okay with that silliness too as long as no one lost an eye. I watched a guy at Indiana drunkenly shoot hundreds of holes in a cafeteria window (he thought the BBs were bouncing off), and we still laugh about it.

Nine months ago, Winston was alleged to have stolen soda from a Burger King. Not exactly the work of the John Dillinger of Tallahassee. I mistakenly filled a smoothie cup with root beer at a Chipotle a couple of weeks ago. After realizing what I did, I offered to pay and the manager laughed.

Then there is the no-laughing-matter accusation of rape resulting from an alleged attack on December 7, 2012. The investigation by all accounts was botched by FSU and Tallahassee authorities. Winston was never charged, but the university is now under investigation by the federal government’s Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights for a Title IX violation in the handling of the complaint.

Winston may be a wonderful kid or a total sociopath, I have no idea. I’ve never looked him in the eye, but what I do know is that the straws of his misbehavior are starting to weigh heavily on the camel’s back. There is a pattern of being unable to function by society’s rules that should bring action against a student – any student – of a reasonable university.

Suspended today by the baseball team, Winston is now getting a small taste of consequence that he might have been better off experiencing at the first sign of trouble. But baseball is nothing more than a hobby for the football player many project as the #1 pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, and sitting out some games is likely a very minor disincentive.

At one point or another innocent hijinx will go awry, and the 2013 Heisman Trophy winner will find himself in a spot that his talent can’t barter his way out of. Universities are supposed to be active in enabling the maturity of its students, and a light suspension from the baseball team is not going to do it for Winston.

The best thing that could happen for Winston is for Florida State to either turn him loose, or suspend him for a significant portion of the football season. He would see first hand that consequences apply to everyone, just as Cam Newton and Janoris Jenkins did a few years ago at the University of Florida. Behaviors would likely be tightened, and the lesson would at least be offered if not learned.

If Winston plays in the first four games of the football season, he is almost certain to assume the rules don’t apply to him again, and then it may be too late.

Education comes in a lot of forms, and extreme disciplinary measures would provide Winston with a real world glimpse of how life will work when he isn’t responsible for thrilling millions with his athletic gifts.

No one stands and cheers during the second half of our lives, and universities should prepare young men for success after 40 too.

Mitch McGary’s penalty for pot use ridiculous; NCAA will reduce suspensions August 1

by Kent Sterling

Mitch McGary’s penalty for a first dirty drug test forced him into the NBA Draft.

The NCAA screwing things up has become so routine that I don’t bother writing about it much anymore.

A full year rip for Michigan’s Mitch McGary testing positive a first time for marijuana, especially when he was physically unable to compete, is insane. A rule change that will go into effect on August first will make it half as insane.

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Beginning on that date, a player testing positive for a banned substance the first time will lose eligibility to compete for a half year and half season. Less nutty is better than more nutty, so I guess the NCAA should be booed half as loudly because of the change.

That doesn’t help McGary, who declared his eligibility for the NBA as a result of the suspension, and it doesn’t help Michigan who could have used the big man after losing Nick Stauskas and Glenn Robinson III to the draft.

College is a place where people learn about self-discipline without the comparatively massive penalties that exist in adulthood, and substance abuse is a big part of that equation. To bring life altering consequences to a kid like McGary because of a positive pot test is a hideous overreaction to a problem that doesn’t necessarily exist with each individual.

The penalty for recreational drugs is reminiscent of the punitive sentences in our legal system. Addiction is a disease, and should be treated as such. Assuming that people who test positive suffer from an addiction is a leap, but one of the markers for addiction is that a person ignores long term consequence in using a drug, so let’s assume addiction exists among a healthy percentage of those who flunk the test.

How does sitting out for a year – or half-year – aid an athlete in overcoming addiction? In what way did the one-year suspension help McGary – or anyone else? Is the disincentive effective in giving athletes a reason to say no? Even if it is, what’s the point? How many of our overstuffed prisons are filled with addicts who have no mechanism to get sober?

Recreational drug use for college athletes is best addressed at the local level where gray areas can be a factor in determining consequence.

Let’s say Player A at Sterling State is addicted to meth, commits to treatment, continues aftercare, and stays clean. A mandated suspension existing into that sobriety would be – and is – asinine.

The real world answer to the need for a global rule speaks to the selfishness and ignorance of coaches. If a player can shoot well while stoned, why would a coach care invest in the help he or she needs. Being the school where stoners could indulge without fear would be a great recruiting advantage with some kids. True enough, but that doesn’t justify enacting a bad rule.

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McGary is leaving Michigan rather than sit for a year, just as most reasonable people would. The NCAA is the cause for a college student abandoning his education. That can’t be the result they hoped to cause when they decided flunking a first test should bring the wrath of God down on an athlete.

Zero tolerance for illegal drug use speaks to an ignorance that should be repelled by institutions that supposedly instill wisdom and logic.

No rule is perfect, but this one is stupid.

Adam Silver enjoying fruits of easiest decision he’ll ever make as NBA commissioner

by Kent Sterling

Adam Silver had some fun yesterday doing both the thing that made him feel good and made the best business sense.

The opportunity to do the right thing and the most practical thing simultaneously doesn’t come along very often for a guy in charge, but it happened yesterday for NBA commissioner Adam Silver.

Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling is just that big a tool, and Silver has him to thank for grooving a batting practice fastball for him.

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For over three decades of ownership, Sterling has been a bizarre wing nut who has been sued again and again for racist business practices. He was one of the worst owners in sports, and universally loathed by anyone who paid attention to the Clippers or justice.

Silver was able to cast out a racist, thrill both white and African American NBA players, coaches, staff, and fans, and piss off no one other than Sterling himself. He was able to stave off the unpleasantness of a threatened boycott, and extoll the virtues of the NBA as an enterprise that welcomes all.

Sterling has been an iconoclast as an owner and human being throughout his life, and has never made an effort to gather friends and advocates. A quick count of those who have said a remotely pleasant thing about Sterling as a businessman or human being come to zero.

Did it take great guts to exorcise a friendless pariah? No, it was a slam-dunk simple call. There was no option for Silver. Without whacking Sterling with the absolute maximum penalty, the NBA might very easily have imploded with Silver seen as the cause.

That doesn’t mitigate the correctitude of Silver’s words and actions in yesterday’s press conference, but what he did was hardly heroic. He did what was prudent. Prudence is not the stuff of heroes.

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As for charges that the NBA should have acted sooner rather than allow Sterling to become the longest standing owner in the NBA, the burden for explanation belongs to Silver’s predecessor David Stern. Silver has been on the job for three months, and bears no responsibility for anything that happened prior to February 1 when he took charge.

One day, Silver is going to have to make a 50-50 decision that requires foresight and wisdom. He’s going to show his true colors on that day. Yesterday wasn’t that day.

Adam Silver bans Donald Sterling for life; and earns straight A’s for deeds and performance

by Kent Sterling

This is the first time we have seen new NBA commissioner Adam Silver set the tone for the league he oversees. He’s gone on his little goodwill tour of arenas and made many media appearances, but faced no adversity. Saturday, potentially radioactive adversity in the form of racially offensive and absurd comments made public by TMZ landed squarely on his desk.

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Just over 72 hours later, Silver acted with measured vengeance to show everyone that when wrong is done, he will act swiftly and surely. Not just a tall, bald, smiling, geeky lawyer fans see only during the second round of the NBA Draft anymore; today he looked like a leader.

We like grading people here, so we assessed Silver’s deeds, performance, and words today and offer grades for each. It bears mention that I am an exception tough evaluator and have an aversion to bureaucrats in positions of power.

Deeds – A Silver announced a lifetime ban, a $2.5 million fine that represents the highest level available, and a pledge to force the sale of the Los Angeles Clippers. He also apologized on behalf of the NBA to virtually anyone who was offended, outraged, or hurt by Sterling’s chastising of his girlfriend for posting pictures of herself with “black people” on Instagram.

For the NBA to compel Sterling to sell the team, 75% of the other 29 owners must vote to expel him. Expect the vote, if it is public, to be 29-0. If it is not made public, shame on the owners and Silver for refusing to make this a transparent process.

As it stands now, Silver gets an A because this was the absolute maximum force that could be brought to bear against an unrepentant moron.

As for why Sterling was an owner after the 30+ years of bizarre behavior that included lawsuits alleging racism, it’s unfair to hold Silver responsible as he has only been the commissioner for 12 weeks.

Words – A Lawyers know when to yap and when to stop, and Silver was perfect is saying what needed to be said and nothing more. Lawsuits are won and lost based upon the ability to know when to shut up. Silver could have expressed an even more indignant stance, using wild invective and hyperbole, but he kept it tight and direct while being complete.

Law students who want to know exactly how to speak into a microphone during times of strife should study the press conference performance of Silver.

Performance – A Really good. We grade Silver on the curve because he is not exactly charismatic. He was as compelling as he possibly could have hoped to be. Leaders should always be in command, and Silver was in charge through the entire press conference. There were some challenging questions, and Silver answered them honestly and briefly.

This is only part of the final grade for Silver and the other 29 owners who employ him. The follow through will be even more important. Sterling is a cantankerous prick, and is likely to go down kicking and screaming. The pressure will need to be relentless to finally remove the racist Sterling completely from a position at the table for an enterprise whose employees are between 70%-80% African American.

Sterling is a pariah who has been permanently ostracized and marginalized, and Silver played a significant role in word and deeds to get that done today.

Today, Silver joined Roger Goodell as major league commissioners who are serious about doing their jobs in leading their leagues.

Indiana Pacers will win final two against Atlanta Hawks to take series – Guaranteed!

by Kent Sterling

I bet “Ahead of the Curve” co-host Chris Hagan a barbecue dinner yesterday the Pacers will win in seven. Can’t wait to enjoy that delicious free meal!

I’m alone on a skinny limb. No one I know of not drawing checks from Pacers Sports & Entertainment believes the Indiana Pacers have any chance to take the last two games to win the opening round series against the Atlanta Hawks in seven.

Even people with the Pacers are privately rejecting hope, and who can blame them? The Pacers second quarter self-immolation last night was so complete that logic demands doubt. To watch the Pacers allow Mike Scott to rain down four uncontested three-pointers in less than two minutes was nauseating.

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In a pickup game, a defender would take personally that kind of display and knock the shooter on his ass. The Pacers just continue to sag and watch. There has been a lot of watching from the Pacers in this series, and watching in basketball is only good for fans.

But when I climb aboard a bandwagon, I do it early, and I lash myself to it. I believed the Pacers would make the NBA Finals when the season started, and while I felt a hell of a lot smarter surrounded by smart friends who were likewise convinced by a 33-7 start, I’m still a passenger.

Those friends are gone, and because of baffling lapses of focus from Pacers players and coaches the bandwagon is speeding toward the edge of a cliff like the convertible driven by Thelma and Louise. There is no brake pedal, and safely disembarking is out of the question.

I am being called an idiot, moron, lunatic, fool, cretin, and imbecile for continuing to back the Pacers, but I truly believe that this group of inconsistent players will win tomorrow night and again on Saturday. When cornered, even through the end of the regular season, the Pacers found a way to win tough games against the Bulls, Heat, and Thunder.

Whether they find a way past the second round against the Washington Wizards is a different issue. They are a hell of a lot faster, better, and deeper than the Hawks.

If the Hawks were able to go up 3-2 on the Pacers, the Wizards might very well sweep.

We are a long way away from contemplating match ups against John Wall, Trevor Ariza, Bradley Beal, and Marcin Gortat. Crossing that bridge after the Game Seven win at Bankers Life Fieldhouse will give fans plenty of time for that.

So other than obstinance, what compels my belief that the Pacers could possibly win consecutive games against a playoff team for the first time since beating Atlanta February 4th and Portland February 7th? Well, when the question is phrased like that, I feel a need to recalibrate my previously intractable stance. Okay, recalibrating, and… yes, I still believe.

The Pacers are the better team at all five spots, and capable of playing great defense. When they share the ball offensively, the Pacers are reasonable efficient. The Hawks are at best a mediocre pest.

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I cannot believe that the Pacers are going to let petty issues cause a season with so much promise to end against the 38-44 Atlanta Hawks. It would be one of the most wasteful displays of selfishness in NBA history, and as long as there is a tine window of hope, I will continue to believe these guys can get it together and play like a unit.

What if the Pacers can’t get it done? Other than buying some delicious barbecue for Chris Hagan as the result of a friendly wager, it’s a waste of time to contemplate the ramifications of that failure as I do not believe it’s going to happen.

Pacers in seven. Go ahead and bet against them. Jack the odds in my favor. Does nothing but make me more money.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver to bring down hammer on Donald Sterling today at 2p

by Kent Sterling

Donald Sterling is likely spending this morning negotiating the final deal of his tenure as an NBA owner.

People are outraged – players, coaches, fans, and virtually anyone associated with the NBA wants Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling (no relation; his given game is Donald Tokowsky) ousted from their membership.

Making the idiotic statements about African Americans represented on the recording obtained and disseminated by TMZ have made Sterling a pariah in a league that employs a large proportion of African Americans.

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Money has bought Sterling out of all kinds of stupid, but this bizarre rant has undone the tenuous network of supporters that allowed him to continue to enjoy a place at the table among NBA owners.

Commissioner Adam Silver has spent the last three days trying to determine the most severe penalty he can levy without risking an expensive series of arbitration hearings or lawsuits by Sterling.

The difficulty, as is always the case for the person in charge of a billion dollar enterprise, is in trying to make sure the right thing is also the prudent thing. Actually, it’s usually the other way around. Practicality is always the first priority. Doing the right thing is a luxury.

This time around, the stars that the NBA works so hard to promote are setting the agenda with their more than justified outrage over ignorance voiced by one of their employers.

Silver’s challenge today at 2p as he announces a series of penalties is to make the players feel a sense of justice, while protecting the league from Sterling’s potential irrational vengeance.

Opinions are pretty firm among current and former players that the bare minimum acceptable would be an indefinite suspension, a seven-figure fine, and an understanding that he must cede direct ownership of the team he has owned since 1981.

Silver can bring the first two consequences to bear, but he doesn’t have the muscle to force an owner to sell his franchise. He does have the ultimate hammer of dissolving a franchise with a 3/4 vote from the owners, so the threat of using that nuclear penalty might be enough to motivate voluntary action from Sterling. Fortunately, it may be in Sterling’s very best economic interest to sell, as sponsors are sprinting from their deals with the Clippers and its value will continue to drop if free agents refuse to play for the Clippers.

It stands to reason that season ticket renewals will plummet, and if players like Chris Paul and Blake Griffin and coach Doc Rivers decide to boycott their positions until Sterling is out, the landscape found become very, very ugly. That’s not good for Sterling, Silver, the Clippers, or the NBA as a league.

Another challenge is that Silver, while a brilliant lawyer, is one of the most awkward public speakers in the history of organized sports. It’s possible that as he reads from his note cards this afternoon, Silver won’t look very adamant in his condemnation of Sterling regardless of the size of the penalties.

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Silver is a smart guy, so it’s almost a certainty that the penalties have been vetted through Rivers, National Basketball Players Association Search Committee chair Kevin Johnson, media guys like Charles Barkley, and African American leaders like Jesse Jackson.

How quickly this ugliness becomes old news will be almost entirely determined by Sterling’s desire to put this episode of idiocy behind him. If Sterling wants to use legal remedies to forestall penalties, God knows what the players might do to force the NBA into an immediate resolution.

A big man would accept his penalty, place ownership in a trust pending a sale, and spend the rest of his miserable life in Cabo. Sadly, Sterling has proven himself again and again to be anything but a big man.

Indiana Pacers only consistent in their inconsistency – lose Game Five to Atlanta 107-97

by Kent Sterling

Paul George had a great stat line with 26 points, 12 boards, and six assists and steals, but stats don’t win games.

Swiss psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler coined the term ‘schizophrenia’ in 1911. The first half play of the Indiana Pacers re-defined in the first half of their 107-97 loss tonight to the Atlanta Hawks.

After leading through most of the first quarter and finishing with a 21-20 lead, the Pacers went on a vacation that brought their offseason break to within 48 minutes of basketball Wednesday night in Atlanta.

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During a thoroughly miserable 1:46 stretch at the front end of the quarter Hawks sharp shooter dropped four triples right on the Pacers head. For the quarter, the Hawks hit 9-of-11 threes in the second quarter, and the slim Pacers lead became an impossible to overcome 61-40 deficit.

The bench was a disaster tonight as Evan Turner, Ian Mahinmi, and Luis Scola tallied +/- of -14, -15, and -16. Surprisingly, Paul George was +6 in 43 minutes. That means in the five minutes George sat, the Pacers were outscored by 16.

Not that the Pacers didn’t gamely compete once the lead ballooned to 30 with 7:07 left in the third quarter, cutting it to eight toward the end, but this game was over once Scott hit that crazy run of triples.

The only thing consistent about the Pacers is their absolute inconsistency, but fans used to be able to count on the inconsistency to run from game-to-game rather than quarter-to-quarter.

So now the Pacers head to a real must-win game in Atlanta down three games to two, and not even the famed Dr. Bleuler would care to venture a guess as to which Pacers team might show up. Will it be the reasonably tenacious group that came back in Atlanta Saturday afternoon, or the docile and laconic bores who stood around and watched the Hawks blow Game Five open during a 41-20 second quarter.

The sense of desperation that is usually present during the playoffs comes and goes in waves with the Pacers like hot flashes in menopausal women.

Before anyone writes the epitaph for the Pacers, remember that they defy convention and expectations at every turn. Once you think you have them figured out, they spin around and show another side of their many personalities.

Paul George and Lance Stephenson are just 23 years old, and when a guy who proclaims himself to be the team’s leader is that young, having the perspective to dig deep and battle is difficult. Michael Jordan was 28 when he finally got over the hump and won a championship, and George is not the player Jordan was.

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Years tend to harden resolve of those not born with grit, but the Pacers have a blend of talented veterans and brash youth that has a chance to achieve greatness. They appear content to look back on 2014 for how it began, not how it will end.

Losing to a team that was 38-44 in the regular season in the playoffs seemed impossible three months ago, but now it’s more than possible. It’s likely.

That doesn’t mean it’s a done deal, and I still believe the Pacers will win both games six and seven, but it will take 96 minutes of focused effort, and as Dr. Bleuler advised the families of his many schizophrenic patients, “Eet iz okay to hope, but I would not count on zee patient enjoying a stretch of lucidity zat lasts quite zat long.”