Author Archives: Kent Sterling

Indy 500 Needs an Infusion of Drama to Rekindle Interest

by Kent Sterling

The Indy 500 was a better event in 1992, and every year prior than it is today. The legacy of the Greatest Spectacle in Racing is one of innovation, speed, and safety. Over the last 17 years, the speeds have slowed, the innovation has stagnated, and safety is sadly not a point of interest for fans.

The drivers are incredibly positive or bland, and conflict is nonexistent – at least publicly.

As a result, television ratings are declining to unheard of levels. The numbers for last weekend’s race were the second worst ever nationally, and in Indianapolis the rebroadcast of the race drew roughly half the viewers who watched the Pacers vs. Heat, and marginally more that the live broadcast of NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600.

Living in Indianapolis from 1993 to 2011, I knew that local interest outstripped that of people outside the state, but I was shocked at the complete indifference of sports fans less than 300 miles away in St. Louis. People there had vague recollections of watching the race in their youth, and if you asked them to name a driver, the answers were likely to be Foyt, an Unser or three, Mario Andretti, and Mears. Ask them about Scott Dixon, and they say, “You mean the tax guy from Florissant?”

The Indy 500 has become the carnivals you went to as a kid. The memories are fond, but the current reality is not thrilling. I remember the tickle in my stomach I felt the first time I went on a Ferris Wheel, but have no idea when I enjoyed going around in vertical circles last.

The formula for generating interest in any media offering isn’t a national secret. There are two keys – conflict and resolution. Look at every successful sporting event, reality show, or scripted drama. You want eyes? Give people conflict and resolution.

In IndyCar, the conflict is either muted or nonexistent.

In NASCAR, it seems everyone hates everyone else. If we threw our cars around the interstate with the same fury as NASCAR drivers, we would do time. The antipathy for Joey Lagano is thick, and the Kurt and Kyle Busch don’t have many friends either.

Hulman & Company CEO Mark Miles said in an interview last week that they will try to find new ways to bring both increased speed and safety to Indy, but what is really needed are heroes and villains.

There are two problems standing between IndyCar and heroes. Every time they develop one, NASCAR pays him (or her) more, and they bolt. Tony Stewart, Sam Hornish, and Danica Patrick left IndyCar and never looked back. Hornish was too boring to be an true hero, but his abandonment of IndyCar is endemic of their biggest problem in talent retention – money. And without popularity in the form of TV ratings, there isn’t enough money to pay them.

IndyCar has rarely had a villain. There was a dust up between Arie Luyendyk and A.J. Foyt at the Texas Motor Speedway early in the Indy Racing Leauge era, but other than that I can’t remember a Yarborough vs. Allison donnybrook to energize conversation among the passive fans who might be re-engaged to give a damn.

The problem with the Indy 500, as is the case with long standing events with rich histories is the reluctance to dishonor their legacy by trying to update their product. “Indy has always been about speed, innovation, and bravery,” fans will say. Unfortunately those who remember the days when that was true are getting older and older.

People who were born on the day the last time Tom Carnegie spoke the words, “a new track record” are now 17 years old. The last time there was a massive controversy during the race was 1981 when Bobby Unser was declared the winner in October after a protest lodged by Roger Penske was upheld and Mario Andretti was bumped to second.

There is still debate about that race, and I remember watching ABC’s Nightline with Ted Koppel spending an entire show discussing it. It wasn’t sports – it was news, Ted Koppel level news.

The Indianapolis 500 needs to replate and rebuild to engage viewers, and if vestiges of its grand history are retained, that’s wonderful. If not, that’s fine too.

Pleasing those who are married to what they watched in 1985 is not a viable strategy. Create a week long party filled with action, conflict, and fun. Get rid of the useless week of practice prior to the Pole Day. Eliminate Bump Day altogether (as there is no bumping), and for the love of God give people there for the weekend something to watch on the Saturday before the race.

And hire some cranky pricks who aren’t afraid to piss each other off. The answer for making Indy interesting isn’t brain surgery, it’s on TV every night. “Hell’s Kitchen”, a reality show on Fox about people cooking food at a restaurant averages nearly as many viewers each week as the Indy 500 netted last weekend. IT’S A SHOW ABOUT COOKING!

“The Voice” yet another panel show about singers trying to become stars triples the audience that enjoys the Indy 500.

The Indy 500 should be the coolest reality show in the history of TV.

Gregg Doyel Calls Out Dwyane Wade and Comments Rage on

by Kent Sterling

I love Gregg Doyel as a writer. He’s angry, funny, and shares his version of the truth with enough hyperbole to make it interesting. I hope I’m half the writer he is when I grow up. His segments with Dan Dakich on 1070 The Fan in Indianapolis are some of the best radio I’ve heard.

Two days ago, Doyel called out Dwyane Wade for being a dirty player and words and used video compilations that show plenty of Wade’s mean spirited antics. Of course, he’s right. Wade has devolved into a shell of the player he was when healthy.

People who read Doyel’s column took offense, and the critics included ESPN’s Mike & Mike. Golic jumped up and down a little bit saying that Doyel embellishes everything – which is his job. Being clever as a columnist isn’t a crime, it’s a requirement.

Golic is one thing. He’s paid to talk on ESPN Radio, and he’s good at it. Sometimes the comments remind writers of who reads their work, and like a Hoosier going to the State Fair and being reminded of who else lives here, it can be unpleasant and vexing. Here is a sample:

“This article is poorly argued, and sounds like the emotional rant of an angry, 15 year old Pacers fan. Act like a nationally syndicated columnist next time. This is obviously an outgrowth of the same unmerited hatred for all things Heat. I know what it’s like to deal with the Heat as a Mavs fan. But like I said, this is an unsophisticated rant. Shame on you.”
“this is what you call, making noise. He’s simply making noise to get his name out there. This morning, he got yelled at by Mike Golic from Mike and Mike cause his accusations were irrelevant and simply egregious.”
“doyle is an idiot”
“Dude, Mike Golic from Mike and Mike yelled at this guy this morning on Mike and Mike radio. I think Mike Golic couldn’t stand this guys egregious accusations and that warranted the yelling. He’s a no name columnist trying to make noise. That’s all.”
And finally, “Telling the truth? he’s hiding behind a computer and saying things he would never have the guts to say to Wade’s face. typical internet coward.”

There are comments that agree, but that’s a representative group of dissenters, and reflect the mindset of most of the cranks who disagree. They name call, and then carp about how the writer doesn’t have the guts to say what he believes to the subject’s face – like it’s a columnists job to track down the subject of every negative piece and confront the guy.

Most of the time, when possible the good writers do exactly that. Doyel doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who would hide in a corner to avoid Dwyane Wade or anyone else. The majority of the athletes and coaches respect the people who write their minds and show up the next day.

It’s Doyel’s job to tell the truth as he sees it, and he does it with humor and grace.

Jalen Coleman’s Transfer from Cathedral Should Quiet Charges of Financial Help for Athletes

by Kent Sterling

For decades, people have accused Cathedral High School of making the financial burden of attending a little lighter for the families of great athletes who attend the Indianapolis school. Today, one of the best basketball players to come through in years told school officials he will transfer for financial reasons.

[Full disclosure – my son attended Cathedral, earned four varsity letters as a basketball player, and was first team All-City twice. He was awarded a $1,000 annual scholarship because of his entrance exam scores. Not only did he not receive a dime to attend, the coach at Cathedral at the time never saw Ryan play, much less recruit him.]

Jalen Coleman will attend La Lumiere Academy in LaPorte, Indiana, which is not an IHSAA member, so they can offer whatever they like to whomever they like to attend and play basketball. The tuition and room & board for one year runs roughly $35K, and Coleman’s brother also gets a full ride. Two years of Jalen, and four years of little brother, and we’re talking $200K worth of education.

Cathedral’s counter offer – nothing. They don’t pay their athlete’s tuition unless there is a financial need that allows them to help, but there is nothing wrong with helping a family in need unless it is done for athletic reasons.

Public school parents and coaches loathe Cathedral because of their success. They claim that Cathedral has an unfair advantage because they are able to attract students from all over, and offer them incentives. Half true. Cathedral has no boundaries.

And Jalen’s departure from Cathedral should end all the squawking about tuition payments for special athletes.

Here’s Jalen talking about losing his last game in a Cathedral uniform – the state championship game against Carmel:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvEjeoEuyO8

Julie Hermann vs. Everett Golson – Who’s the Adult Here?

by Kent Sterling

In this corner – the beleaguered 49 year-old administrator who has yet to work a single day as the athletic director at Rutgers University. In the other corner – a 20 year-old quarterback who has been suspended as a student for the fall term from Notre Dame because of academic misconduct. One has owned a mistake, and the other has obfuscated, dodged, and lied.

Wouldn’t you hope that Julie Hermann, the person entrusted to provide a safe and rewarding environment for hundreds of student-athletes at Rutgers, would be the person who set a decent example and accepted accountability for her mistakes?

Golson released a statement as a result of his suspension, “I have been informed by the University of Notre Dame that due to my poor academic judgment that I have been suspended from the university for the 2013 fall term. I take full responsibility for my poor choices and will do all that is asked of me to regain the trust of my family, friends, teammates, coaches and the entire Notre Dame community.

“My parents and the community I grew up in have instilled values in me that have and will continue to allow me to be successful in the future. There have been many lessons learned as I worked to become the starting quarterback at Notre Dame, and each was a result of coach Kelly’s belief in me as an athlete and a person.

“At this point, I understand how my integrity could be in question, but I want to reassure my supporters that through this experience I will return a better student athlete as well as a better individual.”

I believe that he will emerge from this a better person, but given his contrition, he’s already leaps and bounds ahead of the supposedly more mature Hermann, who had no recollection of a wedding for a coach she subsequently fired for becoming pregnant, according to the coach. Hermann also guaranteed that there was no video of her saying that the coach better not become pregnant by saying during the press conference announcing her hiring, “There is no video, trust me.”

Those statements came despite Hermann serving as a bridesmaid in the wedding, and the video in question being entered into evidence during a wrongful dismissal lawsuit filed by the bride/coach for whom Hermann stood.

Hermann also claimed to have no recollection of a meeting with her athletic director and team when she served as a volleyball coach at the University of Tennessee. It was during this meeting, according to members of that team, that Hermann quit as coach.

The meeting was prompted by a letter from the entire team that served as a list of grievances against Hermann and her abilities and methods of leadership, and ended when she left after saying she would no longer coach the team.

Coaches might not recall much other than the losses that gnaw at their souls, but they sure as hell remember a mutiny that results in their resignation.

Whether Hermann was an abusive coach or not in 1997 isn’t an issue, but her lack of willingness to accept the truths as presented through some fairly routine media scrutiny shows an outrageous lack of character. It also shows Rutgers University as a slapdick operation that hires to major positions without any look into the background of its applicants after a period of controversy rivaling some of the most troubling in recent memory.

Hermann could have very easily said, “Look, in becoming the leader I am, some mistakes have were made. Those mistakes have made me the person I am, and will help me manage coaches away from the behavior that crosses the line between leadership and abuse. I fired an assistant coach who was underperforming. She happened to be pregnant, and there was a video where I was a little bit flippant about the potential for her to become pregnant. Her termination wasn’t about pregnancy, but my attempt at humor will ill-timed.”

End of story, but no, she took the deceitful road, so the story continues to roll, and probably won’t stop until both she and Rutgers president Robert Barchi are crushed by it.

The 20 year-old gets it. He owns it. The 49 year-old does what many administrators always do – duck and cover.

If I were in a position to hire one or the other – I’m offering the job to Golson.

Indiana Pacers – Fans Should Thank Larry Bird for Drafting Lance Stephenson

by Kent Sterling

The way two of these three Pacers have played this postseason has been a determining factor as to whether they win. You’ll be surprised which two.

When I criticized Pacers president Larry Bird for drafting Lance Stephenson almost three years ago, I pointed to reports of troubling behavior that I believed to be consistent with a reputation the Pacers were trying to shed.

I had a talk with Mark Boyle the following summer about Stephenson, and he told me that Stephenson was obviously the most talented player on the roster during practice. He added that talent, not character, wins in the NBA.

The supposed moral high ground was where I continued to plant my flag. Past is usually prologue with human beings who’ve had trouble corralling their enthusiasm, especially when provided virtually limitless resources and little in the way of meaningful consequences.

But after three years in Indianapolis, Stephenson has been a solid citizen, developing a trust for the teammates who early on weren’t too fond of the kid from Coney Island with the nickname “Born Ready.” Now, he looks people in the eye when he talks to them, and seems to understand that being a part of a society doesn’t weaken the individual.

His lone misstep was tweeting his address with an invitation to a pool party at his house and that all were welcome. That kind of youthful exuberance I can live with – although the Pacers security mobilized to end the festivities early. I would – and have – done the same thing.

And now “Born Ready” has been thrust into a prominent role on a team that is 2-2 in the Eastern Conference Finals with the Miami Heat – an arrogant group that feels disrespected by being forced to play games to earn another championship rather than simply being awarded the Larry O’Brien Trophy because they are that good.

Stephenson scored 20 last night, and has been a true x-factor in these playoffs. He’s almost impossible to account for offensively because he is completely unpredictable. He’s as likely to take the ball to the bucket in a one-on-five as run the offense as diagramed, but there are enough times that the ball goes in the bucket that he’s seen as eccentric, not selfish.

There is something freeing about a teammate who exhibits the kind of raw enthusiasm and confidence that oozes from Stephenson on the court. Fast, agile, and strong, Stephenson is a tough guy to keep from clearing enough space near the basket to get off a clean look. He didn’t score 2,946 points as a New York City prep star by accident, and his brash attitude seems to be as big a help to the Pacers as much as his production.

That attitude led Stephenson to ask to guard LeBron James when Paul George got in some foul trouble, and he did excellent work using his strength to stay in front of James. In his post game press conference, James said, “He played really well, but if you’re sitting here talking about an individual one-on-one match-up between me and Lance Stephenson, I’m not going to harp on that.”

James had a bit of an angry smile on his face after he said that. It’s safe to assume that he took this loss and the question a little personally, and that Thursday night will see a focused effort from the best player in the world.

Pacers Coach Frank Vogel called Stephenson a barometer for his team, “When he’s bad, we typically struggle, but when he’s good, we’re pretty darn good. That’s the simplest way to put it, and it’s very accurate.”

Boy, is he right. In this postseason, when Stephenson’s offensive rating (the statistical estimate of points produced per 100 possession) is over 100, the Pacers are 8-0. When it’s under 100, the Pacers are 2-6 – with the two wins versus opening round victim Atlanta Hawks. When his effective field goal percentage (which adjusts for three-pointers being worth an extra point) is over 40%, the Pacers are 10-1 this postseason. When it’s below 40%, the Pacers are 0-5.

George Hill is a similarly important bellwether, but the rest of the Pacers – especially Paul George – can play a bad game but not hurt the Pacers chances of winning.

I’m not wrong about people very often, but in Lance Stephenson’s case – to this point – I misjudged the man, and mischaracterized Bird’s decision to draft him 40th overall (and guarantee his rookie contract) as a mistake. Like many decisions Bird made that were dissected at the time as errors, this was pretty damn smart.

Without Lance Stephenson, this Pacers season would be over, and the future would not look nearly so bright.

Indiana Pacers Win 99-92 to Make Series with Miami Heat Best of Three

by Kent Sterling

Well that was entertaining, wasn’t it. NBA games take a long damn time with replays being checked every 12 seconds, but there are nights like tonight when they are worth it.

There was a critical moment with the Pacers holding an 81-72 lead with 8:26 left when the Pacers made what looked to be a tip-in after a Roy Hibbert shot glanced off the rim with the shot clock running down. Somehow all three officials missed the shot hitting the rim, and the tip did not count. The shot clock violation led to Lance Stephenson picking up his fifth foul of the game, and was followed by a Heat 14-2 run.

At 86-83, the Pacers looked to be on the brink of cashing in their chips, and hopping on the plane to South Beach for a game that would send the Heat to the NBA Finals. Not so fast.

The Pacers showed their new found maturity with 5:37 left as Paul George converted a traditional three-point play to stop the bleeding and tie the game at 86-86.

A Stephenson jumper was followed by two layups by Roy Hibbert, the second accompanied by James’ fifth foul to give the Pacers a five-point lead they would relinquish in part because 34-seconds later, James notched foul #6.

And so the Pacers and the Heat are looking at a best of three series to earn a trip to the NBA Finals.

There are many reasons that three of the last six Heat losses have been at the hands of the Pacers. Hibbert played an exceptional game, and Stephenson is a mercurial beast who is so thoroughly unpredictable that he’s virtually impossible to defend.

On a night when every Pacers starter scored in double digits, Stephenson and Hibbert combined for 43 points on 19-31 shooting, including a Stephenson fade-away three-pointer to end the third quarter after James committed a bonehead offensive foul on the Pacers end.

The Pacers outrebounded the Heat 49-30, and that was an absolute necessity because the Heat only turned the ball over six times, and made 24-27 of their foul shots.

This was not a matter of the Heat playing like idiots – minus Chris Bosh who has been thoroughly thrashed on both ends by Hibbert. They didn’t shoot it as well as they did Sunday night, but they took great care of the ball, and got an unexpected 20 points from Mario Chalmers.

So the series moves on to Miami for Game Five Thursday night, where the Pacers will try to fight their way through the best player in the world to bring the series back to Indy on Saturday for a clincher.

It’s damn hard to beat a guy like James four-out-of-seven, but anyone can take two-of-three, and that’s now what this Eastern Conference Finals has become.

Chicago Cubs – Wrigley Field Rooftop Owners Need to Tone It Down

by Kent Sterling

“The enemy of my enemy is my friend” appears to be a phrase near and dear to the hearts of the Wrigley Field Rooftop Association. They email their literature to me on a regular basis, and appear to have misjudged my feelings toward them.

The Cubs business office is run by an arrogant mope named Crane Kenney, whose work I do not respect. He’s an evil bean counter, and his efforts sully owner Tom Ricketts’ reputation.

Ricketts hasn’t done much to help himself by claiming the Cubs will win a World Series if the upgrades to Wrigley Field are approved one week, and then saying the Cubs may move from Wrigley Field if those same upgrades are not approved.

Both claims are ridiculous as the Cubs historic woes have nothing to do with the facility, and everything to do with a farm system that has with few exceptions been bereft of both talent and effective instruction.

The second claim is completely nuts because without Wrigley Field, the Cubs would draw like the Kansas City Royals. The Cubs building a stadium in the suburbs would be like moving the Rockettes performances from Radio City Music Hall to the White Plains Performing Arts Center.

I loathe the idea of video boards at Wrigley Field because it violates my notion of what the place should look like, and I am not a fan of people who try to squeeze every possible dime from an asset without regard for history or aesthetics.

That does not make me a fan of the Wrigleyville Rooftops Association. It used to be a quaint pleasure to stand on the rooftops with a friend or two who lived there to watch a big game, and then the building owners got smart. If people will pay to sit in upper deck seats no closer to the field at other stadia, why wouldn’t they pay to sit on the roofs?

Throw in some cheap beer, burgers, and dogs, and the building owners were sitting on a bonanza. Never mind that they paid nothing at first to the Cubs for what in essence was the theft of their product. Now, they pay 17% of their gross revenue as part of a 20 year deal signed in January, 2004.

Okay, fine, everyone gets paid, but I’m no fan of anyone in the land rush to profit from a baseball team that has been disemboweled in front of its fans’ eyes.

The only explanation for people continuing to attend Cubs games is a love of expensive Old Style, an ignorance of what good baseball looks like, and an indifference to ticket prices used to defray expenses that defy logic and belief.

Alfonso Soriano will suck $18 million from the Cubs both this year and next, and that means every fan who pays what is reported to be baseball’s fifth highest prices will continue to defray that witless expense authored by former general manager Jim Hendry, whose poisonous dealmaking will be felt at the corner of Clark and Addison for another generation. But I digress.

The rooftop profiteers responded to the Cubs erecting mockups of their massive video boards today, “We appreciate the Cubs’ willingness to demonstrate the impact of their sign plan. We were shown several options today, which we will verify with the permit applications they have submitted to the City of Chicago. We know one thing for sure: Signs on the rooftops have no obstruction to our patrons’ views and remain the best solution to provide sign revenue to the team.”

Why the hell anyone outside of the fraternity of rooftop owners would see signage on the rooftops to be “the best solution” requires significant further explanation, and the tone of the comment as smarmy and wrong.

When your opponent is willing to reveal himself as an asshole, be the nice guy and win the public. Don’t try to out-asshole the asshole.

I know one thing for sure, rooting for either side in this signage dispute is as stupid as the two sides are arrogant.

Rutgers University Does It Again – President Barchi’s Run of Ineptitude Continues

by Kent Sterling

Soon-to-be Rutgers AD Julie Hermann is accused of calling her players “whores, alcoholics and learning disabled,” while a volleyball coach at the University of Tennessee.

Julie Hermann is accused of calling her University of Tennessee volleyball players “whores, alcoholics, and learning disabled,” before she resigned as coach 16 years ago. People aren’t perfect, but at a place trying to emerge from scandals, the behavior she displayed should DQ her as a candidate for an AD job at a Big Ten school.

But it didn’t at Rutgers University.

At some point, a question needs to be asked and answered about Rutgers president Robert Barchi’s fitness to lead. The past three months have not been pleasant for anyone associated with Rutgers athletics or the university.

Basketball coach Mike Rice was fired after hours and hours of videotaped practices where Rice was physically and verbally abusive to players were given to the media. The videos had been reviewed in November by athletics director Tim Pernetti, and the result after consultation with higher ups at the school was to suspend Rice and require anger management counseling.

When media pressure led to the removal of both Pernetti and Rice, Rutgers turned to one of its own to lead the basketball program. Eddie Jordan accepted the job, and Deadspin discovered that Jordan never graduated from the university – as both he and Rutgers claimed he had. Jordan received a distinguished alumni award in 2004, but not a degree.

Today, reports surfaced that Julie Hermann, the athletic director hired to replace Pernetti, resigned as volleyball coach at Tennessee 16 years ago because of a player uprising against her. The former players claim that Hermann corrupted their love of volleyball through physical and psychological abuse not unlike Rice’s.

Prior to Hermann’s hire, Rutgers administrators looked like the gang who couldn’t shoot straight. Now, they are the Keystone Cops. Every move Barchi makes is investigated with more vigor and success by the media than by his own university.

All managers make a bad hire now and again, but few keep their jobs after a run of incompetence this squirrelly.

To add insult to injury, Hermann has claimed no knowledge of the damning letter sent by her team claiming that she called the players “whores, alcoholics, and learning disabled.” that resulted in a meeting with the players, Hermann, and the AD where Hermann decided to resign. She now claims no knowledge of the meeting and letter, and denies calling her players “whores, alcoholics, and learning disabled.”

The former players have expressed their anger over Hermann claiming not to have said those words or to have participated in the meeting.

If not for the hundreds of athletes entrusted to the care of Rutgers, this would be funny.

But this isn’t an episode of “Charles in Charge.” It’s pathetic that a man whose chief responsibility is to create an environment where all students can safely be shepherded from adolescence to adulthood is unable to use google (or his own registrar’s office) to corroborate claims made on a resume’ or discover serious character issues among those hired to be leaders at Rutgers.

It’s certainly possible that Hermann has matured and would serve as a fine athletic director, but claiming to not remember a letter signed by her entire team damning her leadership as well as the meeting that led her to resign is deceitful, or evidence of brain injury.

There must be people in athletics who haven’t stepped on a land mine in their careers or have no reason to lie about their present or past. It’s hard to believe that Rutgers can’t find any of them.

Barchi has said in a statement, “We remain confident that we have selected an individual who will work in the best interests of all of our student athletes, our athletics teams, and the university.”

Not only does this run of dumb luck and poor work make Barchi look like the ringmaster of a shoddy circus, it reflects poorly on New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who would like one day to preside of the executive branch of America and to nominate the secretary of state, attorney general, secretary of defense, and all other cabinet positions. If he can’t manage to corral a competent person to run a state university, how can Americans trust him to hire and lead a staff where the stakes are significantly higher?

In this test of leadership, Barchi has failed miserably, and Christie’s grade is incomplete. The hog is in the tunnel, and it’s time for Christie to decide whether it’s him.

Indiana Pacers Need to Sack-Up for “Must Win” Game Four Tonight Against Miami Heat

by Kent Sterling

There will be eight other guys on the floor tonight, but LeBron James and Paul George will tell the tale.

The constant din of “must-win game” chatter during the analysis of every playoff series is aggravating, and most of the time it’s way premature. If the Indiana Pacers do not win tonight, they will be forced to win three straight to advance to the NBA Final. That would seem to be a tough road against a team that has lost only four games since a February 1 loss to the Pacers.

But it doesn’t make tonight’s game a must win. The Pacers are going back to Miami, where they were one defensive stop against LeBron James away from going up 2-0.

Despite a very small sample of one game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, it can be said the Pacers have played with more tenacity and focus on South Beach than at home.

They need to grow up tonight, understand their situation, and take this Game Four from the Heat if they want to take another step forward, but as long as the Heat have not won four games in this series, the Pacers are still alive, and alive is dangerous.

The problem is that satisfaction can creep into the psyche of a young team, and the Pacers are really young with one active player on their roster over the age of 27, while the Heat have only Norris Cole and Mario Chalmers as rotation players who are 27 or younger.

Experience tends to win in the NBA Playoffs because only losing can teach a player about the motivation of misery aversion. Michael Jordan won his six rings because of the two the Chicago Bulls lost in Eastern Conference Finals to the Detroit Pistons in 1989 and 1990.

The sting from those losses motivated Jordan to work tirelessly, force his teammates to work harder than they would have otherwise, and vanquish all threats for the next three years. Then Jordan got bored, played baseball, and came back to win another three straight.

The Pacers will either show an understanding that losing is so painful that playing like wild men hellbent on victory is a better option, or they won’t. If they come out tonight with focus, the Pacers not only can beat the Heat – they should beat the Heat.

Because the Pacers are a better team, this series comes down to being professionals and knowing the level of consistent effort it takes to send home a tournament tested team.

The Heat are a soft group unable to muster their best effort on a regular basis. They have the two most gifted players in the NBA, but Dwyane Wade is dinged up and unable to play to his potential. LeBron James has physical abilities unmatched in the history of the game, but his psyche can be weak and easily exploited. James doesn’t need to be crazy to win, and so he’s too sane to be the champion Michael Jordan was. That’s a problem for the Heat.

Paul George needs to decide whether he’s simply a very good player, or a champion. George can’t afford to play like he did Sunday, and whatever it takes for him to be at his best is what he needs to do for the Pacers to win.

For an athlete like George, being good and making $100 million is going to be easy. Working to the threshold of pain will be enough for him to be an all-star, but he will need to sacrifice his body to earn rings. That’s the point of differentiation between champions like Jordan and guys like Rod Strickland who were never able to win anything despite being good.

George and James will play for their legacies tonight, and the guy who takes that most seriously will win tonight. The loser should stare at himself in the mirror and dedicate himself to working so hard that that sting of defeat will never be felt again.

History would suggest that this playoff series will be a stepping stone for a young team like the Pacers to better things, but two other outcomes are almost as likely – that the Pacers will win this series, and that getting this far will satisfy the Pacers and they will vacation rather than bust their asses to earn a more successful result.

That’s up to George, and unless the Pacers rally to win the series, we won’t know the answer – maybe for years.

Tonight’s game is not a “must win”, and the legacy of this Pacers team will be written because of the response to this postseason, not the result.

And the response from George to praise from Shaq and Barkley the next time he’s interview should be, “Put your tongues back in your mouth, I haven’t done a damn thing yet.” That is unless the next time is after the Pacers beat the Spurs in the NBA Finals.

Indiana Pacers Sleepwalk Through Game Four – Miami Heat Takes What’s Given to Them in 114-96 Win

by Kent Sterling

The Pacers had many excellent reasons to look grim tonight as the Miami Heat took a 2-1 series lead.

It was the kind of night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse that Indiana Pacers fans might have remembered for a decade. This was a game that could have defined the franchise’s upward direction for long suffering fans who will be targets for season ticket sales during the off-season.

Those who remember it will wish they didn’t, and sales pitches to ticket buyers are not going to be positively answered – at least not because of this game.

The Pacers looked like they started to believe their own press clippings written after a good, not great, performance in Miami. Paul George was called over to talk to the TNT crew that includes Kenny Smith, Shaquille O’Neal, and Charles Barkley, and those three gushed over the blossoming of a beautiful basketball flower. A superstar was born Friday night, according to Barkley.

One thing I know is true about the media and what they say – smart people don’t listen to it. Good or bad, no stock whatsoever should be put into their insight.

I don’t know whether George took the high praise to heart, but he sure was beaming with pride as he was told how great he was. He appeared tonight to be a guy who thought that he had educated the Heat about the wonderment of his talent, and that they should simply accept their medicine with grace and return to Miami down 3-1.

It’s unfair to say that George was the only reason that the Pacers gave up a mind boggling 70 points in the first half, but because of his becoming the Pacers messiah on Friday, his lack of verve was especially obvious.

During the third quarter, the Pacers showed signs of life, drawing to within seven and with possession. The Heat awakened to go on an 11-2 run, and finished the quarter up 15 points – 91-76.

At the point when pacers coach Frank Vogel emptied the bench with just over three minutes left, the Heat had hit 55% from the field and committed only four turnovers. For the first three quarters, the Heat hit at a better than 60% clip. During the first half, the Heat committed a single, solitary, lonesome turnover – a Ray Allen travel that had very little to do with the Pacers defense.

That does not reflect the level of defense that is required of a championship team night in and night out.

They say that youth is wasted on the young, and the Pacers wasted an incredible opportunity tonight to put the Heat on the defensive. There is a definite correlation between maturity and consistency, and it takes consistency to win a seven-game series against a championship caliber team. Michael Jordan was unable to win a championship until he turned 28. LeBron James was 27 1/2 last June when he earned his first ring.

The only active Pacer older than 27 is David West, and sadly the only way to learn some lessons is through making mistakes, and I’m not stepping out on a limb by calling tonight’s lethargy a mistake.

Contentment during a series is a mistake. Happiness during a series is a mistake. Listening to those declaring your arrival during a series is a mistake.

This big day in Indianapolis sports history was executed half right. Tony Kanaan won the Indy 500, and that’s a just result for a really good man. The Pacers played with a lack of passion and focus, and the Heat beat their asses in the way a championship team should coming off a defeat.

The Heat annoy basketball fans because they refer to themselves as great, when they are not. Not only aren’t they great, they aren’t the better team in this series when the Pacers played ferocious defense.

On the plus side, the Heat didn’t score another 70 points in the second half, but the Pacers weren’t nearly effective enough to make tonight’s game a contest.

So now the task becomes a must win game on Tuesday against a team with a 2-1 lead, and then stealing another game in Miami. It’s possible. Anything is possible. But the Pacers need to realize just what the hell is at stake during each and every possession. They can win an NBA Championship, or choose to feel good about another step in the right direction. There can be no hubris for this young team.

The answer is the same whether a team is successful or not – hard work, focus, and love for one another. And don’t forget to ignore the media – whose breakdown of this turd will be as negative as the superlatives after Game Two were positive.