Yeah, I still think the Pacers are a threat to both the Bulls and the Heat in the east. You can argue between them, Philly, and Orlando as being the 3rd best team right now in the east. But yes, they're definitely progressing.
Dahntay Jones both threw the stupidest pass and committed the most idiotic foul in NBA history on consecutive possessions. He's the donkey. The Pacers were up 5 WITH THE BALL and had a chance to nail the coffin shut. It was just a regular season game and won't matter, but that was a tough loss.
The only way the Pacers beat either team in a 7-game series is for someone to step up and show some leadership. They don't have a guy like that on their team and Vogel is a young coach still learning his way.
they didn't call the foul because he purposely jumped into the defender on the shot attempt. it is only a foul if the shooter goes straight up after the pump fake. it does not count if they purposely jump into the defender to create contact. i believe they made a rule to be on the look-out and not call these types of fouls this season. this method is very popular for players like dwyane wade and kobe bryant. dwyane wade uses this technique ALL the time. remember the dallas/miami finals series? one of the main reasons he was averaging ~15 FT's a game. i personally hate players that use this, with kevin martin being one of them. however, i will say that was indeed a very tough shot.
You're probably right, but sometimes those kinds of leaders show up when the playoffs begin. It's just a matter of everything clicking for them. Vogel is young, but if there's a team that he has some experience against, it's prob the Bulls. He can keep them competitive and sometimes that along with a little bit of fight and hunger is enough to upset teams. I doubt it'll happen, but some of these eastern conference teams below the elite 2 can be dangerous with they got in the playoffs.
