Tonight is a very important night for the Indiana Pacers and Atlanta Hawks.  Indiana comes in trailing the Hawks by 3 games for the final spot in the Eastern Conference Playoffs.  If Atlanta wins, they are in.  If Indiana wins, there will be a race to the finish line for that spot.  Let's take a look at how they are doing and how they have done against each other this year.

Atlanta

• Last five games:  4-1
• Last ten games:  7-3
• Win streak: 1 game
• Points for:  98
• Points against:  99.4
• Leading scorer:  Joe Johnson (21.8ppg)
• Leading scorers in series:  Josh Smith (18ppg), Johnson and Josh Childress (17ppg)
• Key factor:  Mike Bibby is playing his first game against the Pacers as a Hawk.  His chemistry with the team is an unknown to Indiana.

Indiana

• Last five games:  4-1
• Last ten games:  7-3
• Win streak:  2 games
• Points for: 103.7
• Points against:  105.5
• Leading scorer:  Danny Granger (19ppg) 
• Leading scorers in series: Granger (20.5ppg), Mike Dunleavy (17ppg), and Kareem Rush (16ppg)
• Key factor:  The Pacers must beat Atlanta to the glass.  They can not let the Hawks get any offensive rebounds.  This is where Jeff Foster is so crucial to the team.

Series matchup: 

December 26th, 2007:  Atlanta 107 - Indiana 95 (game played in Atlanta) 

January 4th, 2008:  Indiana 113 - Atlanta 91 (game played in Indianapolis)  

Final Thoughts :

These are two very different teams since they last played each other.  Mike Bibby is now running the point for the Hawks.  He adds a ton of playoff experience to this team and has the capability of taking over the game if he has to. 

The Pacers are without Jamal Tinsley, and Jermaine O'Neal is coming off the bench now.  Indiana has to beat the Hawks to the boards or it will be a long night.  They need to jump out to an early lead and then hold off the comeback attempts from Atlanta.  The game is in Indianapolis, so the fans need to be on board with the mission.

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