Last time I wrote about the Pacers they were about to take on the 76ers.  Well, that game pretty much sucked!  Indiana had the lead for 45 minutes of the game and then lost it within the last three minutes.  I was pretty pissed and couldn't really believe what I just witnessed.  What a crappy way to start a weekend.  Saturday was a new day though and they were playing the Bulls....

But wait.  They lost to the Bulls too.  They game was tied late and then Chicago used a 13-0 run to seal the deal and win by that same 13 points.  Blowing a 26 point lead is terrible, but losing to Chicago is unacceptable to me.  Michael Jordan doesn't play for them anymore, so any loss to Chicago just means that guys like Larry Hughes and Andres Nocioni beat you.  Plus, Aaron Gray and Joakim Noah?  Good thing I was watching the UFC fights.  I know Brock Lesnar and Randy Couture were the main reasons to watch, but I enjoy watching Kenny Florian fight.  Just my opinion.

Back to the Pacers.  Last night, I went to the game against the Hawks.  Like normal, the Pacers jumped out to an early first half lead and like normal, they let their opponent right back into the game.  BUT...this time they stopped Atlanta's run and actually extended their lead and went on to win 113-96.  Danny Granger and Rasho Nesterovic lead the way last night with a combined 55 points on 23-for-37 shooting.  Granger basically did what he wanted to do, when he wanted to do it.  Not only did he score 34 points, he also played some good defense too.  He finished the game with three blocks and two steals. 

Total, Indiana finished with six players in double figures (minus TJ Ford) and they used their balance to keep Atlanta confused for most of the game.  When Atlanta did make a run, Indiana didn't panic like they usually do.  The offense continued to run like it should and they overcame the short Hawks' run. 

It has been frustrating to see some of the losses the Pacers have "earned" this season, because they play really good for 36 minutes and then collapse late in the game.  Out of the 10 games the Pacers have played, they have lead at the half in seven of them.  The lone exceptions are Detroit (L), OKC (W), and Chicago (L).  The Philly loss really stings because of the huge lead they had, but the losses at Cleveland and to Phoenix are just as bad.  In my opinion, this team really should be sitting at 8-2 or 7-3, but instead, they are at 5-5 right now.  Maybe I'll start a petition to drop the games down to just 36 minutes instead of 48.  At least until Indiana starts to pull it together a little more!