I spoke briefly about the Pacers' need to stop Amare Stoudemire and Shaquille O'Neal before last night's game.  Shaq was neutralized (3 points), but Amare Stoudemire did a great job of making up for that by scoring a ridiculous 49 points.  HE HAD 21 IN THE FIRST QUARTER!  Not only did he score a lot, he did everything else too (11 rebounds, 6 assists, 5 steals, and 2 blocks).  It was unbelievable really.  Everything he shot, he hit...except for this two missed three-pointers.  He dunked at will, he twirled around and side-stepped defenders (if that is what you call them) on his way to the basket, and then he hit jumpers when his defender was afraid Amare might drive around him.  It was sickening and awesome at the same time.  Stoudemire's final line of shooting was a fantasy owners dream come true (or nightmare if you are facing him in head-to-head):  17-for-21 from the field and 15-for-15 from the FT line.  Can I get a Jim Rome REE-DICK-YOU-LUS!?!?!

Other than letting Stoudemire do whatever he wanted, the Pacers actually played a decent game.  They jumped out to a 38-27 lead after the first quarter and led by seven points at the half.  However, the second half doomed them, much like it did last season.  They were outscored 54-37 in the last two quarters.  A lack of good ball movement was the main culprit.  There were too many possessions of one pass and a shot or dribbling around and then taking the defender one-on-one.

TJ Ford and Danny Granger led the team in scoring with 23 points each, but Ford only managed to score five after the halftime break.  As a team, Indiana hit six three-pointers in the first quarter, but only hit three more the rest of the game. 

When the shots quit dropping, the Pacers lost a bit of their enthusiasm and that is when Phoenix made their move.  Indiana led basically the whole game up until the last few minutes of the third quarter and then they couldn't get back into the game.  It was like watching a kid trying to cut a steak with the knife upside down and they can't figure out how to get it done....very frustrating.  However, I think that as the season goes on, they will learn how to turn that knife over and complete their meal. 

Indiana is now 1-2 and will travel to Cleveland (3-2) to take on the Cavs on Friday.  Then, on Saturday, a trip back home to take on the New Jersey Nets (1-2).

Check out the "Gallery of the Game" from Indystar.com: