I went to the game last night thinking that Indiana could steal this game from the Lakers.  But, I always think that Indiana can win every game.  That is just the optimist in me.  I was in for quite a ride!

The atmosphere at the game was sort of weird, because half of the crowd was cheering for the Lakers it seemed like.  Knowing how fickle the "fans" in this city are, I'm actually not surprised to see so many bandwagon fans of the Lakers, but it sort of pisses me off when those "fans" cheer louder than the Pacers' HOME crowd.  If you are going to attend a game, then root for your damn team.  I don't get why someone would want to pay money (any amount - even the $10 tickets at the top) to sit in their seat and be a bump on a log or play with their damn cell phone or i-pod.  I think half the people that come to games these days just come to be seen.  Please tell me that this isn't the only city experiencing this fake fandom!  Enough of that rant, back to the game.

There were only two runs in the first three quarters of action, both of them by LA.  The first one was right before the half.  LA jumped out to a 66-59 lead with 2 seconds left in the half, when Danny Granger caught a full-court pass from Troy Murphy and drained a jumper as time expired.  Indiana still trailed at the half, but the lead was only five instead of seven.  Would that two points even matter??  FORESHADOWING!

The third quarter was pretty tight as both teams made mini-runs and the lead went back and forth.  With Indiana up 86 to 84 with just a couple minutes left in the quarter, LA went on a huge 17-0 run.  It was a killer.  All the excitement during the game quickly escaped me and the douchebag Lakers' fan sitting next to me was in full brag mode.  If it was legally acceptable to knock someone out at a sporting event, it would have been at that point that I would have done so.  Not to mention the fact that he smelled like dirty bath water, minus the bath water and add in more dirtiness.  On to the fourth quarter....

Indiana came out and dropped the lead to six points with a 12 to 3 run in the first few minutes and some sort of life came back into the crowd.  TJ Ford was huge in the fourth.  He scored 10 of his 21 points during the final stanza and really helped spark the team. 

I'm sitting here and I'm trying to think of how to describe the last 4 minutes of the game and I really can't.  I was nervous/excited/on edge/hopeful/in agony/optimistic/pessimistic all at the same moment.  I ran just about every scenario through my head.  I just thought "If they can stop them here and we score, then we will..." and on and on it went for the last four minutes. 

The last minute was the most excruciating minute of my sport-spectating life.  I've had that feeling before (Colts AFC Championship victory over New England), but never in such a game that didn't mean anything.  Kobe Bryant was just sick the whole game.  It was my first time watching him in person and I have a whole new respect for him as a player.  With the Pacers up one point, Kobe hit a jumper in Marquis Daniels' face to put the Lakers up one with just under a minute left.  Then, TJ Ford got his shot altered by Lamar Odom and LA had the ball.  I figured the game was over, because Kobe was in that groove and I figured he would just hit a three to put it in my face.  BUT, a strange thing happened.  He totally blew the shot and Troy Murphy came down with his 16th rebound on the night.  I thought that was his biggest on the night....MORE FORESHADOWING!!

12 seconds remained on the clock when Indiana inbounded the ball.  The play didn't go exactly how it was drawn up.  I'm sure of this, because Rasho Nesterovic sort of threw it away and then regained it and during the scramble Marquis Daniels was left wide open under the basket.  Nesterovic (who is a great passer) found Daniels who went up for a reverse layup for some reason.  The layup barely hit the backboard, but the beast that is the OLD Troy Murphy tipped the ball back up and on to the rim.  It bounced around FOR-EV-ER and I felt like I was watching in slow motion.  I feel like you could hear a pin drop in the fieldhouse.  Everyone was waiting and anticipating their celebration or their agony.  When the ball dropped through and the red lights came on, the place erupted and everyone was turning to someone to celebrate in a "Holy shit, I can't believe it!" way.  I honestly couldn't.  Down 15 to start the fourth and down 16 during the quarter, I figured it was over.  In the end, the Pacers hit TWO buzzer beaters on the night.  They needed both!

Player Notes:

*  Danny Granger continues to prove that he is an All-Star in the NBA.  He scored another 32 points last night and raised his average to 24.7ppg for the season.  That puts him in fifth in the league in scoring...right above Kobe Bryant at 24.6!

*  Troy Murphy has turned back into the double-double monster that he was before his injury troubles in Golden State.  On the season, Murphy is averaging 11 points and 11 rebounds per game this season.  His shooting isn't where it needs to be (43%), but in the last five games he is shooting 47.5% overall.  He now has nine double-doubles in the 16 games that he has played.

*  Rasho Nesterovic, Roy Hibbert and TJ Ford for Jermaine O'Neal this past summer...I think the Pacers got the better end of the that deal!

*  Marquis Daniels has been a big help for the Pacers this season, but I just wish he could find that three point touch.  He spent all season working with Mark Price and the result....17% from long distance!