Surprisingly, this article is pretty good. He must've hired someone else to "ghost write" it.
Forget the playoff appetizers, bring on the Pistons
Pacers playoffs preview
April 16, 2004
There's only one way the Indiana Pacers won't dispose of the Boston Celtics rather easily these next two weeks: That's if Bill Belichick somehow gets involved in designing Boston's defense, in which case, all bets are off. (Does Ty Law have any skills at the two-guard position?)
Otherwise, it's pretty clear how all of this is going to play out for the Pacers.
Indiana versus Detroit in the Eastern Conference finals.
A seven-game bloodletting.
First team to 60 points wins.
This is more inevitable than the breakup of a Hollywood marriage. All the pieces are in place.
The Pacers have the NBA's best record. The Pistons have been the NBA's best team the past month and a half. You have the two best coaches in the conference. The two top candidates for Defensive Player of the Year. Reggie Miller. Rasheed Wallace, the best late-season pickup in the league. And Jermaine O'Neal, the best player all season in the East and the likely MVP runner-up.
"I'm curious about our team and how we'll react to the spotlight of the playoffs," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. "I think we'll be ready. Before the season, we really pointed toward two things: Win more than 50 games and win the division if possible. But the season wouldn't be viewed as a success if we didn't win in the playoffs."
So . . . five reasons the Pacers will waltz past the Celtics in five. (Actually, there are about eight or nine good reasons, but I'm reasonably sure this thing won't go that long.)
1. This time, Reggie and Al Harrington will be factors.
A year ago, Miller shot 28 percent and Harrington shot 21 percent in that miserable six-game series loss to the Celtics. This year, Miller is playing on a healthy ankle. In fact, the entire team is remarkably healthy, although you never know when poor Jonathan Bender will pull something tying his shoes. And Harrington, who disappeared and then sulked down the stretch last year, is playing well enough to merit consideration for the Sixth Man of the Year Award.
"I'm sure I'll be looked at as an X-factor in this series," Harrington said. "That's fine. I've just got to keep doing what I've been doing all year. Last year, we went into this, and in our hearts and minds there was doubt. We don't have that doubt this time."
2. This time, Carlisle is on the bench, and not Isiah Thomas.
Now, this is not to trash Thomas, who deserves his share of the credit for helping develop a lot of these young players. But some of the blame for the team's late-season demise belonged on his doorstep. His use of personnel in Game 1 of the Boston series remains one of life's eternal mysteries.
There are a lot of reasons this is a far better team, and one of the biggest is Carlisle. They are better conditioned, better suited stylistically for the half-court grind of Eastern Conference playoff basketball, and better organized in terms of their rotation and understanding of players' roles.
3. Jamaal Tinsley.
Again, I'm not confusing him with Jason Kidd or even Chauncey Billups. Like Harrington, he's never done anything in the playoffs. And there are still times when I wonder about his defense.
But two years ago, he had hit the rookie wall by playoff time and was a nonentity. Last year, he was a little better, but not nearly good enough. This will be the first time the Pacers have gone into the playoffs knowing -- or at least thinking they know -- that Tinsley will be healthy and productive and play like the guy who resurrected himself the final two-thirds of the season.
4. Perspective.
Let's face it, after three consecutive one-and-outs, this team has no right to take anybody for granted. This core group knows how close they are to taking Uncle Reggie to a last chance at an NBA Finals, and they're not going to trip on a speed bump like Boston.
"Anything short of an NBA title is unacceptable," O'Neal said after the Pacers' season-ending victory over Chicago on Wednesday night. "There are no consolation prizes."
That's a noble sentiment, but I think most people would agree: Unless this team reaches the conference finals, the season will have been a disappointment. Anything after that, it's a bonus.
5. If the Pacers somehow lose to the Celtics, becoming just the third No. 1 seed in NBA history to lose to a No. 8 seed, Larry Bird will personally flog each and every member of the team. And nobody wants that.
There's a reason the Celtics are a sub-.500 team and an eighth seed. They're not very good. At least they were ordinary and mildly dangerous during the days with Jim O'Brien, Antoine Walker, Tony Battie and Eric Williams. But since the big trade Dec. 15, the Celtics are a robust 24-33.
See you in Detroit.
Eventually.
Pacers playoffs preview
April 16, 2004
There's only one way the Indiana Pacers won't dispose of the Boston Celtics rather easily these next two weeks: That's if Bill Belichick somehow gets involved in designing Boston's defense, in which case, all bets are off. (Does Ty Law have any skills at the two-guard position?)
Otherwise, it's pretty clear how all of this is going to play out for the Pacers.
Indiana versus Detroit in the Eastern Conference finals.
A seven-game bloodletting.
First team to 60 points wins.
This is more inevitable than the breakup of a Hollywood marriage. All the pieces are in place.
The Pacers have the NBA's best record. The Pistons have been the NBA's best team the past month and a half. You have the two best coaches in the conference. The two top candidates for Defensive Player of the Year. Reggie Miller. Rasheed Wallace, the best late-season pickup in the league. And Jermaine O'Neal, the best player all season in the East and the likely MVP runner-up.
"I'm curious about our team and how we'll react to the spotlight of the playoffs," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. "I think we'll be ready. Before the season, we really pointed toward two things: Win more than 50 games and win the division if possible. But the season wouldn't be viewed as a success if we didn't win in the playoffs."
So . . . five reasons the Pacers will waltz past the Celtics in five. (Actually, there are about eight or nine good reasons, but I'm reasonably sure this thing won't go that long.)
1. This time, Reggie and Al Harrington will be factors.
A year ago, Miller shot 28 percent and Harrington shot 21 percent in that miserable six-game series loss to the Celtics. This year, Miller is playing on a healthy ankle. In fact, the entire team is remarkably healthy, although you never know when poor Jonathan Bender will pull something tying his shoes. And Harrington, who disappeared and then sulked down the stretch last year, is playing well enough to merit consideration for the Sixth Man of the Year Award.
"I'm sure I'll be looked at as an X-factor in this series," Harrington said. "That's fine. I've just got to keep doing what I've been doing all year. Last year, we went into this, and in our hearts and minds there was doubt. We don't have that doubt this time."
2. This time, Carlisle is on the bench, and not Isiah Thomas.
Now, this is not to trash Thomas, who deserves his share of the credit for helping develop a lot of these young players. But some of the blame for the team's late-season demise belonged on his doorstep. His use of personnel in Game 1 of the Boston series remains one of life's eternal mysteries.
There are a lot of reasons this is a far better team, and one of the biggest is Carlisle. They are better conditioned, better suited stylistically for the half-court grind of Eastern Conference playoff basketball, and better organized in terms of their rotation and understanding of players' roles.
3. Jamaal Tinsley.
Again, I'm not confusing him with Jason Kidd or even Chauncey Billups. Like Harrington, he's never done anything in the playoffs. And there are still times when I wonder about his defense.
But two years ago, he had hit the rookie wall by playoff time and was a nonentity. Last year, he was a little better, but not nearly good enough. This will be the first time the Pacers have gone into the playoffs knowing -- or at least thinking they know -- that Tinsley will be healthy and productive and play like the guy who resurrected himself the final two-thirds of the season.
4. Perspective.
Let's face it, after three consecutive one-and-outs, this team has no right to take anybody for granted. This core group knows how close they are to taking Uncle Reggie to a last chance at an NBA Finals, and they're not going to trip on a speed bump like Boston.
"Anything short of an NBA title is unacceptable," O'Neal said after the Pacers' season-ending victory over Chicago on Wednesday night. "There are no consolation prizes."
That's a noble sentiment, but I think most people would agree: Unless this team reaches the conference finals, the season will have been a disappointment. Anything after that, it's a bonus.
5. If the Pacers somehow lose to the Celtics, becoming just the third No. 1 seed in NBA history to lose to a No. 8 seed, Larry Bird will personally flog each and every member of the team. And nobody wants that.
There's a reason the Celtics are a sub-.500 team and an eighth seed. They're not very good. At least they were ordinary and mildly dangerous during the days with Jim O'Brien, Antoine Walker, Tony Battie and Eric Williams. But since the big trade Dec. 15, the Celtics are a robust 24-33.
See you in Detroit.
Eventually.
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