If story of the first four games of this first round series was an inferior team giving a vastly superior team all they could handle, the story of game five was a superior team finally asserting their dominance on an inferior team.  The Indiana Pacers, despite playing their hearts out for five straight games, have finally bowed out of the 2011 playoffs with a stinging 116-89 loss to the Chicago Bulls and losing the series 4-1.

But what a 4-1 this series was!  The Pacers showed me and many of their fans (and I think even themselves) that if they play hard, play together and play with dedication and defense, they can be an elite team in the NBA.  Frank Vogel and his team will no doubt be disappointed but they can be proud of the effort and use the emotion to better their games in the offseason.

In game five, the Bulls turned it up a notch right from the beginning, going up by double digits early, and making it tough for the Pacers to get back in the game.  The Bulls jumped out to a 36-25 lead after the first quarter and held on to lead 54-46 at the break.  When Derrick Rose picked up his fourth foul and went to the bench, the Pacers somehow cut the lead to just 4 points.  But then Thibadeau re-inserted Rose back into the lineup, and the gamble paid off.  The MVP-to-be showed exactly why the Bulls finished with the best record in the regular season by hitting a bunch of threes and finding his open teammates for more threes.  The Bulls just went ballistic from that point on, and it seemed like everything they were throwing up was going in.  They finished with 14 three pointers on the night.

Rose had 25 points and 6 assists, Luol Deng had 24, 6 rebounds and 7 assists, Keith Bogans hit 5 threes to finish with 15, and Joakim Noah had 14 and 8 rebounds with 4 blocks.

For the Pacers, Granger led again with 20, 6 and 3, Hansbrough had 14 and 11, Hibbert had 11 and Dahntay Jones had 10.  But they just had no answers for Rose and the Bulls and either ends of the floor.  Josh McRoberts got tossed from the game in the third quarter after copping a forearm to the face from Noah and stupidly retaliating right in front of the officials.

Was it the Pacers finally slipping after playing out of their minds in the first four games, or was it the Bulls finally waking up and realising that they were a much better team?  I tend to think it was the latter.  The Pacers still played hard this game but they had a lot more mental lapses on defense, their shots didn't fall and the 50-50 balls somehow went to the Bulls the majority of the time.

Still, nothing to be ashamed of.  No one expected the Pacers to give the Bulls this much trouble.  They just ran into a much better team with an unguardable superstar in Derrick Rose.

More to come with a wrap up of the series and a season round up for the Pacers.

I said before this series began that in order to win a game, they would need either a huge lead or some luck.  Today, they had a bit of both, as they held on to beat the Chicago Bulls 89-84, ensuring that the series will head back to Chicago.

Another gutsy effort by the Pacers, who built an 18 point lead during the third quarter and still had a double digit lead with just a couple of minutes to go.  Once again, the Bulls turned on that extra gear that the Pacers don't have, and came storming all the way back to trail by only 1 point (on a 3-point play by Joakim Noah) with under 20 seconds left in the game.  At that moment, every Pacers fan in the building was thinking, 'Oh no, not again!'

Fortunately for the Pacers, Granger hit 2 free throws on the ensuing possession to give them a 3-point lead, and on the next play, the Bulls almost threw it away before getting the ball to an almost wide open Carlos Boozer by the corner.  'Oh no, not again' rushed through my brain again as Boozer launched the shot, and fortunately again, the ball hit the side of the rim and Granger grabbed the rebound and was fouled with a second to go.  He hit both free throws and sealed the game.

A fantastic effort by the Pacers but a disgraceful effort by their fans.  Conseco Filedhouse was inexcusably covered in red and there were MVP chants for Rose and boos for the Pacers.  I know the Pacers had the worse attendance in the NBA this season but this was still atrocious.

Anyway, back to more positive things.  Danny Granger again showed glimpses of the player the Pacers need him to be.  He hit his clutch free throws and led the team with 24 points and 10 rebounds, 4 assists (and a bunch of other good passes) and only 1 turnover.  He played as though his life was on the line and it showed.  With the Pacers falling apart again in the last few minutes of the game, he was the one that stood up and took charge and calmed everyone down.  Well done Granger.  He might never be a superstar (or maybe even an All-Star again), but you certainly can't complain if he plays like this every night.

Hibbert disappeared a little down the stretch, but he hit a big basket to keep the Bulls at bay and he was very aggressive all night.  He finished with 16 and 10 and 3 big blocks.  Another night of growth for Hibbert and I hope he continues to realize his potential.

Speaking of growth, another excellent performance by rookie Paul George, who came out firing, scoring all 9 of his points in the first half and doing a superb job on Derrick Rose (who sprained his ankle at the end of the first and finished with 15 points and 10 assists on 6-22 shooting, including 1-9 from 3-point range, and ONLY got to the line 4 times).  With his long arms and underrated agility, George has the chance to be a star at both ends of the floor.  A big summer from him is imperative for the Pacers to take the next step forward.

Jeff Foster (who pathetically got 2 of his fouls from game 3 upgraded to flagrant 1s -- I mean come on, if those fouls were on Pacers players I bet nothing would have happened) had 9 boards, including 7 on the offensive end to keep countless possessions alive for the Pacers. 

AJ Price had 10 points in 15 minutes, and showed once again why he has the potential to be a big time player, at least mentally.  The guy just isn't scared with the ball in his hands, no matter what the score and no matter how much time left on the game clock or shot clock.  If only he could develop more of an all-round game, he'd be an excellent backup for Collison for years to come.

Collison is still nursing that ankle injury, so he only had 6 points and 2 assists (on 2-11 shooting) tonight, but he played terrific defense (by his standards, anyway) and had a huge block on a breakaway Rose down the stretch that could be looked at as one of the key plays of the game.

With the victory, the Pacers avoided a sweep, but most importantly, it gives the team tremendous confidence for next season.  No one is expecting them to win the next one, but if they can keep playing like they have all series, anything is possible.  They lost the first 3 basically in the dying seconds, and now they've gotten 1 back.  That's 4 games in a row where they've played the team with the best record in the league down to the wire.  More growth from their youngsters, a couple of nice pieces here and there, and the Pacers could have a very bright future ahead of them.

Best of luck for game 5.  This series deserves to go for more than 5 games!

Wow.  Conseco Fieldhouse was electrifying.  The Indiana Pacers had not seen their fans this pumped up since the last time they were in the playoffs five years ago.

Unfortunately, a third valiant effort fell short again in the dying seconds, and the Bulls escaped with an 88-84 victory.  Once again, the difference was Derrick Rose, who broke the deadlock with a twisting, acrobatic layup over four Pacers defenders.  Can't do much about that.  The guy is about to be the youngest MVP in history for a reason.  The fans must be a little disappointed, having come so close three times, only to come away empty on each occasion -- but this game was a cause for celebration.

First and foremost, Danny Granger finally played like the player the Pacers needed him to be.  I have been a vocal critic of Granger's abilities as a leader and a big time player, but tonight he showed a side of him I have seldom seen.  Granger actually missed a game winning three pointer with the clock winding down and the Pacers trailing 86-84, but I was ecstatic to see how badly he wanted the ball.  He finished with 21 points and was huge for the Pacers down the stretch, hitting four big shots down the stretch to keep the Pacers within striking distance.  He may have missed that last shot, but I loved what I saw from him tonight.  He was aggressive at both ends of the floor and demanded the ball when the game was on the line.  This series might just be what he needs to become a player he ought to be.

Paul George (6 points, 1-9 shooting, 12 boards, 2 blocks and 2 steals) again did a stellar defensive job on Rose, who finished with 23 points but on 4-18 shooting.  It was his 13-15 from the line that the Pacers couldn't help.  Deng (21 points) and Noah (11 and 10) were solid, but it was Ashton Kutcher that caused the Pacers the most grief in the fourth quarter when they put Collison on him and he made them pay with an array of killer jumpers.

Dahntay Jones was awesome tonight, showing versatility at both ends and finishing with 11 points in 16 minutes.  When the Pacers needed a basket, he delivered on more than one occasion.

Importantly, the Pacers finally got square on the boards tonight, tying the Bulls with 42 rebounds and actually outperformed them on offensive boards (15-10).  They also made it a little more competitive from the free throw line (17-18 compared to 23-27) and had just 11 turnovers to the Bulls' 15.  And yet they still lost.  Again.

Will game four be a win for the Pacers or a sweep for the Bulls?  To be honest, it doesn't really matter all that much, as long as the Pacers play like they have the last three games and push the number one seed to the limit.  They've been playing so hard, so together, and Pacers fans can't ask for much more than that.  If they can get one, it will do miracles for their confidence -- but either way, I'm already excited for next season.

So close, and yet so far. 

Minutes ago, the Indiana Pacers went down swinging in game 2 of their first round matchup against the top seeded Chicago Bulls, 96-90.  But you know what?  I'm not all that disappointed.  The Pacers lost Darren Collison in the second quarter with the Pacers up by 9 after he sprained his ankle on a cameraman's foot (how freaking ridiculous is that?!) and struggled to find the right rhythm after that. 

However, through sheer hustle and determination against a significantly more talented team, the Pacers managed to stay close and got close to pulling out the victory until a few bad calls went against them and took the wind out of their sails.  Unfortunate, but the Pacers can't feel that bad going back to Indiana down 0-2 in a series few gave them a chance of winning even one game.

Quick recap:

Both teams started out slow, but it was because of the intense defense at both ends of the floor.  Paul George was a revelation tonight and my Player of the Game for the Pacers, simply because of the amazing defense he played on Derrick Rose, especially during the first half, getting countless deflections and 3 steals and 4 blocks.  The Pacers led 18-17 at the end of the first quarter and extended the lead to 9 midway through the second quarter, but in part due to Darren Collison's injury, the Bulls came storming back to only trail 47-44 at the half. 

The Pacers struggled at the beginning of the second half without their starting point guard, as the Bulls began to assert their superiority and grabbed a 7 point lead on a couple of occasions.  But the Pacers scratched and clawed and tied the game on the half-court buzzer beater by TJ Ford to end the third quarter.

The fourth quarter was tight all the way, even though it was becoming more and more apparent each possession that Derrick Rose was starting to take over.  In the place of Collison, AJ Price really stepped up, hitting a massive 3-pointer to keep the Pacers in the game and hustled out of his mind to save a few Indiana possessions.  Then, with the Pacers down by 2, Kyle Korver hits another big 3-pointer to put the Bulls up by 5.  On the ensuring play, Roy Hibbert was called on a really lame offensive foul (which should have ended up being a Paul George and-1 rebound slam).  On the next possession, Rose airballs a jumper but the ball comes off Foster's head as he is being shoved out of bounds by Carlos Boozer (with both hands).  Someone the refs miss that call as well.

The Pacers had another chance after that when Rose fouled Price on a 3-pointer and Price made all 3 free throws to keep the Pacers within 2, but Deng hit both his free throws and Dunleavy missed a long bomb to effectively signal the end for the Pacers.  Final score, 96-90.

Analysis:

The Pacers did an even better job on Derrick Rose this game, even though the MVP-to-be still had 36 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists.  I say so because he shot 11-25 from the field and only got to the line 13 times (for 12 makes).  Most importantly, the excellent defense from Paul George and the rest of the team forced Rose into 6 turnovers.

For the Pacers, only Granger (19 points) and Price (13 points) scored in double figures, but it really was an all-round team effort tonight.  Hansbrough had a shocker with 6 points on 2-12 shooting, but still provided some much needed energy.  Foster was solid backing up Hibbert, who was in foul trouble for a large part of the night, and guys like Dunleavy and McRoberts also chipped in with some crucial plays.

The game tonight was lost again on the boards for the Pacers, who gave up an inexcusable 20 offensive boards to the Bulls and were outrebounded 57-33.  Considering how lopsided the rebounding total was, it's a miracle that the Pacers came this close.  But it's something they have to figure out for game 3 -- at the moment the Bulls just seem to want the ball more when it comes off the rim or the backboard, and the Pacers are being outmuscled in the paint on just about every possession.

If anything, these two games have shown me two crucial things.  First, when the Pacers play with this type of energy, effort and fearlessness, they are one heck of a team, and there's no reason why they can't bring just a fraction of this wonderful intensity more often during the regular season.  Second, this series is exactly the reason why young teams like the Pacers should try and make the playoffs and be swept rather than tank to get a better draft pick.  These Pacers now know the smell of playoff basketball and they are loving it.  Even if they lose the next two (which I no longer believe they necessarily will), they will still get so much out of the experience that they will no doubt become a substantially better team next season.

Thankfully, Game 3 is on Thursday, which will give Darren Collison a few days to rest his ankle.  Would the Pacers have won today with him pushing the tempo in the second half?  Maybe, maybe not, but it's imperative that he returns in order for the Pacers to have a chance of not being swept.

Pacers fans should pack Conseco Fieldhouse for the next two games.  After seeing how hard this team has played, it'll be a travesty if the fans don't give them everything they have as well.

Game Summary

The Indiana Pacers came out with a bang.  With nothing to lose, they were fearless, strangely loose, confident.  The Bulls didn't do anything different because they didn't need to -- they won more games than any team in the NBA this season doing what they do.  Hibbert scores the first 4 Pacers points on putbacks.  Collison is on fire.  Then Granger catches fire.  Then Hansbrough goes insane.  The Pacers are up 98-88 with about 3 and a half minutes to go.  They've never trailed.

Everybody's nervous.  Everybody's thinking the unthinkable.  Could the Pacers shock the Bulls and the world in game 1?  It was their best chance to steal a game in a series most didn't think they would win one.  Then, reality came crashing back.  The Bulls notched it up another gear.  The Pacers choke.  The Bulls go on a 16-1 run to finish the game.  Final score, 104-99.  Bulls 1, Pacers 0.

In short, the Pacers outplayed the Chicago Bulls for 45 minutes and lost the game.  Sure, the Bulls are unquestionably the better team, but the Pacers let this one slip away.  And they know it.

Statistically speaking

Final score, 104-99.  The Bulls outscored the Pacers 33-20 in the fourth quarter. 

Derrick Rose led all scorers with 39 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, but shot only 10-23 including 0-9 from 3-point range.  He did most of the damage from the free throw line, where he was 19-21.  Luol Deng had 18 and 10, Joakim Noah had 10 and 11, Carlos Boozer had 12 and 6 (foul trouble all night) and Kyle Korver had 13, including the go-ahead 3-pointer (he was 4-4 on the night from downtown).  As a team, the Bulls shot 43.9%, but they did have 21 offensive boards against 14 turnovers.

For the Pacers, Danny Granger led the way with 24 and 6, after shaking off a bad start.  He shot 10-20 from the field and did most of his damage in the third quarter.  Tyler Hansbrough was unstoppable, shredding Boozer for 22 points, also doing most of his work in the second half.  Collison and Hibbert were effective early.  Collison scored 15 of his 17 in the first half and had 9 assists and 6 rebounds overall.  Hibbert scored the team's first 6 points but finished with only 11 and 8, plus 5 fouls.  As a team, the Pacers shot 46.4%, including an excellent 10-18 from 3-point range, and only had 10 turnovers.  But they were outrebounded 49-34 and shot only 11-17 (64.7%) from the line.

Breaking it down

The Pacers showed the best and worst of themselves yet again.  So many times this season they have given up big leads down the stretch and fumbled away games in the dying minutes.  Against the Bulls, it was no different.

That said, a lot of positives to take away from the game.  They contained Derrick Rose probably as best as they could have.  Yeah, he had 39 points, but the man is a freak but the Pacers put him on the line instead of giving up easy layups and dunks for most of the night.  They had Boozer in foul trouble right from the get-go, which restricted the Bulls offense a little.  And Hansbrough exploited Boozer's defense down the stretch to come up with big basket after big basket.

The problem again lies with defense and rebounding.  The Bulls outhustled the Pacers for loose balls and got stacks of offensive boards and second chances.  They didn't give up as many uncontested shots as I thought they would have, but they did when the game was on the line, which is why they lost.  That, and the poor free throw shooting.  With so many great shooters on the team, the Pacers should not struggle so much from the line.  11-17 is inexcusable.  Collison missed two big ones, including a technical (from Deng) in the fourth that could have deflated the Bulls.

Individually, the standouts for me were Hansbrough (absolutely) and Collison (at least in the first half).  I loved the fearless attitudes of these two young guys.  Collison took it right at Rose in the first half, which is what he needs to do every game in order to slow Rose down at the other end.  Hansbrough just killed the Bulls with his mid-range shots, hustle and energy, even after he was clubbed in the head with an inadvertent elbow and had to head to the locker room.  These two guys were fearless and demonstrated that they have the potential to be big time players.  Still mistake prone and have a lot to learn, but the potential is there.

Other guys that demonstrated a bit of that fearless attitude were AJ Price and Hibbert (at least in the first half).  I like AJ's willingness to shoot the long ball off the pick and roll.  Hibbert is more like a roller coaster.  He shows flashes of toughness and desire for the ball down low, where he could dominate the Bulls, but other times he disappears and you don't even realize he's on the floor.  If he could just channel that intensity more evenly...

Granger top scored, but didn't have a great game in my opinion.  To be honest, he just had a good shooting game.  His shots fell, but apart from a nifty post-up move against Deng, he didn't show me anything that impressive.  And he missed when it counted.  I hate when they isolate him because it's not a high percentage play.  Most of the time he just jab steps and takes a contested jumper.  To me, Hansbrough and Collison were the leaders on the team tonight.

Other guys -- Paul George looked like a bit of a deer in the headlights tonight.  He started and played 24 minutes but only had 2 points (off a fast break alley-oop) and was virtually invisible all night.  Brandon Rush didn't look stoned, and he seemed confident shooting the ball (hit a couple of 3s), but as usual he didn't get himself involved enough.  Foster did what he usually does but McRoberts didn't play to his advantages all game and struggled.

Mike Dunleavy's playoff debut was a non-event.  15 minutes, 0 points, 0-3 shooting.  What became crystal clear in game 1 is that the Bulls are unbelievable at defending shooters who try and weave through traffic and screens for that open shot.  Dunleavy didn't get a single one tonight, and Granger maybe only a couple of times. 

That means that the Pacers either have to do a better job at getting their shooters open, or they need to dump it down low to Hibbert more.  I don't really trust Hibbert down in the paint against Noah, but it's a gamble they have to take.  Give Hansbrough that mid-range jumper all day long because he can make them pay.  Allow Collison to create plays with his penetration.

Oh, and the coach.  Frank Vogel did an admirable job to get his team in a position to win, but I guess you could say he failed because he didn't get them over the line.  The Pacers weathered numerous storms from the Bulls until the last three minutes.  But it was his first playoff game and apart from a technical he gave up he was poised and observant.  I think he's a good fit for this young team in this series because he energizes them and gets them to play with effort and confidence.

Looking ahead

I have a sinking feeling that the Pacers may have just thrown away their best chance to win a game in this series.  I have not seen them shoot this well and execute so well offensively (at least for 45 minutes) for a very very long time.  They were even kind of okay defensively.  And they still lost.  What happens when those shots stop falling?  Shudder.

I guess there are two ways to look at this.  If you are the pessimist, as I tend to be, you'll think -- the Pacers played as well as they possibly could have in this game and still lost.  There's no way they'll shoot this well again.  They are too young, too reckless, too inconsistent and too fragile mentally to recover from this loss.  They are going to get pounded in the next 3 games and bow out on a whimper.

If you're the optimistic, which is what I want to be, you might think -- the Pacers showed that they can play with these Bulls and beat them.  They showed that the Bulls are not as unbeatable as they think they are.  A little choke at the end of the game (okay, a big one), but these are predominantly first-timers with zero big game experience.  Next time, they won't allow it to happen again.  Next time they'll keep their composure and close out the game.  Growing pains.  This is how you learn, right?