| |
RECAP
|
BOX SCORE
|
 GAME FLOW
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Back home in Indiana, the Pacers turned into
a different team.
SUMMING IT ALL UP
|
Quote of the Night
"I've got to let it pour out. I can't play quiet. There's just no way. I play on emotion and excitement, it's always been that way."
-- Reggie Miller after his best game of the series.
|
Miller |
ESPN.com's Report Card
Different story at Conseco Fieldhouse, isn't it? Still, there will be doubters as to whether the Lakers still would have pulled it out had a certain shooting guard played. But he didn't, and it affected the grades of most Lakers, including the big fella. Meanwhile, most Pacers graded well, except for normal underachiever Rik Smits. Click here for our comprehensive Report Card for Game 3 as we break down everyone's game.
Why the Pacers won
We'd anger too many people if we said they won because Kobe was out. Fact is that Reggie played well, Jalen Rose contributed and the Pacers outrebounded the Lakers and hit most of their free throws. But if the Lakers had anyone else to score... Regardless, they didn't and Indiana won. Miller plays the hero role well and deserved the credit. And the Conseco crowd had to help. It was louder than the Lakers' passive bunch before the game even began.
Why the Lakers lost
Well, they made 50 percent of their shots. They had a big edge in assists, got another big night from Shaquille O'Neal and put as many players in double figures as the winners. However, there are two problems. First, until Ron Harper did it late, no other Laker was helping Shaq score. Unless he was in the 40s, the lack of a second scorer is a big deal. And second, Shaq wasn't in the 40s because of the free throws. If he makes half of them, it's an even game in the final minute. He missed 10 of 13. Maybe he didn't cost the Lakers the game, but you can certainly make the case.
Number of the Game
We hate to belabor the point, but again Shaq provides the key number, or provides most of it in this case. This number isn't the Lakers' field goal percentage, nor on threes. It's from the line. Eight out of 19 is only good if you're hitting a baseball. Shaq going 3 for 13 caught up to the Lakers tonight. |
42 |
Final Word: Phil Jackson
"Well, they gave us our shot there at the end of the game and we couldn't find a way to pull it out. Too many turnovers, too much Miller and Rose tonight and we didn't have an answer defensively to stop those guys.
"We want to win a game here, but there's, you know, the reality is that we're going to try to win everything. Every game."
Odds and ends
The Lakers never led in the game, and were tied for the last time with 8:06 left in the first quarter. ... Reggie Miller still hasn't hit a field goal in a fourth quarter in the series, but nobody's talking about it after a win. He has made all 20 of his free throws in the series, though. ... Anyone else notice both Shaq and backup Travis Knight on the floor at the same time for a minute? It doesn't happen much. Knight got one minute of time for Shaq, and another at power forward, as A.C. Green and Robert Horry combined for only 47 minutes. Knight was productive, with two fouls in two minutes.
Final word from Indy
Do you put an asterisk next to this result because Kobe wasn't in the lineup? No, you don't. The Lakers had plenty of chances to win the game without him, and didn't. Shaq should have gotten more shots, but he didn't. The Lakers all but said that Kobe will play in Wednesday's Game 4. This now becomes a critical game. Can the Pacers beat the Lakers with Kobe in the lineup? And what if the Pacers win again? Do the Lakers start doubting themselves. Lots of story lines here.
|
They pushed, the Lakers didn't push back. They attacked, the
Lakers retreated. They were desperate, the Lakers were not.
Playing with a confidence bordering on cockiness and ditching
their collective inferiority complex, the Indiana Pacers earned
themselves some breathing room Sunday night. Getting 33 points and
one angry glance from Reggie Miller, 21 points from Jalen Rose and
a number of timely shots from Travis Best, they defeated Los
Angeles 100-91 in Game 3 of the NBA Finals.
"Yeah, these guys were very emotional tonight," Pacers coach
Larry Bird said. "They played with heart today, they battled
today, they really took it serious."
Refusing to be pushovers and eager to get in the Lakers' faces,
the Pacers had a brazen quality that had been missing in Games 1
and 2 in Los Angeles. Instead, they took a double-digit lead early,
went ahead by as many as 18 and shrugged off the Lakers' rally in
the fourth to cut their deficit to 2-1 in the best-of-seven series.
Miller all but sealed the victory by making two free throws with
2:02 left, casting an angry stare at Lakers coach Phil Jackson as
he turned upcourt. After Ron Harper hit a 3-pointer to make it a
three-point game with 14.8 seconds left, Miller calmly made two
from the line -- sans the stare this time, but with an emphatic
side-to-side shake of his head -- to make it 96-91.
"By no means did we think it was over being down two-zip, and
I'm glad the country knows it now," Indiana's Mark Jackson said.
Best had 14 points and Austin Croshere added 12 for the Pacers,
who were not afraid to confront the Lakers -- whether it be with
flagrant fouls, dirty looks or timely shots.
Despite not making a fourth-quarter field goal for the third
straight game, Miller had his best game of the series as he shot
11-for-22, played 46 of a possible 48 minutes and showed some of
the brazen attitude and feistiness that so defines his game.
"I can't play quiet. There's no way," he said. "I play on
emotion and excitement, and it's always been that way.
"If we were down 3-0, you could pretty much have written us
off."
Game 4 is Wednesday night, and by then the Lakers should have
Kobe Bryant back in the lineup. He never showed his face, staying
in the locker room for the entire game after testing his sprained
left ankle and deciding not to play.
The Lakers missed Bryant's offense, getting just six points from
Brian Shaw, his replacement in the starting lineup.
"We knew they were shorthanded, and it wasn't the real Laker
team because Kobe wasn't out there," Miller said.
Shaquille O'Neal followed up his 43-point Game 1 and 40-point
Game 2 with a 33-point, 13-rebound performance, but he went just
3-for-13 at the line, missing six of seven free throws in the
fourth quarter.
Ron Harper added 14 points, and Robert Horry and Derek Fisher
had 10 apiece for the Lakers, who shot just 8-for-19 at the foul
line and were outrebounded badly in the first half when Indiana
took control for good. Los Angeles also committed 17 turnovers.
"It's not really anything they did. We shot ourselves in the
foot," O'Neal said. "We made a lot of silly mistakes. They just
wanted it more, They just played a little harder."
After the Lakers pulled within five points early in the third,
Indiana used a 23-8 run to reassert command. And after the Lakers
got their deficit back down to three late in the fourth, the Pacers
nonchalantly closed them out.
It was quite a change of character for the Pacers, who looked
meek and humble on the road. Jackson took pleasure in baiting the
Lakers and showboating, Rose and Croshere wore their tough-guy
faces when needed and the entire Indiana mentality seemed to get
under the skin of the Lakers, especially Jackson.
"They weren't asking where the best restaurants were," Lakers
forward Rick Fox said of the Pacers' penchant for extracurricular
talking.
If the Lakers want to do something about it, they'll have to
avoid the kind of slow start that allowed the Pacers to get into a
comfort zone so early.
Shaw wasn't shy about shooting, taking five of the Lakers' first
12 attempts while O'Neal had just one.
Miller, after throwing the ball away and dribbling it off his
foot and out of bounds in the first few minutes, hit a 3-pointer on
the fast break for a 17-10 lead. A jump hook by Rik Smits gave
Indiana its first double-digit lead, 23-12.
|  | | Jalen Rose had his way with Glen Rice all night, until the fourth quarter when Rice sat for all but a minute. |
Miller kept going into the air trying to draw fouls, repeatedly
getting upset when the refs wouldn't call them. He finally got a
whistle going for a layup over O'Neal, and his free throw for a
three-point play made it 30-19.
The Lakers started going more to O'Neal in the second quarter
but never developed much of a rhythm, while Indiana used its
superiority on the boards to widen its lead.
A tip-in by Dale Davis on Indiana's seventh offensive rebound
made it 42-27 before Los Angeles had an 10-2 run to pull within
seven. Best took the momentum right back by hitting two jumpers and
making a steal that led to a layup by Miller, and Rose made it
53-39 with 4.9 seconds left before the half on a steal, layup and
foul shot.
The Pacers committed five fouls in the first 2:55 of the third
quarter and missed their first six shots, allowing the Lakers to
pull to 55-50. But Rose hit a jumper, Miller hit a tough bank shot,
Rose hit a jumper on the break and Jackson drilled a 3-pointer to
quickly restore the 12-point lead.
Rather than rest after restoring that comfortable advantage, the
Pacers kept pouring it on. Rose had a steal and dunk, and Sam
Perkins hit a 3-pointer as the crowd yelled his nickname --
"Smooth" -- while the ball was in mid-flight.
The Lakers answered with four straight points before Miller
slammed the door, hitting a jumper before coming up with another
steal and then pulling up for a 3-pointer, thrusting both hands in
the air and playing to the crowd, for a 76-58 lead.
"That's Reggie. He uses that stuff as energy," Lakers center
John Salley said. "Reggie did his thing, but we shot ourselves in
the foot."
Game notes
Davis had two points and 12 rebounds before fouling out
with 1:50 left. ... Toronto center Antonio Davis, traded from
Indiana to the Raptors last summer, sat in a courtside seat and
received a rousing ovation when introduced during a first-quarter
timeout. ... After reviewing videotape of Game 2, the league
rescinded the flagrant foul called on O'Neal midway through the
fourth quarter.
| |
ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
LA Lakers Clubhouse
Indiana Clubhouse
Complete coverage of NBA Finals
Frozen moment: Miller time arrives
X factor: No help for Shaq dooms Lakers
Hurting Kobe 'probably' will play in Game 4
RECAPS
AUDIO/VIDEO
 ESPN's Dr. Jack Ramsay and Dan Patrick look forward to Game 4 of the NBA Finals.
RealVideo: | 28.8
Dan Patrick talks with Travis Best about his Game 3 performance.
RealVideo: | 28.8
 Larry Bird says the Pacers took Game 3 seriously.
wav: 119 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Phil Jackson says the Lakers had no answer for Miller and Rose.
wav: 110 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Reggie Miller is happy with Indiana's Game 3 effort.
wav: 153 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Mark Jackson says the Pacers need Reggie Miller.
wav: 103 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
|
