INDIANAPOLIS — Frank Vogel, the coach of the Indiana Pacers, was asked Wednesday about a positive stretch of play his team had compiled about 48 hours earlier against the Miami Heat. Was there anything the Pacers could build on heading into Game 5 against the Miami Heat that night?
“LeBron James was on the bench during that stretch,” Vogel said with a smirk. “So if we can try to achieve that, that would help.”
It was a joke. And then, somehow, it became a reality.
James
on Wednesday night descended into early and uncharacteristic foul
trouble, picking up his fifth foul before the third quarter was halfway
finished, and ended up playing just 24 minutes at Bankers Life
Fieldhouse. In his absence, Paul George was the night’s most explosive
star, helping the Pacers overcome a sluggish start to notch a 93-90
victory and keep the Eastern Conference finals going.
James
was the best player on the floor Monday night, but he was barely on the
floor Wednesday. He scored 7 points while shooting 2 for 10 from the
field. Nine other players finished with more minutes than James. The
best among them was George, who took his own virtuoso turn, scoring 37
points to go along with six rebounds and six steals.
No comments:
Post a Comment