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• No letdown at home in Game 3 for Pacers May 18, 2012
  The Indiana Pacers didn't let a victory in Miami in Game 2 cause them to return home and have a letdown. It just motivated them even more. The Pacers used a big third quarter to blow the Heat out 94-75 and take a 2-1 lead in their best-of-seven series. The Pacers led by as many as 21 points. Coach Frank Vogel didn't want his team to become complacent. He wanted them to send a message to the Heat. That was done in the second half when the Pacers held the Heat to 32 points. Just like in Game 2, the Heat got a strong game out of two players -- LeBron James and Mario Chalmers -- but All-Star guard Dwyane Wade wasn't in the mix. He scored five points on 2-of-13 shooting in 37 minutes. The Pacers, as they have done all season, got balanced scoring. George Hill scored a team-high 20 points. C Roy Hibbert added 19 points and 18 rebounds. "We rely heavily on our depth and it certainly showed," Pacers forward David West said. "We have guys that can come...
• Roy Hibbert leading Pacers under the radar May 18, 2012
  Four names are read to Roy Hibbert: Joe Alexander, Anthony Randolph, Robin Lopez, Marreese Speights. "Those are the guys, yeah," Hibbert said. If the Indiana center ever needs motivation, all he needs to do is look at a list of players taken ahead of him in the 2008 NBA draft. There were 16 guys selected before Hibbert went No. 17 to Toronto and soon was traded to the Pacers in a deal in which Jermaine O'Neal went to the Raptors. Alexander, Randolph, Lopez and Speights were just some of the 2008 selections made before Hibbert went that teams no doubt regret to this day. The names do nothing but fuel Hibbert to get better. "I always thought I was overlooked because I was a four-year guy," said Hibbert, a Georgetown graduate who stuck around until he was a senior, a rarity these days for a first-round pick. "My whole motto was work, work, work, and fortunately for me it paid off I may have slipped in the draft but I'm having the last laugh now." Hibbert sure is. On Thursday night, he scored 19 points, grabbed a career-high 18 rebounds and blocked five shots to lead the Pacers to a 94-75 win over Miami and a 2-1 lead in an East semifinal. It was yet another step in the development of the 7-foot-2 Hibbert. He's slowly gotten better each season, and last February played in his first All-Star Game. Now, he's starring in the playoffs. But the modest Hibbert hardly is getting a big head. He had to be told he had scored his most points ever in a playoff game. "They said I had 19 points," said Hibbert, averaging 12.4 points, 11.8 rebounds and 3.5 blocks in the playoffs, including 14.7, 13.3 and 3.0 in the three games against the Heat. "I seriously can't remember all of them because I was more focused on the defense and they just seemed to come. My teammates found me." As for the rebounds and the blocked shots, those mean more to Hibbert. This guy just loves playing defense. "I was never thinking All-Star," Hibbert said of whether he reached a goal by playing in that game last February in Orlando. "I wanted to be on the All-Defensive team." When Hibbert was drafted, though, that honor looked unlikely to many. Hibbert was seen by many as a long-term project when nice words were used and as a stiff when they weren't. Of course, all that did was motivate him even more. "When I was a rookie, they saw me as a backup and I'd never amount to much as the 17th pick," Hibbert said of his critics. "When I made the All-Star Game, they said I was the first All-Star not to play in the rookie game (taking into consideration players who entered the NBA since 1993-94, when the game began). That's a tribute to my hard work, so I'm going to keep working." With all of that in mind, when free agency comes around this summer, Hibbert hardly will get the same treatment he got on draft night. As a restricted free agent, he's expected to command a contract that could be in the range of the maximum. Hibbert, whose averages of 12.8 points and 9.8 rebounds this season have steadily risen since he put up 7.1 and 3.5 as a rookie, sure sounds as if he wants to return to Indiana. But even if another team throws down a huge offer sheet, the Pacers would have the option to match it. "I love Indiana," Hibbert said when asked about his free agency. "They took a chance on me when they traded Jermaine O'Neal and a couple of other guys to get me with the 17th pick. This is the place that I feel I'm very loyal to." So, unless something strange happens, figure on Hibbert being back with the Pacers. For now, though, there's plenty of important immediate things to worry about for Hibbert and Indiana, which is in the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2005. When Heat big man Chris Bosh went down in Game 1 due to an abdominal strain, the thinking by many was Hibbert would be dominant in Game 2 against a Miami team left without much of an inside game. While Hibbert had a modest eight points and 11 rebounds in that game, he sure took charge in Game 3. "He's cleaning the glass," said Heat forward LeBron James. "He had a big night. Big guy He definitely made a big impact in the game." James doesn't recall anything too specific about three months ago being Hibbert's All-Star teammate, saying he was "very quiet." But don't think Hibbert wasn't trying to soak in everything he could that weekend, when he totaled just three points and three rebounds in the game. "When he came back from the All-Star Game, Roy was telling me how he would watch the guys who had been there, the older guys who had been around for multiple All-Star Games," said Pacers forward Lou Amundson. "He wanted to see how they approached it He was trying to get any information he could to get an edge." Figure on Hibbert, 25, showing up for plenty more All-Star Games. For starters, there just aren't many centers these days. After Orlando's Dwight Howard and the Lakers' Andrew Bynum, Hibbert has a chance to eventually contend for being the third-best pivot man in the league. Heat big man Udonis Haslem doesn't disagree, saying, "he could work himself into that" spot. But rather than compare Hibbert to any current NBA centers, perhaps it's better to look to the past. In this era of so few big men who want to play with their backs to the basket, Hibbert is a throwback. He had no problem with the comparison when it was suggested he's a bit Nate Thurmond-like. "Everybody wants to be guards now, everybody wants to bring the ball up the court, everybody wants to take long jump shots," Hibbert said of today's players. "If they want to do that, that's fine. That makes things easier for me I'm an old-school guy. Certain guys want to shoot, I'm more jump hooks in the paint." It sure helped Hibbert's fundamentals that he spent four years at Georgetown, where Hibbert said he learned a work ethic. Hibbert admits that after he grew to his current height as a sophomore in high school he "didn't really put the effort in." Playing for Maryland's Georgetown Prep, Hibbert usually went against centers in his league nearly a foot shorter, and that didn't help him develop needed skills. Hibbert also didn't keep his body in shape. When he was at Georgetown, he said he was nicknamed "BMW" for "Body Made Wrong." Now, Hibbert is a rock-solid 275 pounds. He has hired a chef so that he eats properly, and he brings a big bag on the road that contains all the various nutritional supplements he takes. Hibbert could have left after taking Georgetown to the Final Four as a junior in 2007 and perhaps been a higher pick, but he didn't feel he was ready. So he stuck around to earn his degree in government and hone his skills. "He's got some size and some talent but his desire to improve himself is probably his greatest attribute," said Pacers coach Frank Vogel, an assistant when Hibbert joined the Pacers. "He works harder on his body probably than any player that I've been around in terms of understanding what he needs to do He's got a will and a desire to improve that most players I've been around don't have." Vogel believes Hibbert could be getting "20 and 10 if he was on another team," but said he sacrifices stats because the Pacers are so team oriented. But Vogel had no problem with 19 and 18 on Thursday. "That's one of the best games I've ever seen him play," Vogel said. The way Hibbert played against the Heat, he sure would look good in red, white and blue. But Hibbert said he's doesn't ever expect to be with Team USA because he played in a qualifying tournament in 2010 for Jamaica, the nation where his father was born. After Howard and Portland big man LaMarcus Aldridge were knocked out of Olympic consideration due to recent injuries, there were some feelers from USA Basketball about Hibbert possibly being named to the Olympic pool. But Hibbert said he was unsuccessful in dealings with FIBA, the governing body of international basketball, to be allowed to switch countries and now considers it a dead issue. "They had a rule that we didn't know about when I played with Team Jamaica that I can't play for Team USA again," Hibbert said. "We had international lawyers looking at it and they say it's very doubtful If I knew that two years ago, I wouldn't have played for Team Jamaica, but whoever thought Dwight Howard and LaMarcus Aldridge would be hurt at my position?" Hibbert figures his days of playing for Jamaica are over because he'd rather work individually on his game during summers. Or, in the case of last summer, work with guys like San Antonio legend Tim Duncan. "More than just basketball stuff, we sat down and talked and I saw how he goes about his business and his calm demeanor," Hibbert said of what he learned from Duncan. "He doesn't get too high or get too low. So I model my game after him. He's texted me after every game. I'm appreciate, and he's somebody that looks out for me." No word on whether Hibbert has received any texts lately from Alexander, Randolph, Lopez or Speights. Chris Tomasson can be reached at christomasson@hotmail.com or on Twitter@christomasson
• Roy Hibbert leading Pacers under the radar May 18, 2012
  Four names are read to Roy Hibbert: Joe Alexander, Anthony Randolph, Robin Lopez, Marreese Speights. "Those are the guys, yeah," Hibbert said. If the Indiana center ever needs motivation, all he needs to do is look at a list of players taken ahead of him in the 2008 NBA draft. There were 16 guys selected before Hibbert went No. 17 to Toronto and soon was traded to the Pacers in a deal in which Jermaine O'Neal went to the Raptors. Alexander, Randolph, Lopez and Speights were just some of the 2008 selections made before Hibbert went that teams no doubt regret to this day. The names do nothing but fuel Hibbert to get better. "I always thought I was overlooked because I was a four-year guy," said Hibbert, a Georgetown graduate who stuck around until he was a senior, a rarity these days for a first-round pick. "My whole motto was work, work, work, and fortunately for me it paid off I may have slipped in the draft but I'm having the last laugh now." Hibbert sure is. On Thursday night, he scored 19 points, grabbed a career-high 18 rebounds and blocked five shots to lead the Pacers to a 94-75 win over Miami and a 2-1 lead in an East semifinal. It was yet another step in the development of the 7-foot-2 Hibbert. He's slowly gotten better each season, and last February played in his first All-Star Game. Now, he's starring in the playoffs. But the modest Hibbert hardly is getting a big head. He had to be told he had scored his most points ever in a playoff game. "They said I had 19 points," said Hibbert, averaging 12.4 points, 11.8 rebounds and 3.5 blocks in the playoffs, including 14.7, 13.3 and 3.0 in the three games against the Heat. "I seriously can't remember all of them because I was more focused on the defense and they just seemed to come. My teammates found me." As for the rebounds and the blocked shots, those mean more to Hibbert. This guy just loves playing defense. "I was never thinking All-Star," Hibbert said of whether he reached a goal by playing in that game last February in Orlando. "I wanted to be on the All-Defensive team." When Hibbert was drafted, though, that honor looked unlikely to many. Hibbert was seen by many as a long-term project when nice words were used and as a stiff when they weren't. Of course, all that did was motivate him even more. "When I was a rookie, they saw me as a backup and I'd never amount to much as the 17th pick," Hibbert said of his critics. "When I made the All-Star Game, they said I was the first All-Star not to play in the rookie game (taking into consideration players who entered the NBA since 1993-94, when the game began). That's a tribute to my hard work, so I'm going to keep working." With all of that in mind, when free agency comes around this summer, Hibbert hardly will get the same treatment he got on draft night. As a restricted free agent, he's expected to command a contract that could be in the range of the maximum. Hibbert, whose averages of 12.8 points and 9.8 rebounds this season have steadily risen since he put up 7.1 and 3.5 as a rookie, sure sounds as if he wants to return to Indiana. But even if another team throws down a huge offer sheet, the Pacers would have the option to match it. "I love Indiana," Hibbert said when asked about his free agency. "They took a chance on me when they traded Jermaine O'Neal and a couple of other guys to get me with the 17th pick. This is the place that I feel I'm very loyal to." So, unless something strange happens, figure on Hibbert being back with the Pacers. For now, though, there's plenty of important immediate things to worry about for Hibbert and Indiana, which is in the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2005. When Heat big man Chris Bosh went down in Game 1 due to an abdominal strain, the thinking by many was Hibbert would be dominant in Game 2 against a Miami team left without much of an inside game. While Hibbert had a modest eight points and 11 rebounds in that game, he sure took charge in Game 3. "He's cleaning the glass," said Heat forward LeBron James. "He had a big night. Big guy He definitely made a big impact in the game." James doesn't recall anything too specific about three months ago being Hibbert's All-Star teammate, saying he was "very quiet." But don't think Hibbert wasn't trying to soak in everything he could that weekend, when he totaled just three points and three rebounds in the game. "When he came back from the All-Star Game, Roy was telling me how he would watch the guys who had been there, the older guys who had been around for multiple All-Star Games," said Pacers forward Lou Amundson. "He wanted to see how they approached it He was trying to get any information he could to get an edge." Figure on Hibbert, 25, showing up for plenty more All-Star Games. For starters, there just aren't many centers these days. After Orlando's Dwight Howard and the Lakers' Andrew Bynum, Hibbert has a chance to eventually contend for being the third-best pivot man in the league. Heat big man Udonis Haslem doesn't disagree, saying, "he could work himself into that" spot. But rather than compare Hibbert to any current NBA centers, perhaps it's better to look to the past. In this era of so few big men who want to play with their backs to the basket, Hibbert is a throwback. He had no problem with the comparison when it was suggested he's a bit Nate Thurmond-like. "Everybody wants to be guards now, everybody wants to bring the ball up the court, everybody wants to take long jump shots," Hibbert said of today's players. "If they want to do that, that's fine. That makes things easier for me I'm an old-school guy. Certain guys want to shoot, I'm more jump hooks in the paint." It sure helped Hibbert's fundamentals that he spent four years at Georgetown, where Hibbert said he learned a work ethic. Hibbert admits that after he grew to his current height as a sophomore in high school he "didn't really put the effort in." Playing for Maryland's Georgetown Prep, Hibbert usually went against centers in his league nearly a foot shorter, and that didn't help him develop needed skills. Hibbert also didn't keep his body in shape. When he was at Georgetown, he said he was nicknamed "BMW" for "Body Made Wrong." Now, Hibbert is a rock-solid 275 pounds. He has hired a chef so that he eats properly, and he brings a big bag on the road that contains all the various nutritional supplements he takes. Hibbert could have left after taking Georgetown to the Final Four as a junior in 2007 and perhaps been a higher pick, but he didn't feel he was ready. So he stuck around to earn his degree in government and hone his skills. "He's got some size and some talent but his desire to improve himself is probably his greatest attribute," said Pacers coach Frank Vogel, an assistant when Hibbert joined the Pacers. "He works harder on his body probably than any player that I've been around in terms of understanding what he needs to do He's got a will and a desire to improve that most players I've been around don't have." Vogel believes Hibbert could be getting "20 and 10 if he was on another team," but said he sacrifices stats because the Pacers are so team oriented. But Vogel had no problem with 19 and 18 on Thursday. "That's one of the best games I've ever seen him play," Vogel said. The way Hibbert played against the Heat, he sure would look good in red, white and blue. But Hibbert said he's doesn't ever expect to be with Team USA because he played in a qualifying tournament in 2010 for Jamaica, the nation where his father was born. After Howard and Portland big man LaMarcus Aldridge were knocked out of Olympic consideration due to recent injuries, there were some feelers from USA Basketball about Hibbert possibly being named to the Olympic pool. But Hibbert said he was unsuccessful in dealings with FIBA, the governing body of international basketball, to be allowed to switch countries and now considers it a dead issue. "They had a rule that we didn't know about when I played with Team Jamaica that I can't play for Team USA again," Hibbert said. "We had international lawyers looking at it and they say it's very doubtful If I knew that two years ago, I wouldn't have played for Team Jamaica, but whoever thought Dwight Howard and LaMarcus Aldridge would be hurt at my position?" Hibbert figures his days of playing for Jamaica are over because he'd rather work individually on his game during summers. Or, in the case of last summer, work with guys like San Antonio legend Tim Duncan. "More than just basketball stuff, we sat down and talked and I saw how he goes about his business and his calm demeanor," Hibbert said of what he learned from Duncan. "He doesn't get too high or get too low. So I model my game after him. He's texted me after every game. I'm appreciate, and he's somebody that looks out for me." No word on whether Hibbert has received any texts lately from Alexander, Randolph, Lopez or Speights. Chris Tomasson can be reached at christomasson@hotmail.com or on Twitter@christomasson
• Stephenson gives LeBron the choke signal after missed FT May 18, 2012
  When I first heard about this I was like, 'Wait when did the Pacers get (LeBron nemesis) DeShawn Stevenson?' Pacers benchwarmer Lance Stephenson pulled the choke move after a LeBron missed free throw on a Danny Granger technical foul. Now if some scrub did this to Michael Jordan, he'd drop 50 on them the next game, all the while pointing at the opposing bench after each bucket. KG would put up 30 and 15. As for LeBron? Well he's no MJ (or KG for that matter). Video after the jump. Credit Larry Brown Sports
• Heat disappear in 2nd half, lose big to Pacers May 18, 2012
  INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Roy Hibbert had 19 points and 18 rebounds, George Hill scored 20 and Danny Granger 17 as the Indiana Pacers, showing more balance, toughness and togetherness than Miami, throttled the Heat 94-75 on Thursday night in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. Overlooked during the regular season and given little chance to upset the reigning East champions, the Pacers took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. Game 4 is Sunday at raucous Bankers Life Fieldhouse. LeBron James scored 22 -- 16 in the first half before wearing down -- and Mario Chalmers added 25 for Miami. However, Dwyane Wade scored only 5 on 2-of-13 shooting for the Heat, already missing forward Chris Bosh because of a strained abdominal muscle and not expected to return for this series. Indiana outscored Miami 51-32 in the second half, when the Pacers could do no wrong. They made big shots, challenged everything the Heat tossed in the air and didn't back down from a Miami team that appeared poised to make an easy run to the NBA finals after top-seeded Chicago lost Derrick Rose and was eliminated in the first round. The Pacers, though, have other plans. In the second half, Indiana forward David West flung James to the floor in the lane, and Granger later got in the superstar's face after a foul on a breakaway. After winning Game 2 in South Florida by three points, the Pacers wanted to show they're for real. Believe it. They're two wins from tilting the balance of power in the East. With his team down 20 in the closing minutes, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra waved the white flag and pulled out first Wade, then James, who quickly removed his headband as he got to the bench and then pulled out the mouthpiece inscripted with XVI -- the Roman numeral for 16 -- or the number of wins it takes to get a championship. When the final horn sounded, the three-time MVP quickly exited the floor. Indiana busted open a grind-it-out game with a 17-3 run in the third quarter, doing it with an inside-outside attack that had the Heat wondering what was coming next. Pushed by a rocking home crowd wearing "Gold Swagger" T-shirts and chanting "Beat The Heat" every chance they could, the Pacers pushed their lead to 69-55 after three and then held off one brief run by the Heat in the fourth quarter. Behind Miami's bench, owner Micky Arison and team president Pat Riley stared in disbelief. Despite playing almost 21 minutes and exerting himself on defense, James had enough energy to throw down a vicious left-handed dunk in the final minute of the first half, pulling the Heat even at 43-all. He looked back at the Miami bench as if to say, "How about a little help out here?" He was doing it all. Wade, on the other hand, was lost. He missed all five field-goal attempts, made two turnovers and ran around like a first-time rookie and not a superstar playing in his 95th career postseason game. He also appeared to be involved in a heated argument with Spoelstra during a third-quarter timeout. Wade finally made his first field goal with 10:22 left in the third to put Miami up 47-45, but the Pacers went on a 10-1 run with Granger dropping a 3-pointer in front of the Heat bench to make it 55-48 and then playfully skipping down the sideline as Miami called a timeout. With Bosh out, rehabbing in Florida and doubtful to be back at any point in this series, Spoelstra said "everything is out on the table. Everyone has to be ready." He wasn't kidding. Spoelstra made a dramatic change to his starting lineup, putting Shane Battier at power forward and using bench-riding center Dexter Pittman in place of Udonis Haslem and Ronny Turiaf in the first five along with James, Wade and Chalmers -- a group he played together for just nine minutes during the regular season. The moves smelled of desperation and maybe Spoelstra sensed his team was in more trouble than he wanted to admit. And when the Pacers jumped to an 11-2 lead, amping up an already frenzied Indiana crowd, it appeared Miami was indeed in danger of dropping a second straight game. However, with James leading the charge, the Heat responded by closing the first quarter on a 24-6 tear. Chalmers dropped in three soft runners during the spurt and James drilled a 3-pointer -- only Miami's second make from long range in 24 tries in three games -- and scored two straight layups as the Heat ended the period with nine consecutive points. Both James and Wade were relaxed following the Heat's morning shootatound. There wasn't a hint of panic in either of their voices and they exuded been-here-done-that attitudes. James downplayed the idea that he and his teammates would need to maintain some kind of "edge" to be best prepared for a pivotal Game 3 many felt would tilt the series. "It's the postseason," said James, playing in his 100th postseason game. "There's no secrets about an edge or not having an edge. It's the postseason. You have to be ready and approach every possession as if it's the last. I'm always going to have an edge, so that's not going to change." Well, things have changed. NOTES: James watched the Lakers-Thunder game on Wednesday night and had empathy for the way Los Angeles lost Game 2 with Steve Blake missing an open 3-pointer from the corner in the final seconds, giving Oklahoma City the win. "I thought it was a great play, you know my answer," James said of Blake's attempt. "The person that should be very happy is Russell (Westbrook). He got caught peeking in the paint and left a very good shooter open. Those are the same shots Derek Fisher has hit multiple times for the Lakers. If Steve Blake makes that shot, it's a whole different story line." ... Former Pacers center Rik Smits attended the game and got a huge cheer when he was shown on the scoreboard.

• Wade Loses Cool in Heat's 94-75 Loss to Pacers May 18, 2012
  Dwyane Wade lashed out in frustration during the worst playoff game of his career.
• Pacers Give Heat 'Butt-Kicking', Spurs Clip LA May 18, 2012
  The Indiana Pacers, showing the poise and determination Miami was supposed to have, routed the cold shooting Heat 94-75 on Thursday to take a surprising 2-1 lead in their best-of-seven Eastern Conference semi-final series.
• Pacers Pound Heat, 94-75, in Game 3 May 17, 2012
  The Pacers’ Roy Hibbert had 19 points and 18 rebounds while Dwyane Wade scored only 5 on 2-of-13 shooting for the Heat, as Indiana took a 2-1 lead in the series.
• Pacers Take Fire Out of Heat for Big Win May 17, 2012
  The surprising Indiana Pacers held Dwyane Wade to five points and shocked the cold shooting Miami Heat 94-75 to take a 2-1 lead in their best-of-seven Eastern Conference semi-final series on Thursday.
• The Heat Is Off May 16, 2012
  Who knew that Chris Bosh was so essential to Miami’s game? And who knew the Kings were this good? As for the Spurs—everyone was reminded on Tuesday of just how efficient they are.