``We thought we had the win" Ron Artest

["Stephen Beauregard" <sb@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

      Result upsets `favorites'

      by Sarah Meinecke
      Sunday, April 20, 2003








      INDIANAPOLIS - Just two days before Indiana faced off against the
Celtics in the first round of the NBA playoffs, the Pacers players felt they
were a solid favorite.




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      After Game 1, they were wondering what happened.

      ``We thought we had the win. Obviously it was a long game,'' Indiana
forward Ron Artest said after his club lost a 16-point lead and a 103-100
decision to the Celts. ``Tonight we learned a big lesson. We beat ourselves
tonight. There's no panic. There's always desperation, but there's no panic.
We shouldn't lose to any team. That's how we feel.''

      Indiana's Jermaine O'Neal said Thursday that the Pacers zone defense
would create problems for the Celtics, who rely heavily on 3-point shooting.

      Pacers forward Al Harrington added that because the C's relied mainly on
Antoine Walker and Paul Pierce for their offensive output Indiana could focus
on those two. If they did that and rebounded well, according to Harrington,
the matchup was going to go the Pacers' way.

      The Pacers did have a solid hold on the game and the C's dynamic duo for
three quarters but stumbled down the stretch. Pierce's 21 fourth-quarter
points sealed the Pacers' fate.

      Indiana guard Jamaal Tinsley didn't want to make any bold predictions
before the game, instead saying that the Pacers had to play hard and defend
their homecourt.

      That idea worked for the first three quarters yesterday, but in the
fourth quarter the Pacers lost their edge and in the process allowed the
homecourt advantage to slip away.

      ``I think sometimes you can get a little too comfortable,'' Indiana's
Reggie Miller said. ``They are never out of it because they can shoot the
ball. I think we need to recognize it better.''

      The Pacers had beaten the Celtics twice in Conseco Fieldhouse during the
regular season. Indiana averaged more than 105 points per game against the
Celtics at home, including a 102-72 rout in March.

      But that didn't help between the 3:28 and 1:46 mark of the fourth
quarter yesterday. Indiana went silent from the floor as the Celtics picked up
five points in just over a minute to get within three. Boston finished the
game by outscoring the Pacers 12-7.

      ``In practice (today), we're going to play hard and go over their plays
again,'' Tinsley said. ``Then (in Game 2 tomorrow) we are going to do the same
thing we did (yesterday), but keep the intensity up and try to avoid the
scoring droughts.''





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Thanks,

Steve
sb@maine.rr.com

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