Indiana had to go through some rough places this week, going against teams like Lakers, Bulls, Magic (twice), and Celtics. The finish? 3-2. Not bad. And they capped off tonight spectacular, improving to 13-6 on the season with a 106-85 beating in Orlando.
Granger had 24 points on undoubtedly his best game of the season so far. Indiana snapped a six-game losing-streak to the Magic, including getting revenge after the 102-83 loss a few days ago in Conseco Fieldhouse. Indiana also avoided losing consecutive games.
"We do react well to adversity," Granger said. "I think that's a sign of a really good team. We've said after every loss we've had, 'We don't want to lose two in a row.' And we haven't yet."
Indiana was leading strong, with a 41-29 lead in the second quarter. But Orlando went on a run, later leading at the end of halftime. However, in the second half, the Pacers took control and it seemed as if it was all but over when Tyler Hansbrough got the huge buzzer-beating put-back shot at the end of the third. Indiana was too good and energized to get beat.
Despite Dwight Howard's 24-point, 13-rebound performance, Indiana took control. After seeing George Hill's struggles throughout the season, many questioned if it was worth trading for him and giving up Kawhi Leonard. But today, he turned out as the MVP, getting big turnovers and ending up with 16 points off the bench. He finally came through. David West also had 16 points and played solid, too. There was also Darren Collison, who had a double-double with eleven points and ten assists, finally evolving into a solid point guard now.
Everything was just clicking for Indy. Indiana has just been playing solid and they are growing, with stronger mental toughness and being able to carry it out towards the end of games.
"I think it's improved since last year," he said. "I think the playoffs helped us and it carried over for this season."
This was a huge bounce-back victory after their nightmare 94-87 loss in Boston on Friday night. The Pacers have looked all but good so far this season, with an improved record of 8-5 on the road, much better than the past few years at this point.
"It is a lot of fun to win and be one of the top teams right now," Granger said. "We are playing together and that is the biggest thing. We have so much talent now. We are in position to really contend for the East."
Indiana will play New Jersey next on Tuesday night, as they will rock the ABA uniforms from the 1971-74 seasons.
Awesome win.
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