The Pacers allowed the Heat to hit 58.4% of their shots from the floor and that did them in.  The Pacers fell behind 85-70 after the first three quarters but they made it a game outscoring the Heat 31-19 in the 4th quarter.  The Pacers were without the 4 players they acquired in the trade with the Warriors so they were playing short last night.  That gave Danny Granger and Marquis Daniels a shot to prove themselves and they certainly achieved their goal.  Danny Granger led the way for the Pacers with 28 points and 5 rebounds.  Marquis Daniels got a rare start and he ran with it scoring 23 points and dishing out 5 assists.  Jermaine O’Neal also had a solid game with 17 points and 10 rebounds.

The Pacers fell to 20-19 on the season with this loss.  http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=270118014

This trade should help both teams.  Each team is getting players that better fit their style of play.  The Pacers traded Al Harrington, Stephen Jackson, Sarunas Jasikevicius and Josh Powell to the Warriors for Troy Murphy, Mike Dunleavy, Ike Diogu and Keith McLeod.  Troy Murphy is a good player that didn’t fit into the Warriors new running style.  He has played in 26 games this season and is averaging 25.7 minutes, 8.9 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game.  Murphy has shot the ball decent as he’s hitting 45% from the floor and 37.3% from 3-point range.  Look for Murphy’s numbers with the Pacers to be more like his career norms.  For his career, Murphy has played in 359 games and has averaged 28.2 minutes, 11.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists. 

Mike Dunleavy should be a good fit with the Indiana Pacers.  He has played in 39 games this season and he’s averaging 27.6 minutes, 11.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.0 steals.  For his career, Dunleavy has played in 356 games and has averaged 27.6 minutes, 10.6 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.5 assists.  He should benefit from the Pacers half-court style on offense.

Ike Diogu is the player that the Pacers really wanted in this trade.  He’s been injured most of the season, but he has the most athletic ability of any of the players in this trade.  He’s only played in 17 games this season and has averaged 13.1 minutes, 7.2 points and 3.7 rebounds.  He also is a good shooter for a big man as he’s nailed 53% of his shots from the floor and 79.5% from the free-throw line.  For his career, Diogu played in 86 games and has averaged 14.6 minutes, 7.1 points and 3.4 rebounds.  He has hit 52.5% of his shots from the floor in his career and 80.7% from the line.  The sky is the limit for Diogu.  The Pacers taking a chance on him reminds me of when they traded for Jermaine O’Neal and look how that worked out.

Keith McLeod was also brought in.  He will serve as Jamaal Tinsley’s backup.  He has played in 26 games and has averaged 14.6 minutes, 5.3 points, 0.8 rebounds and 1.7 assists.  He has been a poor shooter this season from the floor as he’s only hit 39% from the floor, but he’s hit 88.7% of his free-throws.  For his career, McLeod has played in 178 games in his career and has averaged 19.0 minutes, 5.7 points, 1.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists.

This trade looks good for both teams, but it could be a great one for the Pacers if Diogu plays like everyone thinks he can.

The Pacers were getting blasted 88-63 after three quarters before the backups played well in the 4th quarter.  Al Harrington led the way for the Pacers with 18 points and 9 rebounds.  Jermaine O’Neal also had a decent game with 14 points and 10 rebounds.  Little used Maceo Baston had a great game off the bench with 14 points and 8 rebounds in only 19 minutes on the court.

The Pacers fell to 20-18 on the season with this loss.  http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=270115017

The Pacers expected much more from Daniels when they traded for him.  They thought his athletic ability would convey into alot of points off the bench, but they’ve been wrong to this point of the season.  Daniels has played in 33 games and has averaged 15.5 minutes, 4.9 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game this season.  He also needs to improve his shot selection as he has hit 40% of his shots from the floor. 

The Pacers played their hearts out last night but it just wasn’t enough.  Jermaine O’Neal played a great game as he scored 26 points, grabbed 9 rebounds, dished out 5 assists and blocked 3 shots.  Stephen Jackson added 22 points.  Danny Granger had another great game off the bench with 22 points and 8 rebounds.

The Pacers fell to 20-17 with this loss.  http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=270112011