NEW YORK (AP) – Sa kanilang kinapos na kampanya upang makaabot sa NBA Finals noong nakaraang season, maliwanag na layon ng Indiana Pacers na makuha ang No. 1 seed sa Eastern Conference at ang homecourt advantage na kasama nito.
Kung maipagpapatuloy nila ang magandang umpisa, makukuha rin nila ang pinakamagandang rekord sa buong liga.
Umiskor si Paul George ng 24 puntos at iniangat ng Pacers ang tanging undefeated record ng NBA at pinakamagandang umpisa ng prangkisa sa 7-0 nang talunin ang Brooklyn Nets, 96-91 kahapon.
Nagdagdag si David West ng 18 puntos at naipasok ang mga free thrown na nagselyo sa panalo para sa Pacers, na naipanalo ang kanilang unang anim na laro noong 1970-71 nang sila ay naglalaro pa sa ABA. Sila ang may pinakamahabang winning streak na nagbukas sa NBA season mula nang magposte ng 8-0 ang Lakers at New Orleans noong 2010-11, ayon sa STATS.
‘’I really don’t get too caught up in the historical value of it, other than we’re ahead of the race,’’ pahayag ng coach ng
Pacers na si Frank Vogel said. ‘’We’re trying to get the 1 seed to put ourselves in the position come playoff time with the
best chance to come out of the East.’’
Nagtapos si Roy Hibbert na may 15 puntos at 11 rebounds, habang nakaiskor din si Lance Stephenson ng 15 puntos.
‘’We executed. That’s the maturity for this team,’’ ani George. ‘’Years ago we would have lost that game. We would have lost this game tonight just on not making shots and not executing and getting guys in spots to be aggressive at. But we’re growing as a team. We’re getting mature and we’re finding ways to win games.’’
Kapwa nagtala sina Deron Williams at Joe Johnson ng tig-17 puntos para sa Nets, na nalaglag sa 2-4 at natalo sa kanilang bakuran sa unang pagkakataon ngayong season. Nagposte si Brook Lopez ng 16 puntos habang 15 puntos naman para kay Paul Pierce.
‘’We’re just learning to play together. We didn’t have everybody healthy for training camp and we’re all coming together and trying to win a championship and it doesn’t happen overnight,’’ saad ni Williams na nagdagdag ng 10 assists ngunit nagkamit ng isang turnover kasunod ang isang “stupid foul” sa 3-point attempt ni George Hill sa stretch.
‘’We’re not panicking, we know it’s going to come together, we’re confident that we can overcome these little struggles and we’re going to stay together no matter what’s happening on the outside.’’
Sinabi ni Vogel na naging prayoridad ng Pacers na manalo sa East matapos matalo sa Game 7 ng East finals sa Miami.
‘’We’re just going out, playing the game,’’ sabi ni George. ‘’We feel very prepped for the game. Everybody is dialed in. We’re not worried about keeping the streak alive, we’re just worried about going out there and playing our hardest and winning a ballgame.’’
Tinalo ng Indiana ang Chicago at Brooklyn, dalawa sa top teams sa East, ngayong linggo. Ibinalik ng Pacers ang kanilang starting five at mas pinalakas ang kanilang bench.
‘’Can’t take nothing away from Indiana. They’re a pretty good team right now and we’re still a team that’s kind of learning on the fly in game-time situations,’’ saad ni Johnson.
Naglaro ang Nets na wala ang reserve na si Andrei Kirilenko na patuloy na binabagabag ng back spasms ngayong season.
Resulta ng ibang laro:
Toronto 115, Utah 91
Atlanta 104, Orlando 94
Cleveland 127, Philadelphia 125 (OT)
Boston 111, Miami 110
LA Clippers 107, Houston 94
Memphis 108, Golden State 90
Dallas 91, Milwaukee 83
Portland 96, Sacramento 85
.. Continue: Balita.net.ph (source)
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