Darren Collison couldn't be stopped.
The Indiana Pacers point guard had Jameer Nelson on skates as he drove. The Orlando Magic big men didn't step up quickly enough to stop Collison's drives to the basket. Collison spotted up and knocked down 3-pointers.
The only person who could stop Collison stands 6-2, weighs only 180 pounds and is his teammate.
Collison, the best player on the court at the time, headed to the bench during a timeout in the fourth quarter when George Hill met him head-on.
Hill, fresh off cheerleading from the bench, ran up and gave his teammate a chest bump in excitement.
That play symbolizes the Pacers.
A fraternity. Brotherhood. A bond.
A word you won't find in the vocabulary of any of the 14 players on the roster is "selfish."
The Pacers used that camaraderie to carry them all season, and that's why they're headed to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2005.
The Pacers wrapped up their series against the Magic by winning 105-87 on Tuesday night in front of a sold-out Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
"Our relationship amongst each other has grown every single day," Collison said. "I think it really started from day one of training camp when we saw how good we could become down the stretch and throughout the season. I can't be any prouder of my teammates about their chemistry."
Collison came off the bench to score 15 of his 19 points on 7-of-7 shooting in the fourth quarter to help the Pacers avoid going back to Orlando for a Game 6.
"We don't feel like we're a one-dimensional team," Hill said. "We've got a number of different options. D.C. did a great job putting us over the hump. We needed that. We were all enthusiastic over how he was playing."
The Pacers aren't a team of flash. Pacers President Larry Bird didn't build it that way.
While marquee free agents flock to New York and Miami, Bird built the team brick by brick through the draft, wise free agent signings and trades that brought players such as Collison and Hill.
The ultimate goal was to get a group that would buy into the team concept.
Scoring averages took a back seat to victories. Who had the most assists didn't mean anything. Making the extra pass took precedence.
That's why the Pacers had seven players average between nine and 19 points during the regular season.
The Pacers will take their team-first mindset into the second round against (likely) the Miami Heat, who can wrap up their series against the New York Knicks with a victory tonight.
"We know a team can beat any crew of superstars," Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. "Any given night it can be a different guy on our team. We have a lot of talented guys that can come in and they all take pride in their individual performances. When you have guys like that, somebody different is going to step up every night. Tonight was D.C. for sure."
Collison could have sat on the bench and pouted like a 5-year-old. He started the first 56 games of the season in which the Pacers were 12 games over .500. But a groin injury sent Collison to the sideline, then to the bench once he was healthy because the Pacers had won seven straight with Hill as the starter.
Collison stayed professional, got used to playing with the second unit and has taken off. He had 11 points and nine assists in Game 4.
"Just from a competitive standpoint, you know you're a starter, and when you come off the bench, it's very difficult," Collison said. "Coming off the bench, you can't have a negative mindset. I'm just happy to have the opportunity to go out there and try to perform."
It was only fitting that Collison left the game to a standing ovation, which included Bird and owner Herb Simon, with 15.8 seconds on the clock and his teammates congratulating him enthusiastically.
You wouldn't expect anything less from a group of players that are truly a team.
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