Indiana Pacers star Danny Granger: Larry Bird was right, we played soft – NBA ... - bettor.com (blog)

Indiana Pacers star Danny Granger: Larry Bird was right, we played soft â€" NBA Update

The Indiana Pacers lost to the Miami Heat in a blowout on Tuesday at the American Airlines Arena. The defeat put them down 3 â€" 2 in the Eastern Conference Semi Final series, but what would have hurt Indiana the most were comments made by the President of the franchise, Larry Bird.

Larry is not known to mince his words and wasn’t going to change that after the defeat. He went ahead right after the game and called his team out, saying they had turned “soft” and were not the team he had built.

Now Indiana forward Danny Granger has reacted to the comments, and accepted the charge made by Larry Bird.

"I agree with his assessment. We did play soft," Indiana's Danny Granger said Wednesday. "We got smacked around. We got beat up, we got bullied, and we really didn't respond well.

The game was a physical one, and Indiana are one of the most physical teams in the NBA. However, on Tuesday it was the Miami who did all the pounding, and even committed two flagrant fouls, one by Udonis Haslem and then a particularly nasty one by Dexter Pittman.

Larry Bird is an NBA legend and as a player for the Boston Celtics was known for his toughness and physicality, along with the tremendous talent he possessed. It was no surprise then that Bird didn’t like his team being bullied.

"I've been with Larry since I've been in Indiana for seven years," Granger added. "He's not been one to hold his tongue, and 99 percent of the time what he's saying is right. I think he just called out what everyone else saw. We played a soft game. We didn't play with the playoff intensity that we needed to win."

Larry comments have to be considered a double edged sword, because apart from criticizing his team they are also directed to motivate them. Granger’s response indicates that it has had the desired effect and Indiana can be expected to play an extremely physical game in the next encounter.

Granger’s participation in the fixture is still in doubt though. The forward limped out of the last game with an ankle injury, but he is confident he will be able to participate in game 6.

"In my mind, I'm going to play" Granger said. "Elimination game, I have to play."