Back on June 24, the day of the 2011 NBA Draft, Indiana Pacers fans were still more focused on the season just past and the Pacers' coaching situation than on the draft itself. After all, Indiana had made it back to the playoffs after a long dry spell, thanks in large part to interim head coach Frank Vogel, whose future with the team was uncertain. The Pacers also were slated to pick 15th, which is hardly reason for excitement. Luckily for us, team president Larry Bird stepped in to liven up draft day by trading the Pacers' first-round pick, Kawhi Leonard, to the San Antonio Spurs for Indianapolis native George Hill. I was thrilled to see the popular Hill come home, and most fans around central Indiana seemed to share my enthusiasm, judging by the volume of Hill conversation on local sports radio. Now, although Hill has had a slow start to his Pacers career, he gave us all some Blue and Gold goosebumps on January 20 when his last-second heroics helped Indiana defeat the Golden State Warriors in Oakland by a score of 94-91.
After a seesaw game and a miniature fourth-quarter collapse, the Pacers found themselves tied with the Warriors as time ran down, staring down the barrel of a loaded Monta Ellis. Ellis went off for 25 points against Hill, but those final few seconds devolved into a blur that saw Hill shed his "every man" cloak and emerge as a hero for the night. As Ellis was moving into position to drain the winning shot, Hill stole the ball and ran the length of the court for a layup and a converted free throw that provided the Pacers with their final margin of victory. Although, as replays showed, Hill actually got a foot on the ball rather than pulling off a clean heist, he still maintained his composure and made the plays needed to secure a win. It seems that scrapping is still alive for the Pacers.
Of course, Hill didn't win this game on his own, and may even have been a big reason that the Pacers were in line to lose it in the first place. Danny Granger scored 26 points and Roy Hibbert picked up 16 rebounds, a career high. But Hill did score 14 of his own, and his is the lasting image from an exciting last-second victory that kept the Pacers on their upward trajectory.
Adam Hughes was raised, and still lives, in rural Indiana. He has been a Pacers fan since the early 1980s and has witnessed the rise and fall of a great NBA franchise. He follows the current club closely and is happy that the lockout ended so the Pacers can begin their next ascent.
Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.
No comments:
Post a Comment