{"id":392147,"date":"2011-04-23T12:13:23","date_gmt":"2011-04-23T12:13:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ghanamma.net\/2011\/04\/23\/bulls-on-verge-of-sweeping-plucky-pacers-ap\/"},"modified":"2011-04-23T12:13:23","modified_gmt":"2011-04-23T12:13:23","slug":"bulls-on-verge-of-sweeping-plucky-pacers-ap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/04\/23\/bulls-on-verge-of-sweeping-plucky-pacers-ap\/","title":{"rendered":"Bulls on verge of sweeping plucky Pacers (AP)"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

INDIANAPOLIS (AP)\u2014The Chicago Bulls<\/a> are on the verge of sweeping the Indiana Pacers<\/a>, even though they haven\u2019t looked all that dominant.<\/p>\n

The Bulls have won the first three hard-fought games by a combined 15 points, wrapping things up in the final moments each time. The Bulls could end the series Saturday at Conseco Fieldhouse and rest up for the second round.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been a frustrating run for the scrappy Pacers. Indiana lost double-digit leads in the first two games, then squandered a five-point advantage in the fourth quarter Thursday before losing 88-84 after a late layup by Derrick Rose<\/a>(notes)<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI felt like it was right there, but it just didn\u2019t happen,\u201d Pacers guard Darren Collison<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> said. \u201cIt\u2019s kind of tough, this happening three games in a row.\u201d<\/p>\n

Indiana now wants to salvage its pride.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need at least one win in this to be respectable and build on it,\u201d Pacers forward Danny Granger<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> said.<\/p>\n

Rose said it\u2019s good that the Bulls have had to fight through challenges in each game.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re pretty good,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019ve been winning games and we didn\u2019t even play our best basketball yet. We\u2019ve been finding ways to win. I think these games are going to help us in the long run.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rose averaged 37.5 points in the first two games of the series, but he was held to 23 points on 4-for-18 shooting in Game 3 as Paul George<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> and Dahntay Jones<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> brought a physical edge to the Pacers\u2019 trapping defense.<\/p>\n

Rose said Jones made his job much more difficult.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt changed the game,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s what we don\u2019t want to happen\u2014 guys coming off the bench to change the whole game, and that\u2019s what he did.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the third quarter of Game 3, Rose drove to the hoop, and Indiana center Jeff Foster<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> caught him with an elbow to the head that knocked him off balance. He took exception, and the two had to be separated.<\/p>\n

Pacers interim coach Frank Vogel said it was just a hard foul.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think he just plays hard,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t think it was just one play. He hits people on every play.\u201d<\/p>\n

The league has since upgraded two of Foster\u2019s hits from Thursday\u2019s game to flagrant 1 fouls. Rose expects more of the same treatment on Saturday.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s basketball,\u201d he said. \u201cYou\u2019re going to get hit. You\u2019ve just got to be prepared for it. They\u2019re trying to play a rough game. If anything, I\u2019m used to it. My teammates have got my back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rose said Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau has kept the team focused on basketball and not the hits.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s been doing a good job making sure we don\u2019t do anything foolish out there, saying we\u2019re going to pay them back by making the free throws,\u201d Rose said. \u201cWe\u2019re trying to do something special, and that something special is bigger than any technical foul.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bulls center Joakim Noah<\/a>(notes)<\/a>,<\/span> who had 11 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks in Game 3, said the Pacers are running out of answers.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a reason they\u2019re playing like that,\u201d he said. \u201cThey\u2019ve got to do something.\u201d<\/p>\n

Noah said he hopes the Pacers don\u2019t change their physical approach.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s good,\u201d he said. \u201cIt gets us going. They should keep doing that.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Pacers have had no answer for Kyle Korver<\/a>(notes)<\/a>.<\/span> The veteran shooter has drained 7 of 8 3-pointers in the series and made critical long-range shots in all three games. He scored 10 points in the final quarter of Game 3, and played a role in Rose\u2019s crucial late layup.<\/p>\n

\u201cKorver killed us in the fourth,\u201d Vogel said. \u201cHe even killed us on that last play when we couldn\u2019t leave him to help.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rose said he trusts Korver, who was signed from Utah before the season along with Carlos Boozer<\/a>(notes)<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s knocking down shots,\u201d Rose said. \u201cIf he\u2019s open, we don\u2019t care how far away he is from the basket, we tell him to shoot. His chances are better than ours.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Chicago has been strong in the fourth quarter throughout the series, the Pacers have fallen apart at winning time. Granger, who leads the Pacers with 21.3 points per game in the series, said the team\u2019s failure to execute late in Game 3 is another example of youth becoming an issue at the worst possible time.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is part of lack of ball movement and inexperience,\u201d he said. \u201cWe didn\u2019t have that many good looks and we didn\u2019t hit very many.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chicago\u2019s defense also hounded the Pacers, holding them to 38 percent shooting in Game 3. The Pacers made just 8 of 23 shots in the fourth quarter.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would put it on defense,\u201d Vogel said. \u201cOur guys are a good offensive team. They (the Bulls) just step up and make big plays.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vogel was pleased with the way his team played in Game 3, but disappointed that there was no tangible reward.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe competed at a high level and deserved to win,\u201d he said. \u201cI know close doesn\u2019t count, but our guys fought.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thibodeau said he expects the Bulls to be prepared on Saturday.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we have a tough, hard-nosed team,\u201d he said. \u201cWe know that we still have a long way to go.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

View article:
\nBulls on verge of sweeping plucky Pacers (AP)<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

INDIANAPOLIS (AP)\u2014The Chicago Bulls are on the verge of sweeping the Indiana Pacers , even though they haven\u2019t looked all that dominant. The Bulls have won the first three hard-fought games by a combined 15 points, wrapping things up in the final moments each time. The Bulls could end the series Saturday at Conseco Fieldhouse and rest up for the second round. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-392147","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard"],"yoast_head":"\nBulls on verge of sweeping plucky Pacers (AP) - Ghanamma.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/04\/23\/bulls-on-verge-of-sweeping-plucky-pacers-ap\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Bulls on verge of sweeping plucky Pacers (AP) - Ghanamma.com\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"INDIANAPOLIS (AP)\u2014The Chicago Bulls are on the verge of sweeping the Indiana Pacers , even though they haven\u2019t looked all that dominant. 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