{"id":393298,"date":"2011-04-23T22:53:18","date_gmt":"2011-04-23T22:53:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ghanamma.net\/2011\/04\/23\/pacers-hold-off-bulls-to-avoid-sweep-ap\/"},"modified":"2011-04-23T22:53:18","modified_gmt":"2011-04-23T22:53:18","slug":"pacers-hold-off-bulls-to-avoid-sweep-ap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/04\/23\/pacers-hold-off-bulls-to-avoid-sweep-ap\/","title":{"rendered":"Pacers hold off Bulls to avoid sweep (AP)"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

INDIANAPOLIS (AP)\u2014Chicago\u2019s fans traveled to Indiana by the thousands, planning to celebrate a first-round playoff sweep.<\/p>\n

The Pacers sent the red and black-clad swarm back home disappointed. After fourth-quarter collapses in each of the first three games, Indiana avoided elimination by holding off a furious rally to beat the Bulls 89-84 in Game 4 of the first-round Eastern Conference series on Saturday afternoon.<\/p>\n

The Pacers not only faced superstar guard Derrick Rose<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> and the pressure of a 3-0 deficit in the series, they dealt with an unexpected roadblock\u2014a hostile environment on its home floor at Conseco Fieldhouse. The crowd shocked Pacers center Jeff Foster<\/a>(notes)<\/a>,<\/span> who has played for the Pacers for his entire 12-year NBA career.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have seen every professional game in this arena, and I have never seen anything like that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The young Pacers maintained their composure.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve lost games like this recently where they have come back,\u201d Pacers interim coach Frank Vogel said. \u201cToday we grew, and we held them off.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Bulls still lead the series 3-1 and will have a chance to close it out at home Tuesday.<\/p>\n

Danny Granger<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> led the Pacers with 24 points, including four free throws in the final 14.1 seconds while being booed. He said the team remembered its earlier failures in the series.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe there were a few flashbacks,\u201d he said. \u201cMore importantly, I was just trying to get my team to calm down. We lost our poise those last two or three minutes and I was just trying to get them calmed down a little bit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chicago\u2019s Carlos Boozer<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> missed a 3-pointer that could have tied the game in the closing seconds. The Bulls were looking to set up Luol Deng<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> for the final shot.<\/p>\n

\u201cI caught the ball at the elbow and I was supposed to set a backscreen for Luol,\u201d Joakim Noah<\/a>(notes)<\/a>,<\/span> who led the Bulls with 21 points and 14 rebounds, said. \u201cThey played it well, they denied the dribble handoff. Really, it was a mental mistake. When you\u2019re in that position, you\u2019ve got to call timeout, so we learn from it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Pacers never trailed and broke through after losing the first three games by a combined 15 points. The Pacers squandered double-digit leads in the first two games and a five-point lead in the fourth quarter of Game 3.<\/p>\n

It was Indiana\u2019s first playoff win since 2006.<\/p>\n

Vogel had been disappointed that Indiana\u2019s efforts against the top seed in the East hadn\u2019t been rewarded with a win.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we deserve to be in the series,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m still upset that it\u2019s 1-3. We should be up in the series.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rose, who averaged 32.7 points in the first three games, finished with 15 points and 10 assists. He sprained his left ankle late in the first quarter and scored eight points on 3-for-16 shooting the rest of the way.<\/p>\n

\u201cA sprained ankle is going to slow you down a little bit, but all of my shots were on line,\u201d he said. \u201cThey were just short. No excuses. It\u2019s the playoffs. I\u2019ve sprained my ankle many times, you\u2019ve just got to make shots.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chicago trailed 84-71 with 2:17 remaining before making a final rally.<\/p>\n

A three-point play by Deng cut Indiana\u2019s lead to 84-77 with 1:36 to go. A goaltending call against Roy Hibbert<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> on a shot by Boozer sliced the deficit to 84-79 with 46.5 seconds remaining, and a steal and dunk by Rose pulled the Bulls within 84-81.<\/p>\n

Mike Dunleavy<\/a> hit the second of two free throws with 17.9 seconds left to make it 85-81.<\/p>\n

Noah made a layup with 15.3 seconds remaining, and Foster fouled him while trying to take a charge. Noah made the free throw to cut Indiana\u2019s lead to 85-84.<\/p>\n

The Pacers barely got the ball inbounds, but Granger was fouled with 14.1 seconds left. Through a booing crowd on his home court, Granger made both free throws to make it 87-84.<\/p>\n

Boozer\u2019s 3-point try from the left corner was short, and Granger rebounded. Granger made two free throws with a second remaining to close the deal.<\/p>\n

The Bulls shot just 38 percent.<\/p>\n

Rose came up hobbling after going for a layup against Darren Collison<\/a>(notes)<\/a>.<\/span> Rose went to the locker room briefly before returning to the bench. He re-entered the game with 10:29 left in the second quarter.<\/p>\n

Indiana closed the first half on a 17-3 run to take a 49-33 lead at the break. Ten different Pacers scored before halftime.<\/p>\n

Early in the third quarter, Hibbert blocked Rose on a layup attempt. Granger collected the rebound then dribbled nearly the length of the floor for a layup to give the Pacers a 55-37 lead.<\/p>\n

Things nearly fell apart for Indiana again, but the Pacers had just enough.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe mentality is play it like it\u2019s the last game you ever play in your life,\u201d Granger said. \u201cWe played like that tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Bulls now have to regroup for the first time this postseason.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a tough loss,\u201d Noah said. \u201cWe didn\u2019t play well in the first half, so we definitely have to do a better job with that, and I think we\u2019re a team that deals with adversity pretty well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Notes: The league upgraded two of Foster\u2019s hits from Thursday\u2019s game to flagrant 1 fouls. Pacers coach Frank Vogel said before the game he had no reaction to it. \u2026 All four games at Conseco Fieldhouse between the Bulls and Pacers this season were sellouts. The Pacers, including the playoffs, had only eight sellouts all year. \u2026 The Pacers wore gold uniforms instead of their usual home whites.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

Read More:
\nPacers hold off Bulls to avoid sweep (AP)<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

INDIANAPOLIS (AP)\u2014Chicago\u2019s fans traveled to Indiana by the thousands, planning to celebrate a first-round playoff sweep. The Pacers sent the red and black-clad swarm back home disappointed. 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