With a Shot to Even Series, Pacers Instead Draw Blanks

The clank around Conseco Fieldhouse was not what the Indiana Pacers or their fans wanted to hear at the end of Game 4 of the NBA finals Wednesday night.

It was an ugly sound that may signal the end of a gutsy season for the Pacers and Reggie Miller can only wish that he had another chance.

“It felt good,” Miller said about the shot he missed at the end of overtime to give the Lakers a 120-118 victory to take a 3-1 lead in the series. “I think what distracted me was [Laker forward] Robert Horry running out at me. . . . I should have shot it longer because I had to shoot it high to get it over him.”

The Pacers definitely had their opportunities to pull even in the best-of-seven series. But in the end, it came down to Miller’s three-point attempt which hit the front of the rim and bounced high in the air. When it came down, Indiana found itself in a deep whole.

“We had plenty of time to get a good look at the basket but we wanted to get the ball in Reggie’s hands at the time,” Indiana Coach Larry Bird said about the Pacers’ final possession.

“I thought we did a good job of doing that, just that we didn’t get a piece of the defender and get the time to get the shot up. It was a rushed shot. If we had the three, we were going to take it. If it was a two, we would have took that.

“We shot the ball extremely well tonight from the field, from the three-point line, the free throw line, it’s very disappointing to lose a game when you shoot that well.”

In a must-win game, Indiana had almost everything working Wednesday.

The Pacers, who shot 50% from the field and made 10 of 19 three-pointers, received 24 points from center Rik Smits, who made 11 of 14 shots after being a no-show the first three games of the series.

Indiana’s bench also came through in a big way by combining for 34 points and 18 rebounds. Austin Croshere led the way with 10 points and seven rebounds.

But what hurt the Pacers was that only one of their two go-to guys found his rhythm. Jalen Rose, who along with Miller have carried the Pacers’ offense this season, had a horrible shooting night. He missed 11 of 16 shots and finished with 14 points.

“It’s a tough game to lose because both teams actually played well,” Rose said about the Pacers, who missed four of their last six shots in regulation, including a jumper by Travis Best with 2.3 seconds left. “We shoot 50% from the field and they shoot 51%. The game goes into overtime. . . . If you’re a fan, it’s a great game, but it’s definitely a tough loss to take.”

What also hurt the Pacers was their inability to slow down the Lakers’ one-two punch of Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant, plus the all-around play of Horry.

Although Smits had a solid game, he couldn’t match O’Neal, who had another dominating game with 36 points and 21 rebounds. And when O’Neal fouled out early in overtime, Bryant took over by scoring eight of his 28 points in the extra period.

“They made plays, give them credit,” Indiana point guard Mark Jackson said. “We realize they had some guys capable of doing the job when Shaq went out. . . . We knew our job wasn’t over.”

Because O’Neal was in foul trouble much of the game and picked up his fifth foul with 7:32 remaining in regulation, Indiana fell short in making it tough on the Laker center.

Instead of driving to the basket in an attempt to draw O’Neal into his sixth foul, the Pacers seemed to settle for perimeter shots.

“That should have been the game plan,” Mark Jackson said. “I don’t know if we made enough of a conscious effort as we should have to attack him. We pretty much let him off the hook. He should have been out of the game a long time before he finally fouled out.”

With only a day rest before Game 5, the Pacers tried to talk positive about their chances of defeating the Lakers three games in a row. But not really.

“We’re not out of it, we still have a game to play on Friday,” forward Derrick McKey said.

“It’s not over until they put the trophy up.”