On Bright Side, Lakers Leave Indianapolis Behind

Calling down the thunder one last time . . .

The Lakers bid a fond farewell to Conseco Fieldhouse, where they mailed it in in yet another elimination game Friday night and saw the barrel roof fall in on them yet again. For the season, that’s four games at Conseco, of which they won one, which they hope will be just enough.

Of course, the Indiana Pacers still have hopes of their own. Having put off the Lakers’ celebration for the weekend, they’d like to cancel it altogether.

“Some of the guys made that comment [they didn’t want the Lakers celebrating in Conseco], which I saw,” said Pacer guard Mark Jackson, “but I can’t agree with that.

“I totally disagree. It’s important for us not to allow them to celebrate winning a championship, no matter where they do it. Our goal is to win a championship, not to not allow the Lakers to win it in our building.

“So many people got ready for a celebration tonight, which was disrespectful to us and the character that we’ve got on this basketball team. We wanted to give ourselves a chance to go back and see what we can do.”

They’d better come readier than they did last time, then.

In the first two games of the series, the Pacers looked like Bugs Bunny, staring into Elmer Fudd’s shotgun, but then they came home and things began picking up for them.

In Game 3, they made 46% of their shots overall, as Coach Larry Bird had hoped for, and 39% of their three-pointers, ran up an 18-point lead and won, 100-91.

In Game 4, they made 50%--and 53% of their three-pointers--but the Lakers took their best punch and won, 120-118.

In Game 5, the Pacers were supposed to fold, but people who had seen the Lakers go 3-5 in elimination games--and 0-4 in such games on the road--suspected different.

Sure enough, the Lakers came out soft and the Pacers came out blazing, making 15 of 20 shots in the first quarter, including all six of their three-pointers. This time, they didn’t stop until the final buzzer, when they were 33 points ahead.

The Lakers still have a 3-2 lead and the home-court advantage but the Pacers have a little momentum and a lot of determination and that’s something.

The Lakers’ Phil Jackson was asked afterward if he was concerned about giving the Pacers life and so much of it.

“That’s an obvious, yes,” he said.

Instead of the weekend off and parade floats on Monday, it’ll be practice on Father’s Day for the Lakers and another defining moment Monday.

For the Pacers, it’s the weekend they dreamed of.

“I think in Game 1, we probably weren’t ready for what hit us,” said Jackson. “Just the hype, the intensity of the finals. And we played on our heels, pretty much.

“In Game 2, I thought we played really well. I thought we gave ourselves an opportunity. We didn’t take advantage when Kobe [Bryant] went down but give them credit, they had guys come in and step up and make plays.

“But we’re a team that feels very confident in going into someone else’s building and winning. We have a history of doing just that.”

Having learned the lessons of his own history, Miller, who is most comfortable when opposing crowds are chanting rude things about him, has decided he isn’t very fond of the Lakers any more, and that’s why he keeps getting in scuffles with them.

“Well, a lot of the scuffles are coming from them, which is a shock, because everyone thinks they’re so nice and pretty,” he said.

“They’re the glamour boys of Los Angeles, Evian, cafe latte, all that [stuff]. They’re the ones doing all the hitting, pushing and holding. They look at the refs like they’re not doing anything.”

Miller used to be one of those nice, L.A., Evian, cafe latte, pretty boys but whatever he needs to get ready, it’s OK, we understand. He still has two days before Game 6 to discover something about the area he really hates: Smog? Traffic? Housing prices? USC?

So many irritants, so little time.

“We absolutely, positively have nothing to lose and everything in the world to gain,” said Miller. “We are going to play free, loose, we don’t care. There’s no pressure on us. All the pressure’s on them. From the get-go, they were supposed to beat us. They were supposed to sweep us.”

They--the Lakers--were hoping to eliminate the Pacers, or anybody, in one try but that isn’t how it worked out.

By now, the Lakers are consoling themselves with the fact that Game 6 (and 7?) will be in Staples, but the Pacers are no one to mess with. They may not be a great team, and Miller may not be Michael Jordan’s heir, but they’re a tough-minded crew that has been in a lot of big games in hot spots, and Miller has done some truly amazing things in his career.

For the moment, the only ones celebrating are the Pacers, enjoying the fact they’re still alive.

“We know California’s ready to celebrate,” Rose said late Friday night. “We heard about the parade they have planned. That won’t be tomorrow, though.”