For some reason, head coach Frank Vogel took center Roy Hibbert off the floor with a mere 2 seconds left in O.T.  That allowed LeBron James to drive to the basket for the winning lay-up at the buzzer.  This loss really has to hurt as the Pacers played well enough to win last night.  Paul George (27 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists) and David West (26 points, 5 rebounds and 1 assist) led the way for the Pacers last night.  Roy Hibbert (19 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 blocked shots) also had a rock solid game for the Pacers last night.  Tyler Hansbrough pitched in with 10 points, 6 rebounds and 1 steal in only 12 minutes off the bench.  The Pacers are down 1-0 in this series against the Heat.

The Pacers were 2-1 against the Heat in the 2012-13 regular season and they took them to six games in last year’s playoff matchup.  This is one team that is not overly impressed with the Miami Heat.  The matchups are really close in this series and here is a look at them:

POINT GUARD:  Mario Chalmers is a glue player for the Heat, as he plays defense and hits a big shot once in a while.  Chalmers has played in 9 games (all starts) in the playoffs so far this year and he is averaging 26.6 minutes, 7.0 points, 2.6 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.1 steals per game.  He has now played in 65 games (40 starts) in the playoffs so far in his career and he is averaging 29.7 minutes, 9.1 points, 2.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.4 steals per game.

George Hill missed a game because of a concussion in the second round of the playoffs, and the Pacers lost that game.  Hill is the guy that makes the Pacers’ offense go.  He has played in 11 games (all starts) so far in the playoffs and he is averaging 36.9 minutes, 15.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.0 steal per game.  He has now played in 42 games (31 starts) in the playoffs so far in his NBA career and he is averaging 32.4 minutes, 13.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.1 steals per game.

EDGE:  PACERS

SHOOTING GUARD:  Dwyane Wade is looking like a shell of his former self in the playoffs due to his barking knee.  D-Wade has played in 8 games (all starts) in the playoffs so far this year and he is averaging 32.9 minutes, 13.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.9 steals per game.  Wade has now played in 118 games (all starts) in the playoffs so far in his career and he is averaging 39.8 minutes, 24.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.1 steals per game.

Lance Stephenson is the Pacers’ #5 option offensively, but he plays hard defensively and he hits the boards.  Stephenson has played in 12 games (all starts) in the playoffs so far this year and he is averaging 34.1 minutes, 9.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.1 steals per game.  He has now played in 16 games (12 starts) so far in the playoffs in his career and he is averaging 26.3 minutes, 7.7 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game.

EDGE:  HEAT

SMALL FORWARD:  LeBron James is still the best basketball player on the planet Earth.  He has played in 9 games (all starts) so far this year in the playoffs and he is averaging 39.4 minutes, 24.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 1.7 steals per game.  James has now played in 124 games (all starts) so far in the playoffs in his career and he is averaging 43.1 minutes, 28.2 points, 8.6 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 1.7 steals per game.

Paul George has the size and athletic ability to challenge James at both ends of the basketball court.  George has played in 12 games (all starts) in the playoffs so far this year and he is averaging 41.5 minutes, 19.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.8 steals per game.  He has now played in 28 games (all starts) in the playoffs so far in his career and he is averaging 35.8 minutes, 13.1 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.6 steals per game.

EDGE:  HEAT

POWER FORWARD:  Udonis Haslem does the dirty work around the basket for the Heat.  He has played in 9 games (all starts) in the playoffs so far and he is averaging 17.7 minutes, 6.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, 0.3 assists and 1.0 steal per game.  Haslem has now played in 109 games (68 starts) so far in his career in the playoffs and he is averaging 25.2 minutes, 6.6 points, 6.5 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game.

David West is a very solid player at both ends of the court and he is going to give Haslem fits.  West has played in 12 games (all starts) in the playoffs so far this year and he is averaging 34.9 minutes, 15.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game.  West has now played in 47 games (40 starts) in the playoffs so far in his career and he is averaging 34.2 minutes, 15.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game.

EDGE:  PACERS

CENTER:  Chris Bosh can’t afford to be soft in this series, or the Heat are going to be in big trouble.  Bosh has played in 9 games (all starts) in the playoffs so far this year and he is averaging 32.1 minutes, 13.2 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 2.0 blocked shots per game.  Bosh has now played in 55 games (51 starts) in the playoffs so far in his NBA career and he is averaging 36.1 minutes, 16.9 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.2 blocked shots per game.

If Roy Hibbert can stay out of foul trouble in this series, he could be the MVP when it’s all said and done.  The Heat have no answer to Hibbert, as he is a much better rebounder and shot blocker than anyone on their roster.  Hibbert has played in 12 games (all starts) in the playoffs so far this year and he is averaging 34.8 minutes, 14.0 points, 9.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 2.5 blocked shots per game.  Hibbert has now played in 28 games (all starts) in his playoff career so far and he is averaging 31.8 minutes, 12.5 points, 9.7 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 2.6 blocked shots per game.

EDGE:  EVEN

BENCH:  The Miami Heat have used the bench a lot and they have a lot of productive veterans coming off it.  It all starts with shooting guard Ray Allen, who would be starting for most teams (including the Pacers).  He has played in 9 games (all starts) in the playoffs so far this year and he is averaging 24.8 minutes, 12.2 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game.  Allen has now played in 137 games (120 starts) so far in his NBA career and he is averaging 37.9 minutes, 17.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.1 steals per game.  Backup point guard Norris Cole has been on fire from three point range in the playoffs, as he has hit 11 of 16 (68.8%) shots from long range.  Cole has played in 9 games (0 starts) in the playoffs so far this year and he is averaging 22.1 minutes, 8.8 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game.  Cole has now played in 28 games (0 starts) in the playoffs so far in his career and he is averaging 13.2 minutes, 4.0 points, 1.1 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game.  PF/C Chris Andersen has been a ball of energy off the bench for the Heat so far in the playoffs.  He is shooting an amazing 78.6% from the floor (22 of 28) so far in the playoffs.  Andersen has played in 9 games (0 starts) for the Heat so far in the playoffs and he is averaging 13.7 minutes, 7.0 points, 3.7 rebounds, 0.3 assists and 1.2 blocked shots per game.  He has now played in 40 games (0 starts) so far in the playoffs in his NBA career and he is averaging 16.9 minutes, 5.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 0.5 assists and 1.5 blocked shots per game.  SG/SF Shane Battier is starting to lose it as a player as he is only hitting 26.1% of his shots from three point range so far in the playoffs.  Battier has played in 9 games (0 starts) in the playoffs so far this year and he is averaging 23.1 minutes, 5.6 points, 2.0 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game.  Battier has now played in 83 games (50 starts) so far in his career and he is averaging 31.9 minutes, 7.1 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game.  SG/SF Mike Miller is starting to look like his needle is pointing at empty.  Miller has played in 5 games (1 start) in the playoffs so far this year and he is averaging 8.8 minutes, 2.4 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game.  Miller has now played in 66 games (15 starts) in his career in the playoffs and he is averaging 17.1 minutes, 5.4 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game.  Rashard Lewis, Joel Anthony and James Jones are all capable players who are sitting at the end of the Heat’s bench.

The Pacers have not been using their bench much in the playoffs, as they have been riding their starters hard so far.  Point guard D.J. Augustin has played the most of the Pacers’ bench players so far in the playoffs.  He has played in 12 games (1 start) in the playoffs so far this year and he is averaging 18.2 minutes, 6.8 points, 1.1 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game.  He has now played in 16 games (1 start) in the playoffs so far in his career and he is averaging 18.2 minutes, 6.1 points, 1.1 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game.  Power forward Tyler Hansbrough always winds up playing physical basketball against the Heat, and I don’t see that changing much in this series.  He has played in 12 games (0 starts) in the playoffs so far this year and he is averaging 14.2 minutes, 4.1 points, 3.3 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game.  Hansbrough has now played in 28 games (5 starts) in the playoffs so far in his career and he is averaging 17.8 minutes, 5.5 points, 3.6 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game.  Backup center Ian Mahinmi is going to have to throw his body around in this series.  He has played in 11 games (0 starts) in the playoffs so far this year and he is averaging 8.4 minutes, 1.6 points, 2.6 rebounds and 0.1 assists per game.  Mahinmi has now played in 23 games (0 starts) in the playoffs so far in his career and he is averaging 9.3 minutes, 2.9 points and 2.4 rebounds per game.  SG/SF Gerald Green could add some offensive zip off the bench in this series for the Pacers.  He has played in 7 games (0 starts) so far this year in the playoffs and he is averaging 13.0 minutes, 7.3 points, 1.4 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game.  Green has now played in 13 games (0 starts) so far in the playoffs in his NBA career and he is averaging 9.0 minutes, 4.8 points, 0.9 rebounds and 0.2 assists per game.  SG/SF Sam Young could get a few minutes in this series.  He has played in 8 games in the playoffs so far this year off the bench and he is averaging 7.4 minutes, 1.5 points, 1.9 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game.  Young has now played in 23 games (11 starts) in the playoffs so far in his NBA career and he is averaging 13.9 minutes, 4.8 points, 2.0 rebounds and 0.2 assists per game.  Power forward Jeff Pendergraph could get a few minutes in this series to throw his weight around.  He has played in 7 games (0 starts) in the playoffs so far this year and he is averaging 9.4 minutes, 2.0 points, 2.6 rebounds and 0.1 assists per game.  He has now played in 14 games (0 starts) in the playoffs in his NBA career and he is averaging 6.6 minutes, 1.6 points, 1.6 rebounds and 0.1 assists per game.

EDGE:  HEAT

COACHING:  Erik Spoelstra probably thanks God every day for the roster he has to coach.  He has led the Heat to an 8-1 (88.9%) record in the playoffs so far this year.  He is now 42-23 (64.6%) in the playoffs so far in his career as an NBA head coach.

Frank Vogel is an up and coming star type of head coach.  He called the Heat just the “next team in our way” in an interview yesterday.  He has led the Pacers to an 8-4 (66.7%) record in the playoffs so far this year.  The Pacers are now 15-13 (53.6%) under Vogel.

EDGE:  HEAT

PREDICTION:  HEAT IN SEVEN GAMES

The Pacers held off the visiting Knicks last night by outscoring them 25-18 in the 4th quarter, to knock them out of the playoffs.  Lance Stephenson had the game of his career so far as he led the way for the Pacers last night with 25 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal.  Paul George (23 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 steal) and Roy Hibbert (21 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 5 blocked shots) also had outstanding games for the Pacers last night.  David West (17 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists) and George Hill (12 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 blocked shot) also had rock solid games last night for the Pacers.  The Pacers knocked out the Knicks in six games and they will advance to the Eastern Conference Finals to deal with the Miami Heat.

The Pacers only shot 36.2% from the floor and it did them in last night.  Paul George led the way for the Pacers with 23 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists and 1 steal last night.  David West also had an outstanding game with 17 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals.  D.J. Augustin had to start at point guard for the Pacers last night due to a concussion to George Hill and he finished up with 12 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists.  The Pacers are still up 3-2 in this series.

The Pacers out-rebounded the Knicks 54-36 and they held them to 35.6% shooting from the floor last night, so it’s no surprise that they won easily.  George Hill led the way for the Pacers last night with 26 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 steal.  Paul George only shot 6 of 19 from the floor, but he still finished up with 18 points, 14 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocked shots.  Lance Stephenson (13 points, 7 rebounds and 1 assist), D.J. Augustin (11 points and 1 rebound in 21 minutes) and David West (10 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 1 blocked shot) also pitched in for the Pacers.  The Pacers are now up 3-1 on the Knicks in this series.

The Pacers only shot 35% from the floor last night, but it didn’t matter in the end.  The Pacers outrebounded the Knicks 53-40 and they held them to 35.2% shooting from the floor, which were the biggest reasons for the win.  Roy Hibbert led the way for the Pacers last night with 24 points and 12 rebounds as he was dominating the paint.  George Hill only shot 5 of 16 from the floor, but, he still finished up with 17 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal.  Paul George was also bending the rim with his jump shot as he only hit 4 of 17 shots from the floor.  But, George still pitched in with 14 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists and 5 steals.  David West only shot 4 of 11 from the floor, but he still finished up with 11 points, 12 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 1 blocked shot.  The Pacers are now up 2-1 in this series.

The Pacers hung close for the first three quarters before the Knicks outscored them 33-13 in the 4th quarter to blow them out.  Paul George led the way for the Pacers last night with 20 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal.  David West (13 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists) and George Hill (12 points, 3 rebounds, 7 assists and 1 steal) also had decent games for the Pacers last night.  Roy Hibbert pitched in with 6 points, 12 rebounds, 1 assist and 4 blocked shots in this game.  The Pacers are tied at 1 game apiece with the Knicks as this series shifts to Indianapolis for the next two games.

The Pacers out-rebounded the Knicks 44-30 and it helped them grind out an impressive road win yesterday.  David West (20 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocked shots) and Paul George (19 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists) led the way for the Pacers yesterday.  D.J. Augustin (16 points and 1 assist in 13 minutes off the bench) and Roy Hibbert (14 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 5 blocked shots) also had really solid games for the Pacers.  George Hill only shot 5 of 17 from the floor in this game, but he still finished up with 14 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists.  Lance Stephenson pitched in with 11 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals in this game.  The Pacers are now up 1-0 in this series.

This is going to be a classic throwback series as Reggie Miller and Patrick Ewing once had a pretty good rivalry back in the day.  On to 2012-13, as the Pacers are going to look to knock out the Knicks on their way to a possible NBA Finals appearance.  Here is a look at the matchups in this series:

POINT GUARD:  George Hill is a shoot first type of point guard.  He played in 6 games (all starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 34.8 minutes, 15.2 points, 3.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.5 assists per game.  Hill has now played in 37 games (26 starts) so far in the playoffs in his NBA career and he is averaging 31.5 minutes, 12.6 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.2 steals per game.

Raymond Felton is the guy in charge for the Knicks and he has also been a shoot first player in the playoffs.  He played in 6 games (all starts) in the first round of the playoffs for the Knicks and he averaged 41.0 minutes, 17.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.7 steals per game.  He has now played in 15 games (10 starts) in the playoffs so far in his career and he is averaging 35.2 minutes, 13.9 points, 2.9 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.2 steals per game.

EDGE:  EVEN

SHOOTING GUARD:  Lance Stephenson has played solid defense this year and he is a good rebounder for a shooting guard.  He played in 6 games (all starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he is averaging 33.2 minutes, 7.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.2 steals per game.  Stephenson has now played in 10 games (6 starts) in the playoffs so far in his career and he is averaging 21.1 minutes, 5.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game.

Pablo Prigioni can shoot the ball from long range, but that’s about his only big time skill on the basketball court.  He played in 5 games (all starts) for the Knicks in the first round of the playoffs and he is averaging 22.4 minutes, 6.0 points, 2.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.2 steals per game.

EDGE:  PACERS

SMALL FORWARD:  Paul George is a player on the rise for the Pacers and he’s lined up to have a big time series against the Knicks.  George played in 6 games (all starts) for the Pacers in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 40.0 minutes, 18.7 points, 9.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.8 steals per game.  George has now played in 22 games (all starts) in the playoffs so far in his career and he is averaging 33.8 minutes, 11.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.6 steals per game.

Iman Shumpert is a solid defensive player and he is going to have to be on his game to slow down Paul George in this series.  Shumpert played in 6 games (all starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 28.5 minutes, 9.0 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.8 steals per game.  He has now played in 7 games (all starts) so far in the playoffs in his career and he is averaging 27.1 minutes, 7.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.7 steals per game.

EDGE:  PACERS

POWER FORWARD:  David West is a rock solid power forward.  He is going to try to get inside against Carmelo Anthony and push him around some.  West played in 6 games (all starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 33.7 minutes, 16.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game.  West has now played in 41 games (34 starts) in the playoffs so far in his career and he is averaging 34.0 minutes, 15.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 blocked shot per game.

Carmelo Anthony is going to be the best player on the court (offensively) in this series.  He played in 6 games (all starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 41.3 minutes, 29.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.3 steals per game.  But, Anthony only shot 38.1% from the floor and 26.5% from three point range in the first round of the playoffs.  If he shoots like that against the Pacers, the Knicks aren’t going to last too long in this series.  Anthony has now played in 60 games (all starts) in his NBA career so far and he is averaging 39.1 minutes, 25.4 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.3 steals per game.

EDGE:  KNICKS

CENTER:  The Pacers need Roy Hibbert to throw his weight around and play like the big man that he is in this series.  Hibbert played in 6 games (all starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 32.2 minutes, 14.7 points, 8.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.8 blocked shots per game.  Hibbert has now played in 22 games (all starts) so far in his NBA career in the playoffs and he is averaging 30.2 minutes, 12.2 points, 9.5 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 2.5 blocked shots per game.

Tyson Chandler is a veteran of the playoff wars, but he’s banged up a little bit right now.  The Knicks need him to step up in this series, if they are going to have any hope of winning it.  Chandler played in 6 games (all starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 28.5 minutes, 5.2 points, 8.7 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game.  He has now played in 64 games (48 starts) so far in his career in the playoffs and he is averaging 29.1 minutes, 6.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, 0.5 assists and 1.1 blocked shots per game.

EDGE:  PACERS

BENCH:  The Pacers don’t play the bench much unless they have to.  Power forward Tyler Hansbrough gives the Pacers a good effort off the bench.  He played in 6 games (0 starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 16.0 minutes, 5.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game.  Hansbrough has now played in 22 games (5 starts) so far in the playoffs in his NBA career and he is averaging 19.3 minutes, 6.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game.  SG/SF Gerald Green also brings good energy off the bench for the Pacers.  He played in 5 games (0 starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 14.4 minutes, 7.8 points, 1.2 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game.  Green has now played in 11 games (0 starts) so far in his career in the playoffs and he is averaging 8.9 minutes, 4.5 points, 0.7 rebounds and 0.2 assists per game.  Point guard D.J. Augustin has had a nightmare year for the Pacers and it has continued so far in the playoffs.  He played in 6 games (0 starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 16.7 minutes, 5.3 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game.  He has now played in 10 games (0 starts) in the playoffs so far in his career and he is averaging 17.3 minutes, 4.9 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game.  PF/C Jeff Pendergraph has gotten to play some in the playoffs.  He played in 5 games (0 starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 11.8 minutes, 2.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and 0.2 assists per game.  He has now played in 12 games (0 starts) in the playoffs so far in his career and he is averaging 7.1 minutes, 1.9 points, 1.7 rebounds and 0.1 assists per game.  Center Ian Mahinmi didn’t play much in the first round of the playoffs.  He played in 5 games (0 starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 8.0 minutes, 1.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 0.2 assists per game.

Outside of J.R. Smith, the Knicks’ bench is very old….but battle tested.  Shooting guard J.R. Smith is the offensive assassin off the bench for the Knicks.  He played in 5 games (0 starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 31.8 minutes, 15.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.0 steal per game.  Smith has now played in 45 games (0 starts) so far in the playoffs in his NBA career and he is averaging 25.8 minutes, 13.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game.  PF Kenyon Martin brings a lot of effort and toughness off the bench at both ends of the basketball court.  Martin played in 6 games (0 starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 20.0 minutes, 4.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 0.5 assists and 1.5 blocked shots per game.  Martin has now played in 106 games (87 starts) in the playoffs so far in his career and he is averaging 32.6 minutes, 13.2 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.2 blocked shots per game.  PG/SG Jason Kidd looked like the old man that he is in the first round of the playoffs as he only shot 17.6% from the floor and 27.3% from the three point line.  Kidd played in 6 games (0 starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 26.3 minutes, 1.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.0 steal per game.  Kidd has now played in 152 games (146 starts) in the playoffs in his NBA career and he is averaging 39.5 minutes, 13.4 points, 6.9 rebounds, 8.2 assists and 1.9 steals per game.  The rest of the bench is a little banged up for the Knicks right now.  Small forward Steve Novak is going to miss at least Game #1 of the playoffs due to injury.  He played in 5 games (0 starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 8.4 minutes, 3.0 points and 0.8 rebounds per game.  Novak has now played in 14 games (1 start) in the playoffs so far in his career and he is averaging 11.7 minutes, 2.5 points and 1.6 rebounds per game.  Center Marcus Camby is starting to finally look his age.  He played in 2 games (0 starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 1.5 minutes, 1.0 point and 1.0 rebound per game.  Camby has now played in 78 games (43 starts) in his NBA career in the playoffs and he is averaging 28.8 minutes, 7.6 points, 9.1 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.9 blocked shots per game.  Rookie forward Chris Copeland is also banged up.  He played in 3 games (1 start) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 8.0 minutes, 0.0 points and 0.3 rebounds per game.  Veteran power forward Amare Stoudemire could be ready for Game #3 of this series as he continues to rehab from knee surgery.  Stoudemire has played in 60 games (all starts) so far in the playoffs in his NBA career and he is averaging 36.8 minutes, 23.0 points, 8.9 rebounds, 1.0 assist, 1.0 steal and 1.6 blocked shots per game.

EDGE:  KNICKS

COACHING:  Frank Vogel knows how to get the most out of his roster and I don’t see that changing in this series.  The Pacers are 4-2 in the playoffs this year and they are 11-11 (50%) under Vogel so far in his career.

Until this season, Mike Woodson’s career in the playoffs has been a disaster.  He led the Knicks to a 4-2 record in the first round to improve his career record in the playoffs to 16-24 (40%).

EDGE:  PACERS

PREDICTION:  PACERS IN SIX GAMES

The Pacers out-rebounded the Hawks 53-35 and they held them to 33.3% shooting from the floor, which were the two biggest reasons for the impressive road win last night.  David West (21 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists and 4 blocked shots) and George Hill (21 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals) led the way for the Pacers last night.  Roy Hibbert also had a rock solid game with 17 points, 11 rebounds and 2 blocked shots last night.  The Pacers knock out the Hawks 4-2 and they will now take on the New York Knicks in Round #2 of the playoffs.