Off Topic » George switched over to cover the quicker

ATLANTA - The Indiana Pacers headed south Wednesday, finally carrying themselves with a swagger befitting the No. 1 seed. Now, they need to prove theyre really back on track — at a place where they havent had much success over the years. The Pacers evened the series against the eighth-seeded Atlanta Hawks with a dominating third-quarter performance in Game 2, stifling some of the incessant criticism the supposed best team in the East had endured after sleepwalking through the final seven weeks of the regular season and turning in a dismal performance in the playoff opener. Of course, the condemnation will start up all over again if the Pacers falter in Game 3 on Thursday night. Theyve got to keep their edge. "That was my point to them," coach Frank Vogel said after a practice in Indianapolis, before the team hopped on a 90-minute flight to Atlanta. "Weve got to maintain that." While a bit down about their most recent showing, the Hawks already accomplished their primary goal of the series — win a game on the road to steal away the home-court advantage. Besides, this team has endured plenty of adversity in recent years, from a massive overhaul that left Atlanta with almost an entirely new roster to the loss of top player Al Horford with a season-ending injury back in December. The Hawks may have lucked into the playoffs with the worst record of any qualifier (38-44), but theyve shown plenty of grit and teamwork to make up for their deficiencies. "Our group has been very, very resilient all year, very tough-minded all year," rookie coach Mike Budenholzer said after a film session with his players. "Ive felt good about this group all year, and I dont feel any differently now." The Hawks did plenty of good things in the first two games, winning the opener rather easily, 101-93, and positioning themselves to pull off another shocker when they built an 11-point lead in the first half Tuesday night. Suddenly, Indiana took control, outscoring the Hawks 52-27 through the rest of the half to the end of the third quarter, pretty much removing any doubt about the outcome when Paul George hit a long 3-pointer at the buzzer. "We had to prove our point," guard Lance Stephenson said. The Pacers have won only twice at Philips Arena since December 2006, a drought that included a 13-game losing streak stretching for more than six years. But Vogel was quick to point out that Indiana has won two of its last three games in Atlanta, including a series-clinching victory in last years playoffs. "Weve won three of our last four if youre counting the preseason," he added. Indiana struggled early on in Game 2, trying to get centre Roy Hibbert more involved in the offence. When that didnt work, the Pacers turned to more familiar weapons. George scored 27 points, knocking down five 3-pointers. Point guard George Hill sparked the offence with his slashing drives into the lane, scoring 15 points over the final two quarters after going scoreless in the first half. Luis Scola provided a huge spark off the bench, scoring 20 points on 9-of-14 shooting, most of them jumpers in the 18- to 21-foot range. "He hit a lot of shots," Budenholzer said. "Credit to him. Now the challenge for us is to make those shots harder and more difficult and more challenged." The Hawks also have to figure out a way to get their point guard, Jeff Teague, to play more like he did in Game 1 (a career playoff-high 28 points) than he did in Game 2 (14 points, just two coming in the second half). The 6-foot-9 George switched over to cover the quicker player and did a marvelous job, limiting the penetration that allows Teague to set up good looks from the outside. Atlanta went 10 of 29 beyond the arc, missing 11 in a row in one stretch as the Pacers seized control. "Paul George is a very good defender no matter who he guards," Budenholzer said. "Hes going to have an impact on the game." Best Cheap NBA Jerseys . According to TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger, the Maple Leafs have trade offers on the table for the 26-year-old, but none have been deemed acceptable by the team. Wholesale NBA Jerseys . Nix is a career .218 hitter in 425 games over six seasons. The 31-year-old right-handed hitter batted .270 with a homer this spring for Tampa Bay. http://www.cheapjerseysnbacustom.com/. - The fiancee of former New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez is set to ask a judge to throw out allegations that she lied to a grand jury. Stitched NBA Jerseys .Y. - Phil Varone was the lone scorer in the shootout as the Rochester Americans edged the Toronto Marlies 3-2 on Sunday in American Hockey League action. Cheap NBA Jerseys From China . His actions are much louder on the Fenway Park mound. De La Rosa had another strong home start, going seven solid innings to lift the Boston Red Sox to a 2-1 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Saturday night.NEW ORLEANS -- Anthony Davis and Brian Roberts proved a pair of second-year players can carry the young Pelicans to a victory over a veteran team with playoff aspirations. Davis had 27 points and 10 rebounds, Roberts scored 17 of his 19 points in the second half, and New Orleans beat the Atlanta Hawks 105-100 on Wednesday night. "Im always telling our guys, Everybody has written you guys off, so what do you have to lose? Just go out there and play. Ive got your back either way," Pelicans coach Monty Williams said. Paul Millsap had 26 points and 10 rebounds for the Hawks, who have lost two in a row. DeMarre Carroll added 22 points. "Roberts made some big shots," said Hawks guard Jeff Teague, who had 11 points and 13 assists. "We just got stagnant on defence. Our intensity on defence just wasnt there. We didnt play with attention to detail in the last couple of plays." Davis and Roberts made Atlanta pay, each scoring six points in the final 3:40. Davis has been stellar all season, and his performance against Atlanta marked the 16th time hes had at least 20 points and 10 rebounds in the same game. Roberts only recently moved into a starting role at point guard because of Jrue Holidays stress fracture in his right shin. Roberts made only one of five shots in the first half before turning in one of the best second halves of his young career. "Hes growing up and he understands when to make plays," Davis said. Roberts did have one glaring error when he had a turnover that led to a score during a late 7-0 Atlanta run that trimmed the Hawks 10-point deficit to three with a little less than a minute left. Roberts made up for it with a running, off-balance floater on New Orleans next possession to make it 100-95 with 20 seconds to go. "That was a tough turnover right there," Roberts said. "I just try to move on and focus on the nextt play.dddddddddddd. ... I was going to get it back and I was able to make that floater and finish them off." Eric Gordon added 18 points and Anthony Morrow 16 for the Pelicans, who have won six of their last nine games. Atlanta was in position to win when Mike Scotts 3-pointer capped an 8-0 run and gave the Hawks an 83-76 lead with 7:45 to play, but the Pelicans then ran off nine straight points to regain the lead. "Thats a tough loss for our group," Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said, referring to his clubs blown fourth-quarter lead. "Our execution needs to improve when were in that situation." The Hawks led for the entire third quarter, taking their largest lead at 54-47 on Carrolls 3 12 seconds into the period. Scott hit four 3-pointers and finished with 16 points for the Hawks, while Lou Williams had 11 points. The teams stayed within single digits of each other for nearly the entire game. The largest lead for either team was 10 for New Orleans after Davis free throws late in the fourth quarter. That lead lasted all of 8 seconds before Scott hit a 3. Atlanta had 14 3s on 30 attempts from deep, with Carroll hitting four. The Hawks had one stretch in which they hit nine straight 3-point attempts -- their last four of the second quarter and first five of the third. The Pelicans, however, scored 20 points on free throws, while Atlanta had only 10. New Orleans also outrebounded Atlanta 50-38. NOTES: The Pelicans have scheduled a ceremony on Thursday to rename the New Orleans Arena as the Smoothie King Center. Pelicans officials confirmed to The Associated Press and several other media outlets on Wednesday afternoon that they had reached a 10-year naming rights agreement with the Louisiana-based company. ... Davis blocked one shot, ending a streak of seven games in which hed blocked at least four. ... Atlantas Kyle Korver was 2 for 5 from 3-point range. ' ' '