Though Reggie Miller's final appearance in Madison Square Garden will be the deserved focus of the evening, a milestone of a different sort could be passed much more quietly.
With his next victory, Coach Rick Carlisle will reach 100 with the Pacers and 200 for his career. Assuming the Pacers win one of their final 10 games, Carlisle will be the third-fastest coach to 100 wins in franchise history. Larry Bird (148 games) heads the list, followed by Bobby "Slick" Leonard (151 ABA games). Carlisle will be coaching in his 155th game with the Pacers. Larry Brown is fourth (165 games).
Though he won't win at least 50 games and a division title for the first time in his four seasons on the bench, this may be the best coaching job of Carlisle's career. The team's projected starting lineup (Jamaal Tinsley, Reggie Miller, Ron Artest, Jermaine O'Neal and Jeff Foster) has never played together because of suspensions and injuries that have ravaged the roster. Nevertheless, the Pacers are tied for sixth in the Eastern Conference and have won three in a row and five of six, including victories over San Antonio, Detroit and Miami.
“When things went bad for us early with injuries and suspensions, we had a choice to make," Carlisle said. "We could lament our situation or view it as an opportunity. We felt like we had a deep roster, and there were some guys that were going to get some unusually strong opportunities. During the course of 72 games, 28 different starting lineups, 17 different players starting at some point and 20 different players in uniform for us, you can find an awful lot about the guys that you have. For all the difficulty there has been this year, I have really enjoyed how our team has viewed this as an opportunity in disguise.”
The Knicks, on the other hand, have hit the skids, losing six in a row to effectively eliminate what had been faint playoff hopes for interim coach Herb Williams,a former Pacers standout.
TRENDS
Stephen Jackson has averaged 22.0 points in the last 15 games. ... In the last 11, Jackson has shot 33.6 percent from the field and 30.1 percent from the 3-point line. ... Miller has averaged 20.0 points in the last 15. ... Miller has made 53 consecutive free throws, nine shy of the club record he established earlier this season, and has gone 122-of-124 from the line (98.4 percent) in the last 22 games. ... Miller is 92 points away from No. 12 Jerry West (25,192) on the NBA all-time scoring list. ... Fred Jones has averaged 12.3 points on 56.6 percent shooting in his last six games. ... Anthony Johnson has averaged 13.8 points, 7.5 assists, 4.2 rebounds and just 2.08 turnovers while shooting 54.4 percent from the field and 51.5 percent from the arc in the last 13 games. ... Austin Croshere has gone 5-of-22 from the field (22.7 percent) in the last three. ... Eddie Gill has gone 6-of-23 from the 3-point line (26.1 percent) but 1-of-16 inside the arc (6.3 percent) in the last 14 games.
SERIES
The teams have split this season, both winning at home. The Knicks won 90-79 on Feb. 26 in Madison Square Garden, snapping the Pacers' five-game winning streak while holding them to what was then a season-low in points allowed. The Pacers won 103-97 on Nov. 13 as Jermaine O'Neal and Ron Artest combined for 55 points. New York leads the overall series 72-54 and is 49-15 at home.
KEY MATCHUP
Frontcourt - Though guards Stephon Marbury and Jamal Crawford drive the Knicks' offense, the difference-makers have been role players like Kurt Thomas, Malik Rose and Tim Thomas. With Dale Davis replacing Jermaine O'Neal, the Pacers' frontcourt has become decidedly more oriented toward defense and rebounding, which should work in the team's favor. It has to, because Indiana must find a way to replace the 28.5 points and 10.5 rebounds O'Neal averaged against the Knicks.
INJURY REPORT
Pacers - G Fred Jones (back) is questionable; G Jamaal Tinsley (foot) is out; F Jermaine O'Neal (shoulder), F Jonathan Bender (knee) and C David Harrison (knee) are on the injured list; F Ron Artest is on the suspended list.
Knicks - G Allan Houston (knee) and G Anfernee Hardaway (hamstring) are on the injured list.
Reggie's been playing really aggressive on both the offensive and defensive ends. You can tell that he's pumped. AJ had a nice first quarter, but he just hit for the first time since. NY made a comeback entering the 2nd half, but Indy pushed it back out.
Guess the Score Tuesday March 5th @ Knicks
vs.
for his current preformance.