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**StephenJackson** · 05-04-2005, 10:25 AM

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dl...TS04/505040413

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BOSTON -- In a city that cherishes re-enactments of historical moments and treats relics of the past with reverence, Dale Davis stepped onto the basketball court and fit right in Tuesday night.
The 36-year-old power forward was the Dale Davis of old, the one who spent most of the 1990s as the hard-hat man in the Indiana Pacers' surge to NBA prominence.
In Game 5, with the Pacers trying to regain momentum in a first-round series against the Boston Celtics, Davis scored 13 points, grabbed eight rebounds and handled all manner of in-the-paint pain in 30 bruising minutes.
"That's the Dale I know," said former teammate Sam Perkins, who watched from the FleetCenter stands as the Pacers won 90-85 to take a 3-2 series lead. "Dale's consistent. Granted, he's not involved in the offense, but he gets his hands on rebounds, on the most important rebounds."
Davis' 13 points tied the most he has scored for the Pacers since signing with the team March 3 as a free agent. He never has been a point producer, but that has never been the point.
"It's good to have him back in the fold because he brings something we didn't have before," Pacers backup center Jeff Foster said. "It's definitely a toughness, a different mentality. He's a guy who goes in there and does all the little things, and you have to have a guy like that on your team to win."
Davis, drafted out of Clemson by the Pacers in 1991, helped the team make the playoffs eight of his first nine years with the franchise.
Five times, he was on a team that reached the Eastern Conference finals. In 2000, he helped the Pacers reach the NBA Finals and earned his only All-Star appearance after averaging 10 points and 9.9 rebounds per game.
"It was beautiful to see," Scot Pollard said. "You need some things to go your way. Some guys make them go your way, and Dale's one of those guys."
Signed by the Pacers as a free agent to help save a season nearly destroyed by suspensions and injuries, Davis was an immediate factor. He helped keep the Pacers competitive on the boards when All-Star forward Jermaine O'Neal was injured. He helped anchor the defense coach Rick Carlisle likes.
"I feel good, no question about it," Davis said. "This series has been a little lopsided as far as matchups. It's been a little tough for us guarding those guys on the perimeter.
"But the thing is, I'm just going to do what I can to help this team win. Whatever that may be, I'm here to do the job."
The key players have changed almost completely since the Pacers' NBA Finals run -- outside of Reggie Miller, of course -- but Davis is happy being Davis.
He shot 5-for-7 from the floor and 3-for-5 from the line Tuesday, never forcing a shot. He was the game's second-leading rebounder. The Pacers' career leader in playoff rebounds (947), Davis has more offensive rebounds (14) than anyone in the series.
"This is a different looking team from the past, but there are a lot of similarities," Davis said. "What I try to do is what I do: play defense, rebound, score when I get the opportunity and just play tough."

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