Foster: Australian for AWESOME
Air Foster
(Consider this entry the thread for all things Pistons-Pacers.)
Wednesday, May 11, 2005
Air Foster
(Consider this entry the thread for all things Pistons-Pacers.)
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Air Foster
(Consider this entry the thread for all things Pistons-Pacers.)
7 comments:
I just want to point out that Jamaal Tinsley managed to be a huge factor in the Pacers upset win despite the fact that he shot 4-for-19 from the floor. I didn't know it was possible to be a "key to victory" while shooting 22%. That's Pistons-Pacers for you.
(Also, special bonus points to the always entertaining Stephen Jackson for taking credit for the victory after the game, citing his positive attitude. Hilarious.)
I picked the Pistons to go to the Finals, but that's not gonna happen if they roll over the way they did with 5 minutes left in last night's game. It looked like they flat-out gave up. At no point, once they were down by about 6-8 with a few minutes left, did they show any energy or look like they were trying to come back. Jeff Foster and Ben Wallace traded personas. In the closing minute and a half, they made no run, and didn't even try to foul. They're gonna need to regroup after that letdown.
On the positive side, I like the turn this series took last night, should certainly make the playoffs more interesting.
Wow, the Pacers win tonight was possibly even more surprising than Game 2. I still can't believe they rallied after giving up the entire 13-point lead. And when you consider that their three best offensive playes - Miller, O'Neal, and Jackson - went a ghastly 9-for-39 combined and they STILL won, they just might have a shot to win two more. Amazing.
A few thoughts on the game:
- Stephen Jackson outplayed Tayshaun Prince defensively, which was jolting. It also is going dampen my "Why wasn't Prince first team All-Defense?" campaign.
- Jeff Foster and Jamaal Tinsley were co-MVP's for the Pacers for the second game in a row. Foster needs to be on the floor at all times, and Tinsley's myriad injuries were wildly overlooked this year. Everyone talked about the suspensions and O'Neal's injury, but Tinsley makes this an entirely different team.
- Lindsay Hunter is a faker and a flopper of the worst variety. That dive on Reggie's jumper was a joke.
- If the Pacers want to win two more games, Fred Jones needs to play more. Anthony Johnson is horrible and can hardly get the ball up the court. When Tinsley sits, Jones should bring the ball up. He's playing well and instantly makes Indiana more athletic when he's on the floor.
Do you think the guys from Around the Horn feel stupid for going on and on about how Miami can't beat Detroit without Shaq at 100%? I mean, they were talking about the Pistons like they were the '96 Bulls or something. And this was AFTER they lost Game Two to Indiana, at home. Forget whether or not Indiana can finish off the Pistons, isn't the real story here that Miami should be the new favorite in the East?
Missed the Pacers-Pistons game, so I'm hoping someone can explain why Jeff "Australian for Awesome" Foster played only 12 minutes. Did he get shot? Was Carlisle abducted and replaced by Gar Heard? There has to be a reason.
Somebody needs to lay Carlos Arroyo out. Now.
Growing up in Chicago, I used to absolutely hate Reggie Miller. I thought his game was so one-dimensional, and he always seemed to get phantom calls (not that MJ didn't). This season, though, I really grew to respect, and even like, Reggie. He'd been just mediocre the past couple seasons, taking a back seat to Jermaine O'Neal, Ron Artest, and Stephen Jackson. Without them this season, though, he took over, and channeled the 1995 Reggie. He led an extremely undermanned team into the second round of the playoffs after everyone had written them off following the Brawl. He showed that, at 39, he still has it. He should have received more than two All-NBA votes, and may have been more deserving of Third-team status than Gilbert Arenas (not to take away from Arenas).
Along similar lines, Rick Carlisle clearly should've won Coach of the Year for leading the Pacers into the playoffs despite getting just 137 combined starts from Jermaine O'Neal, Stephen Jackson, Jamaal Tinsley, Ron Artest, and Jonathan Bender. He brought players like Fred Jones, Anthony Johnson, and Jeff Foster to the tops of their games, and deserved to be rewarded for doing so.
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