Tonight at 8:00 p.m. ET the up-and-down Indiana Pacers, the top seed in the Eastern Conference, will try to grab a big victory at home in a pivotal Game 5 with the No. 8 Atlanta Hawks on NBA TV. Live stream the game by clicking this link; Pacers fans can hear the radio broadcast on 1070 The Fan, while Hawks fans may do the same on Sports 92.9 Atlanta.
Despite what some termed their best efforts to give away Game 4 of this first round matchup with the Hawks, Frank Vogel's Indiana Pacers can put their feet on the necks of the scrappy upstarts tonight. "Look, this team won two of the last three games we've played in this building and they beat us pretty good," Vogel, Indiana's head coach, said. "So we have to stay hungry."
After a tongue-lashing in practice the Pacers came out of the tunnel spirited and determined in Game 4-while that seemed to wane at points all that mattered was getting the victory. Star guard/forward Paul George said now the key is maintaining that level.
"We can't be complacent just because we got home-court advantage back," George said. "We've got to put this game and this series away."
For all Indiana's issues, George hasn't been one of them. He's averaging 21.8 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, two steals and nearly two blocks per game in Round 1. Another performance in line with those averages, plus the home-court advantage, could bestow a W upon this Pacers club.
Vogel knows the importance of Game 5, and it also fits into a personal coaching philosophy of his that he shared with the team. "We did talk about how the first team to win two games in a row usually wins the series," Vogel said. "We've got an opportunity to do that tomorrow night."
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