The Indiana Pacers and Atlanta Hawks are knotted at one game each in their first round matchup in the Eastern Conference playoffs, and tonight Game 3 will tip off from Atlanta's Phillips Arena on NBA TV. Live stream the game here by clicking this link; Pacers fans can hear the action on 1070 The Fan, while Hawks fans may do the same on Sports 92.9 Atlanta.
The Pacers looked like they snapped out of their funk a little bit in Game 2 behind Paul George's monster performance, which must have been a beautiful sight for Indiana head coach Frank Vogel. According to reports, he might be coaching for his job thanks to the high expectations heaped on this club entering the season.
Pacers executive Larry Bird had some tough words for Vogel regarding the team's toughness, and while he showed some support, he also seemed like Vogel's grip on his role was somewhat tenuous. "I'm sort of going to Frank's side because he's had so much success by staying positive. We do have to stay the course," Bird said.
"But I also think he's got to start going after guys when they're not doing what they're supposed to do. And stay on them, whether you've got to take them out of the game when they're not doing what they're supposed to do, or limit their minutes. I will say, he hasn't done that enough."
The team knows Vogel's under a spotlight, and shooting guard Lance Stephenson came to his defense in the media. "Leave Frank alone, man," Stephenson told reporters. "We [are] getting ready for the playoffs. ... I don't know why the media's trying to do all this negative stuff on us."
George responded to the calls for Vogel's job as well. "I want to put that pressure on myself, make sure I keep Coach here. ... If we get the job done [and] do what we gotta do, everything will take care of itself."
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