The Indiana Pacers didn’t quite make it to 5-0 under interim coach Frank Vogel on Tuesday�in a 117-112 loss to the Miami Heat at American Airlines Arena.
However, the team did make it five-in-a-row to spark optimism and hope in Indiana for the remainder of the 2010-11 season.
Since firing former coach Jim O’Brien and replacing him with Vogel on Jan. 30, the Pacers have shown significant improvement in play and have appeared more comfortable on the court. Watching the team Tuesday,�the players sincerely�appeared to be having fun and sporting a newfound confidence and swagger against one of the Eastern Conference’s elite teams whom the Pacers�previously beat 93-77 on�Nov. 22 in the�same building.
By Drew Allen
Granted, before Tuesday’s contest at Miami, Vogel’s first four opponents were the Toronto Raptors, the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Portland Trail Blazers and the New Jersey Nets. It wasn’t unrealistic to expect Indiana to beat each of those teams, though�one might wonder if the team might have dropped one of those matchups under O’Brien. The Cleveland game�comes to mind when speculating on that scenario; the Pacers nearly became “that team”�before avoiding ending the Cavaliers’ losing streak with a 117-112 victory.
For the most part, though, the vibe one gets from Vogel’s leadership to this point is positive. Indiana has looked better and much more like the team that was hanging around .500 at the beginning of the year.
Specifically?
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Source: http://www.thesportsbank.net/nba/indiana-pacers-show-promise-under-interim-coach-frank-vogel/
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