That Indianapolis night was clearly the place to be, the kind of sentence that we haven’t written much this season. The Domantas Sabonis era is now in retro and the Gainbridge Fieldhouse discovered for the first time who will become its new hero, and a whole bunch of new kids too. The evening was beautiful, despite the loss, and if we had to choose a stupid expression we would probably go with something like “the Pacers can see it coming”.
the home stats of the first game of these new look Pacers is right here
Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield and Tristan Thompson arrived on the first flight from Sacramento and Jalen Smith who joined them during a stopover in Phoenix, so these are four new Pacers who made their debut in the Pacers jersey tonight . A glorious evening in Indiana, a room on fire and it warms the cold hearts of fans of the franchise, and so the arrival of the Cavs for this winter baptism, marking moreover the return of Caris LeVert who, although sympathetic and exempt from any reproach during his passage, for his part, did not necessarily mark the history of the Indianapolis franchise.
For this first? All the lights are green and they were even fluorescent green for a long time before seeing the Cavs banging their fists on the table like the real dominant team that they are this season. An angelic first quarter in which Tyrese Haliburton and Chris Duarte find each other as if they had always known each other, and Oshae Brissett and his goat cheese blase even invite themselves to the party. The trio score the first fifteen points for the Pacers, Tyrese and Buddy send three bombs from the parking lot, Isaiah Jackson marks the game with his mark, Jalen Smith does not know if he is part of the project but arrives all the same with his big head and also swings two 3-point tomatoes before Tyrese finishes the job: the Pacers have just scored 47 points… in a quarter.
“If it continues we play the title there! »
“I think they’re the best team we’ve ever had in town. »
“Goal play-in and then everything is allowed, everything in its time. »
“On the other hand, have you seen how bad Goga Bitadze is?!? »
Comments burst from the stands, following a second quarter which serves to give playing time to the bench the new stars are back and Andre Manoukian, Manu Katché, Marianne James and the other distribute four big yeses: one for Tyrese Haliburton, one for Chris Duarte, one for Oshae Brissett and one for Buddy Hield. The shots are falling everywhere the rhythm is there and the gap goes back above the fortnight, despite the awakening of the Cavs who have many other objectives than to play the sparring partners. A fatal awakening to the Pacers, overwhelmed by the mischief and talent of the Cleveland veterans and stung at the end of the match by a Caris LeVert not at all decided to make gifts to his former employers, but promises therefore, and that interests us . In the end the best team on the field won, no joke, but the goal tonight for Rick Carlisle’s men was not to be the best team but to warm up for the future, to put well his latest arrivals.
23 points at 4/6 from the parking lot and 6 assists for Tyrese Haliburton, 18 points at 4/7 from far for Chris Duarte and his fading tah the 2000s, 16/9/8 at 4/10 from the kitchen for Buddy Hield, 18 points and 11 rebounds for goat cheese, a Lance Stephenson who comes out of his box when you don’t expect him and an effective Isaiah Jackson / Jalen Smith duo off the bench, that’s enough to put a smile on the face of Pacers fans and give us the desire, us, to subdue the Pacers on the League Pass. Ah and you want the stats of Goga Bitadze and Tristan Thompson? Well no, who cares.
