Pacers/Hawks Game 4

Pacers ML(+110).

Pacers are the better team, regardless of how long it's been since they won in
Atlanta. The Pacers look around and see the other East teams finishing their series or with commanding leads. This has to be motivational as well.

Large play for me. Good luck.

beware; pacers never win @ atlanta!  look at the history.  the two teams have played seven times this year.  the home team has won all seven times.  indian lost by 21 in game three.  i went back five years.  indiana is 0-10 SU at atlanta.  good luck to you!

Indiana wil WIN. Everybody is banking on this "statistic"and it will bite them in the "posterior". You watch Indiana put a hurting on ATL...5 year stat and all...It happens all the time...Look at the Lakers...They hadn't been swept since 1967 or something like that, and guess what happened tonight? Got one right up their A**!  Good luck Mellow..I think you are right.

David Stern will be at the game tomorrow, fear the person

"J-ew" was changed to "person"... thanks auto-correct

i watched indiana lose by 21 on saturday.  that's all the denial you're exhibiting.  you probably thought denver was a nice small favorite at golden state tonight.  the public sure did.  but the history of gsw 3-0 ats in the series going into the game proved to be correct.  atlanta's a veteran team that's taking the youngish (paul george led) pacers to 7 games.

that's fair.  i think people underestimate al and josh.

Im on hawks too goodluck with pacers, il be bumping this when you guys are losing your money

Good stats. However, I don't put much stock into regular season head to head matchups when looking at playoff games. B2B's and scheduling issues/injuries can all play a big role in outcomes during the season. With each individual playoff game being its own isolated episode, I don't see a real "homecourt" advantage for the Hawks tonight, especially given their putrid fan base. Atlanta fans are nto noted for their basketball passion, plain and simple.

With abundant preparation time, overall talent usually comes to the forefront during the playoffs. The Pacers have more overall talent. I'm not discounting the ability of Smith, Horford and Teague, but not having Lou and Zaza will affect their rotation against a deep Pacers team.

I would not discount that the Pacers are coming off an very embarrassing loss and certainly want to keep this series from coming back to Atlanta. They have the stout defense to keep games within reach and I don't trust jump shooting Josh Smith and a team that that doesn't get to the line frequently to get it done. The Hawks can be defended and it will show tonight.

Care to offer any valid thoughts/reasoning to support your play? Bravado means little when it comes to wagering.

all valid points.  got my fingers crossed.

Hawks  -2 all ready in, been a looong looong time since ind. has won in Atl.

with everyone and media talking about streaks, its only right the streak will end.

pacers all day.

My gut says pacers. The homecourt stuff has me a little nervous. But Indiana has talent, I'm rolling with it

Johan Petro's status for tonight is uncertain, as his wife gave birth yesterday and he is still in Miami. If he unable to get back, that is a pretty big adjustment to have Johnson or Korver starting. Limits the ability of the Hawks to matchup size wise.

petro is crucial!

Remember the Ziz-Zag theory of NBA playoffs...happens every season...the second game in the same venue very often produces an opposite result...gl all

rotowire via atlanta constitution journal says petro wasn't @ shoortaround but is expected at game.  he's in miami, which is a short hop to atlanta.

 copy and pasted from rotoworld  ...under 15 minutes would be crucial??  just asking...

The below is taken from preview of Covers match up on Hawks
and Pacers...

The Hawks stifled Indiana in the half court and held it to 27.2 percent shooting in Game 3, including 4-of-25 from beyond the arc. That was a far cry from the first two contests, when the Pacers totaled 220 points and appeared to be on their way to an easy series sweep. Atlanta’s bigger lineup put Josh Smith on Paul George defensively, and the Pacers’ star had some trouble dealing with the added length. The Hawks had that game in hand at the half and gained some momentum going forward.


ABOUT THE HAWKS: Johan Petro’s move into the starting lineup and the extended use of Ivan Johnson off the bench in the center spot allowed Horford to focus on the offensive end in Game 3. Petro returned home to Miami on Sunday for the birth of his child but is expected to be back in time for Monday’s game. The rotation change also benefited Kyle Korver, who struggled going up directly against George in the first two games as the starter but was free to focus more on the offensive end off the bench and knocked down a pair of 3-pointers. The 54-30 halftime lead marked the franchise record for the fewest points allowed in the first half of a playoff game, and included a key play that Atlanta’s players pointed to after the game. Horford was taken down by a flagrant foul in the second quarter and point guard Jeff Teague rushed to his defense, shoving Indiana forward David West and refusing to back down.

Petro starting allows the Hawks to matchup in the frontcourt nicely and rebound strongly. Josh Smith moved to the 3 spot to take on George and it opens up the game for Horford at the 4 to attack the glass, which he can do against West. George had much more difficulty in Game 3 as a result of this small lineup alteration.

Removing Korver and his defensive liability from the starting lineup cannot be understated. He is much better suited(in this series) coming off the bench and providing solid minutes.

Yes, Petro is, no doubt, important to the Hawks' rotation in this series. This is a tight 8-9 man rotation for each team, thereby making every player crucial in some regard.