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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Not yet, Lakers. Not in Indiana's house. Not
when the Pacers were shooting like they were in their own back
yard.
SUMMING IT ALL UP
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Quote of the Night
"We heard about the parade they had planned. But that won't be tomorrow."
-- Jalen Rose on the Lakers' celebration.
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Rose |
ESPN.com's Report Card
When a team makes 15 of 20 field goals in the first quarter and overall shoots a sizzling 58 percent, you know there are going to be some high grades, and there were. When the other team has only one player scoring more than 11 points and makes 40 percent of its shots, you know there are some bad grades ahead. So you may not be too surprised when you click here for our comprehensive Report Card for Game 5 and check out the grades as we break down everyone's game.
Why the Pacers won
Determined to not watch a celebration on their floor, the Pacers shot the lights out early and never really relented. With two main guns shooting the ball, Jalen Rose made up for his bad Game 4 and Reggie Miller continued to be the emotional leader on a team that looked kind of dead the day after the previous loss. The Pacers took care of the ball, with only nine turnovers through three quarters, hit their threes (10 of 20 overall) and made sure that Shaq was the only Laker doing any damage. Of course, Kobe helped them in that regard, but after what he did in Game 4, nobody really feels sorry for the kid now, especially in this town.
Why the Lakers lost
Did the Lakers want to lose this one, deep down? You wouldn't be alone if you suspected this team, which had issues closing out every other series in these playoffs, really wanted to win the Finals at home. Of course nobody would admit it, least of all Phil Jackson, who still thinks a playoff loss teaches his team something. It was probably better that the Lakers were blown out; they didn't seem to care a whole lot, as they did what they set out to do in taking a game here. If Kobe Bryant doesn't miss 16 of 20 shots, who knows, this game goes to the wire, the Pacers tense up -- it might be a different ending. But the Lakers showed no well-placed emotion at all, and they get the chance to settle matters at Staples.
Number of the Game
This number is doubly significant. It's the number of shots that not only Kobe Bryant missed in his back-to-earth game after everyone figured he was the new Michael, but also the number of misses for the four-man bench. While Kobe was 4 of 20, the previously valuable quartet of Robert Horry, Rick Fox, Derek Fisher and Brian Shaw was 3 of 19, with only Horry making a shot. So five players shot 7 of 32 combined. Tough to overcome that, eh? |
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Final Word: Austin Croshere
"I think they certainly had an opportunity. They had us down on the mat, and they let us up tonight. Our confidence definitely grows from here. They've shown a little bit of a history of letting teams back into the game. They were up 3-1 on Portland, and Portland was up by 16 in the third or fourth quarter of that Game 7. If we can come out and play with the sense of urgency we had tonight in Game 6, this series could be far from over."
So what do you think?
We went from one of the greatest games in recent Finals memory to one of the biggest and most surprising blowouts. Are the Pacers really back in the series, or did the Lakers want to win this thing at home? And what is your impression of Kobe Bryant now, after this outing? Tell us what you think of Game 5 of the NBA Finals by clicking here.
Our final word from Indy
Goodbye, Indiana, hello again to Los Angeles. Goodbye to vibrant crowds that never gave up and were crazy loud before the game even started. Hello to that annoying song about loving L.A. and constant camera shots of Jack and Dyan and others. What's your pleasure? Sure, these two cities that are hosting the Finals are about as different as you can get. We're sure Lakers fans will come out in full force to watch their squad go for its first NBA title since 1988 on Monday night, but will they be heard? It may make a difference in the outcome of the game, though everyone is pretty sure the Pacers have no chance to win the series. Just a thought, but wouldn't it be something if the series goes seven? Even if it doesn't, we saw it all here in Indiana.
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Led by Jalen Rose, the Pacers took control early and never let
up, keeping the Lakers' championship plans on hold.
Starting 6-for-6 on 3-pointers and hitting 75 percent in the
first quarter, Indiana manhandled Los Angeles 120-87 Friday night
in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.
This was the night when a new dynasty was supposed to have
dawned and the coaching career of Larry Bird was expected to end.
But it was immediately clear that there would be no finality coming
out of these finals just yet.
The Pacers were simply not ready to quit, not even close, and
handed the Lakers their most lopsided loss of the entire season.
"We're a team that plays better when our backs are against the
wall, and 3-1 was a big wall," said Rose, who went 12-for-18 and
scored 32 points. "We just need to take it one game at a time and
see if we can get this thing done."
Indiana ran its offense to perfection, creating open shots that
almost never missed. The outburst hit the Lakers like a sucker
punch to the gut, knocking the wind, energy and smarts out them
before they knew what hit them.
"We have absolutely nothing to lose and everything to gain,"
said Reggie Miller, who scored 25 points. "We just need to let it
all hang out. We've got a long way to go."
A four-point play by Miller turned a five-point lead into a
nine-point lead just seven minutes in, and three 3-pointers by Rose
helped the Pacers score 39 points in the first quarter -- their best
of the postseason.
The lead was 19 at halftime, shrunk to 13 in the third and then
grew to 25 early in the fourth as Miller stood at the line and sank
four straight foul shots -- three for being fouled on a 3-pointer
and one for a technical foul on Derek Fisher.
Indiana, which shot 57 percent from the field, led by as many as
33.
From there, it was only a matter of running out the clock and
getting ready for the series to continue.
Indiana trails 3-2 in the best-of-seven series. Game 6 will be
Monday night at Los Angeles and Game 7, if necessary, will be
Wednesday.
"We had to make a statement from the beginning that we were not
going to roll over. We wanted to go back to California," Indiana
guard Mark Jackson said.
Pacers forward Austin Croshere said his team was "going to
leave everything on the court."
"If this was going to be our last game we were going to give it
everything we had," he said.
Shaquille O'Neal led Los Angeles with 35 points and 11 rebounds,
but no one else did much of anything positive. Worst of the bunch
was Kobe Bryant, who followed up his Game 4 theatrics and a day of
Michael Jordan comparisons with an abysmal 4-for-20 performance.
Instead of looking for his shots within the offense and letting
O'Neal carry the load, Bryant too often tried to freelance and take
over the game by himself.
"Kobe was game for it, but he just didn't find the rhythm out
there to play with," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said.
Jackson had lauded Bryant before the game, saying he's
"probably a better player at 21 than Michael was at 21."
But Bryant was a model of immaturity this time, and the result
was an array of off-balance clankers, twisting misses and puzzled
looks from his teammates.
No team has ever come back from a 3-1 deficit in the finals, but
the Pacers look to be a strong candidate to be the first.
They still need to win two straight in Los Angeles -- making it
three straight overall -- against a team that hasn't lost more than
two in a row all season. But if they can shoot as well as they did
Friday and take the Lakers out of their game plan early, who knows?
|  | | Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant didn't seem to enjoy themselves in Game 5 in Indiana, but they still hold a 3-2 lead in the series. |
"We knew this was going to be a difficult game," coach Jackson
said. "We shot 45 percent in the first half, they shot 61. Their
shooting really had us in a quandary, and in the second half they
beat us on the boards and got to the line.
"We're still in the driver's seat; we're not in a situation
where we need to panic. We need to play with more energy and in
control. We need precision and execution."
Before the game, Jackson said he found it a "mystery" as to
how to keep his team from being overconfident.
"There's a natural excitement that you can feel about this
team," he said.
Just a couple of hours later, that mood had turned to
frustration.
The Pacers wanted to get off to a fast start to avoid having to
play from behind, and they couldn't have started much better.
Shooting 15-for-20 in the first quarter, Indiana led 39-28 after
12 minutes.
Miller and Rose scored 11 apiece, although the Lakers shot 52
percent themselves to stay within striking distance.
O'Neal took a two-minute rest early in the second, and Indiana
seized upon his absence to begin a 7-2 run ending with a 3-pointer
by Rose for a 46-32 lead.
Travis Best hit back-to-back jumpers and Rose reached 22 points
on a fastbreak dunk and a reverse layup for a 54-35 lead, which
Rose followed with a nifty defensive play as he swiped the ball out
of Ron Harper's hands on a breakaway.
"I understand we have what it takes to beat L.A., but it does
nothing to talk about it," Rose said. "I was going to shut up and
play."
Indiana's lead reached 20 late in the quarter, and it was 64-45
at the half as Rose had 22 and Miller 18.
The Pacers went up by 21 early in the third before the Lakers
made their run, pulling within 13 on a driving layup by A.C. Green.
That, however, would be as close as they would get.
Bryant picked up his fourth foul in the middle of an ensuing
10-4 run by Indiana, then picked up his fifth with 1:44 left in the
quarter. Mark Jackson hit both foul shots for an 84-65 lead, and
Indiana's advantage stayed at 19 heading into the fourth.
"It was a great win," Rose said. "Had they beaten us by 33,
we would have been written off. So we'll see what happens. They're
still in control, we're still the team that has fire.
"We know California will be ready to celebrate. We heard about
the parade, but it won't be tomorrow."
Game notes
Best, who was questionable with a bruised shoulder, showed
no ill effects as he played 10 minutes and scored 5 points and
added three assists. ... O'Neal shot 1-for-6 at the free throw
line, lowering his accuracy rate in this series to 41 percent. ...
Chris Mullin and Zan Tabak of Indiana and Devean George and John
Salley of the Lakers scored their first points of the series during
extensive garbage time. ... The Lakers previous worst loss was by
29 in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals against Portland.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
LA Lakers Clubhouse
Indiana Clubhouse
Complete coverage of NBA Finals
Frozen moment: Miller's sparks cool the Lakers
X factor: The"other" dynamic duo saves Indy
Kobe's Jordan impression wore off
RECAPS
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Reggie Miller dishes to Jalen Rose for the jam to finish the break.
avi: 406 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Reggie Miller knocks down the open 3-pointer.
avi: 450 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Jalen Rose steps up his game with a 3-pointer and a dish to Reggie Miller in the paint for the layup.
avi: 795 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
ESPN's Dr. Jack Ramsay breaks down the Pacers' Game 5 victory.
RealVideo: | 28.8
ESPN's Dan Patrick talks with Indiana's Austin Croshere.
RealVideo: | 28.8
ESPN's Dan Patrick sits down with Game 5 MVP Jalen Rose.
RealVideo: | 28.8
 Reggie Miller says the Pacers have to establish their game early in Game 6.
wav: 396 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
It was a wake-up call Rick Fox and the Lakers did not want.
wav: 133 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Reggie Miller says Indiana controlled the boards in Game 5.
wav: 264 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Kobe Bryant had trouble guarding the can't-miss Pacers.
wav: 88 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Reggie Miller says the Pacers were on a roll in Game 5.
wav: 366 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Larry Bird is unhappy with Mark Jackson for getting a technical foul.
wav: 181 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Larry Bird says Kobe just missed shots Friday.
wav: 147 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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