Things Indiana Pacers Should NOT Say by Deron Butler

See this goofy looking guy in the picture? This is Frank Vogel, head coach of the Indiana Pacers. Just today, the Pacers head coach made a comment regarding the Miami Heat and their upcoming series in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals in which Vogel said that "It'll be very interesting to see how the referees officiate the series and how much flopping they reward." Judging from that goofy smile on Vogel's face, there is nothing to grin or joke about. Vogel's Pacers had just defeated a Dwight Howard-less Orlando Magic in 5 games but just imagine if D12 were effective for the Magic sans his back injury, the Pacers would've been eliminated and an afterthought on top of that. Vogel shouldn't be making jokes at this stage in the playoffs and if you remember reading my last post about how Miami should not undermine their opponents, well, Indiana has proven that even your opponents can undermine the most daunting of challenges and could possibly make themselves look the most embarrassed amongst their peers. 

In addition to Vogel's comment about the Heat being the "best flopping team ever", Pacers center Roy Hibbert chimed in by saying "We didn't do it the easy way. It took time. We didn't do this by signing a couple of superstars."  Well excuse us, Mr. Hibbert if you don't approve of how Miami's system of success to solidify themselves as contenders for the NBA Championship. Miami may not be Indiana as far as destination and pitch wise for a player of high caliber to play amongst the lights, sights and sounds of the big city but the one thing you can't take away from a team is how hard they practice and mold together to form a team worthy of winning championships. While I do admire Indiana for their hard work to climb to the top of the Eastern Conference but to bash another team for their way of doing things beyond the court is just wrong. Why not take that up with Pat Riley, who knows success and opportunities when he sees them. The Heat host the Pacers this Sunday at 3:30pm on ABC and for homework, I want you to see how long you can hold in your anger regarding Vogel's comments about the Heat and if you manage to hold it in until Sunday's game, use it for a positive by cheering for the Het in the most excitable and most raucous way imaginable. I'm Deron Butler telling you that it's best to be seen and not heard. 

Next up: The Indiana Pacers by Deron Butler

After defeating the New York Knicks in 5 games, the Miami Heat now move on the semi-finals, where they take on the Indiana Pacers. You may be laughing to yourself right now thinking about Indiana Pacers  and saying to yourself "what good players do Indiana have"? Well, before I answer your question, allow me to instruct a little history lecture for ya. Back in the 2004 NBA Playoffs, after the Miami Heat defeated the then Eastern Conference team New Orleans Hornets in 7 Games, Miami had to face the Indiana Pacers (yes, when they had Reggie Miller) in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals. The Pacers had swept the Boston Celtics at that time and were looking to do the same to Miami. The Pacers took the first two games of that series in Indianapolis but once the series shifted to Miami, The Heat tied the series but afterwards Indiana took the next two games, eliminating the Heat but losing to the eventual NBA Champions that year in the Detroit Pistons. Since that time, Miami has won its first championship and brought forth big stars like Shaquille O'Neal and Gary Payton to LeBron James and Chris Bosh while Indiana had to say goodbye to Reggie Miller after 18 seasons with the team and looked for a new hope in Danny Granger. Now that we got that history lesson out of the way, and to answer you question about what good players Indiana have, the Pacers have Danny Granger, George Hill, Paul George, Tyler Hansbrough, and Roy Hibbert. While those names may not sound all that daunting, keep in mind that this Indiana Pacers team not only defeated a Dwight Howard-less Orlando Magic but were also placed third in  the Eastern Conference Standings during the regular season. And during that regular season, Miami has defeated Indiana 3 games to 1, which would mean Miami would win the series over Indiana but again, that was the regular season and this is the playoffs, where injuries are always occurring and at any moment boiling emotions can turn into a fisticuffs. For Homework, I want you as Heat fans to not rest on your laurels. Just because we got past one stage against a rival team, doesn't mean it's time to celebrate. Again, this is the playoffs and anything can happen. Let's remind ourselves of what happened last year's NBA Finals and not make the same mistakes and not to underestimate the Pacers or any team thereafter. I'm Deron Butler, telling you that our celebrations are temporary but our work and determination are always mandatory.