This pales in comparison to Paul George’s high-flying act on tuesday, but pretty nice nonetheless.
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Minnesota Timberwolves
There was a mini-dust-up between Danny Granger and Kevin Love late in the third quarter during Indiana’s 109-99 win over Minnesota earlier tonight. It was most likely one of those “he-did-he-thought” things. Love clearly reached out and smacked Granger with his arm extended and also sorta grabbed Granger’s shoulder while he was fouling him and lost his balance. But Danny, not having eyes in the back of his head (as anyone who has seen him pass can attest … ZING), thought Kevin was doing it more-on-purpose than he likely was. Perhaps he was up to something a little more nefarious. Love said it was a “hard foul.”
Either way, nobody was harmed, Danny yelled, Love just sorta stood there, Michael Beasley and Frank Vogel rushed over, and nothing really happened. But then something did happen.
Granger, who was already having a whale of a third quarter (15 points in the period up to that point), scored 14 more points following the fracas as his team pulled away. And he was ultra-physical and aggressive while waging his little one-man army campaign in a way that you know he was all sorts of charged up. As the philosopher Billy Hoyle once prophesized, Danny, unlike most guys, seems to play better when he’s mad.
After the win, Roy Hibbert wanted to make sure the rest of the NBA knew that Love had erred in his ways. So as a word of advice, he took to Twitter let everyone know they shouldn’t make the same mistake of angering his captain.
Great win tonight. Lesson to the league don’t get @dgranger33 mad. Y’all been warned!!
So take that to heart, league. You’re on notice about getting Danny Granger mad, according to Roy Hibbert.
The foul that started it all.
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After the Pacers beat the Bulls in Chicago last week, Derrick Rose took exception to Indiana’s over-exuberance in celebrating the win. “I can’t wait to play them again,” he said, vowing revenge. Pacers Coach Frank Vogel later jabbed the Bulls back with some words, which my mom told me, unlike sticks and stone, can never hurt me. Thus, a sorta-feud was born.
Now, another young, usually mild-mannered NBA All-Star is lashing out at the team from the Hoosier State after getting beat on his home court. Look at how much Kevin Love doesn’t like the Pacers. (My emphasis added)
“I’ve said all along,” Love said, “I don’t like the Pacers.”
Love and Pacers forward Danny Granger almost came to blows with 23.7 seconds remaining the third quarter after Love was whistled for a foul and Granger approached him aggressively.
Players bumped into each other, with Michael Beasley and Martell Webster helping separate the pair. But like just about every fight in the NBA, it was all talking and no punching.
“I know that none of them were going to do anything,” said Love, who finished with 21 points. “Just play ball. It’s part of the game — a hard foul, everybody is getting fouled out there.”
The escalating feud between the two teams extends back to last season, when they split a pair of physical contests with each team winning on their home court.
“(They think) they are so tough,” Love said. “They take those pills and they got all that toughness. I don’t know where that comes from. They all think they are tough guys. I just don’t know where that comes from. It just blows my mind. They are all tough and that makes me laugh.”
The teams won’t play each other again until April 16 at Indiana, but it appears Love is already looking forward to it.
“I guarantee the next time we play them, it will be just as physical,” he said.
I’m not sure what pills he is referring to but he is clearly an authority on who is and who is not a tough guy. He has a scraggly beard and all, you know.
UPDATE: Danny Granger responded to Kevin Love on Twitter.
In response to @kevinlove’s “pacer toughness” comments… We don’t act tough, we just play hard. If we have to be tough then we will be…
In addition to wins, these Pacers sure are racking up the feuds.
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I went to watch Liam Neeson fight wolves last night and, I must, say, they looked a lot tougher than these ones from Minnesota. Moreover, by besting the Timberwolves 109-99 in Minnesota — without even fashioning Freddy Kruger claws out of mini liquor bottles — Indiana improved to 9-5 (.643) on the road this season. There is only one NBA team that has won on the road at a better clip: the Oklahoma City Thunder (with the Chicago Bulls being Indy’s equal).
The Pacers were dominant defensively in the first two quarters, holding the Wolves to a staggering 31.9% on 15-for-47 shooting. They couldn’t capitalize and create any real separation, however, as they only shot 41.9% themselves, turned the ball over 9 times, gave up 7 offensive boards and lost the FTA battle (only 10 vs. 13, but still). They went to the locker room up 45-41. The bench was again miserable (3-for-10 shooting) and Danny Granger couldn’t hit anything (2-for-8).
But things soon turned around for the team — and especially for Granger — in the second half. Danny started getting to the line, getting to the rack and sticking threes to put the Pacers up by as many as 10 late in the third quarter.
Then things got really interesting.
After Granger grabbed an offensive board, Kevin Love grabbed his shoulder and, seemingly because he was off-balance, sorta yanked Danny backwards. Mr. Granger was none too pleased and got right in Love’s face, hooting, hollering, mean-mugging and even putting his hands up into Kevin’s torso with a little push. Despite Michael Beasley rushing over, cooler heads prevailed and the only fallout was a technical foul for Danny. Granger got some free throws of his own for the foul on Love and calmly knocked down his 16th and 17th points of the quarter to keep his team up 8.
The lead ballooned up to 14 in the fourth. The Wolves managed one last run to bring it close but, as it turned out, their bark was … worse than their bite. I’ll be here all week. No seriously. The Pacers play, like, seven games in the next three days. See what this compressed schedule is doing to us bloggers? Did you read that “joke”?
Good night.
Here is how each guy played individually tonight. Agree? Disagree? Express your thoughts below in the comments or yell at me (@8pts9secs) or Tim (@TimDonahue8p9s) on Twitter.
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David West - 24 MIN | 5-14 FG | 2-2 FT | 8 REB | 12 PTS Another uneventful game for West, who sat most of the 2nd half. He was 4-for-9 at the half but only made 1 more of the 5 shots he took afterward. Get excited. Still, near double-double in limited time. |
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Danny Granger - 41 MIN | 9-19 FG | 13-15 FT | 7 REB | 36 PTS Best game he’s played this year and I can’t recall the last time he played better. Point total speaks for itself but 15 FTAs is the real story. Had 29 in the second half and got downright ornery after a near-scuffle with Love that earned Danny a tech. |
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Roy Hibbert - 35 MIN | 6-9 FG | 3-4 FT | 9 REB | 15 PTS You know this guy has become a true force when he finishes with 15 and 9 on 6-for-9 and 3 blocks and I’m like “Oh, yeah, I guess he was a little more unstoppable than normal.” |
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Darren Collison - 33 MIN | 7-12 FG | 5-5 FT | 6 REB | 9 AST | 20 PTS Overshadowed by Granger’s excellence/theatrics but perhaps the best statistical game he’s played in a Pacer uniform. More importantly, he owns this team at this point. So much good decision-making all game. |
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Paul George, SG 19 MIN | 4-6 FG | 4 REB | 1 AST | 10 PTS Was in foul trouble a lot of the night but played fine when he was in there. Didn’t really need him though. |
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Dahntay Jones - 20 MIN | 2-5 FG | 1 REB | 1 AST | 4 PTS Yup. |
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Louis Amundson - 10 MIN | 1-3 FG | 1-4 FT | 2 REB | 3 PTS He had much more effect on this game than the numbers show. Just mucked everything up in a good way and got two offensive boards in succession when the Pacers were pulling away. |
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A.J. Price - 15 MIN | 1-7 FG | 3 REB | 1 AST | 2 PTS Wasn’t good. |
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Tyler Hansbrough - 27 MIN | 3-8 FG | 5 REB | 2 AST | 7 PTS Pissed off Love more than anything else and it looked like all the bumping, shoving, pushing and general annoyance — which West started and Roy and Lou helped with — took Kevin out of his rhythm at times. |
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Lance Stephenson - 15 MIN | 0-1 FG | 0 REB | 0 AST | 0 PTS Also wasn’t good. |
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* This recap was edited to reflect Granger’s accurate 3rd quarter point total. I counted wrong before. It also was changed to reflect that the Bulls, unbeknownst to me, and ESPN’s standings page, lost in Philly last night.
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