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Philly needs Snow Avalanche warning posted in Indiana for Game 2
Posted: Monday May 08, 2000 04:00 PM
During the regular season, the Philadelphia 76ers ranked No. 7 in both points allowed (93.4) and field-goal percentage against (.435). However, those defensive credentials meant nothing in Game 1, as the Pacers rang up 108 points, shot nearly 50 percent, and got 40-point efforts from Reggie Miller and Jalen Rose. Teammates going for 40-plus in a playoff game had only happened three times before. And two Indiana starters failed to score in the opener -- but they still won by 17. The crux of the Sixers' problems rests with point guard Eric Snow, who suffered a chip fracture of his right ankle in the Charlotte series. On the heart scale, he's a 10. On the mobility scale, he's nowhere near that, and Reggie exploited that fact. Jalen Rose's explosion can be traced in part to playing against a Larry Brown-coached team. He didn't get much run for the Pacers when Brown was at the helm, and hasn't forgotten, while at the same time saying that you've gotta move past that. It would be best for Brown & Co. if that happened quickly. The Sixers received a 28-point opener from Allen Iverson despite a sluggish start, and then he got himself tossed with the game out of reach. Tyrone Hill's 20 point output inside was a plus, and so were Theo Ratliff's four swats. The Sixers out-rebounded the Pacers, but turned it over 13 times compared to the Pacers' 7. Now if Brown could get a little something from Toni Kukoc.... The Sixers go into this game with the same mindset they had in Saturday's opener, and the mindset that every team opening on the road has: Take one of these two, and negate the home court advantage. Unless Snow can find a way to slow down Miller, there could be an Indiana avalanace in the forecast. Ernie Johnson is in his 10th year as the studio host for TNT and TBS Superstation's NBA telecasts, as well as TNT's live coverage of the NBA Draft every June.
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