Gästebuch » Fremantle didnt kick their first goal -

INDIANAPOLIS - There are a few common denominators between the Indiana Pacers and the reigning champion Miami Heat, with the number of similarities growing each day. Both teams were conference finalists a year ago, both clubs have an unmistakable identity that defines them, both play unselfish, defence-first basketball and in the last four days, both have reminded the Raptors how far they are from competing at their level. For Toronto, Fridays meeting with the still undefeated Pacers came to an unofficial end before most of the home teams fans could make it back to their seats. As good as the Raptors looked in the first half and as hard as they worked to look that good, Indiana reclaimed what was, as they knew it, rightfully theirs in less than three revealing minutes. "We knew they were going to come out and throw their best haymaker at us," Dwane Casey said, his team leading by as many as 12 in the first half and holding on to a two-point advantage at the break. Everyone knew they would, because thats what great teams do. Indiana opened the second half scoring 10 straight points, forcing three turnovers and holding Toronto to 0-of-4 shooting. Just like that, Torontos 24 minutes of (mostly) hard work was more than erased and the game was over. You could see it on the faces of players sitting on both benches as Casey was forced to call a quick third-quarter timeout to regroup. The Pacers had been in this position before, more than you would guess though six games this season. There was no panic, there was no time for sulking. They knew they had it. The Raptors body language spoke louder than words. They knew it was only a matter of time now. "[There are] no moral victories in this one," Kyle Lowry stated and Rudy Gay echoed minutes later. "We lost." The Pacers matched a franchise record - previously set in 1970-71 as an ABA team - winning six straight to begin a season. They havent allowed a team to score more than 91 points or shoot over 40 per cent. They havent scored 100 points, but they havent needed to. "I dont know if the history of [it] is as [important] as the fact that we have to lead on our goal," Pacers coach Frank Vogel said before the game. "And our goal is the number one seed. Were off to a good start and we all understand the importance of each game when our goal is so high." Theyve trailed at halftime in five of their six games, but it hasnt mattered. When youre a team as good as the Pacers, you can afford to bide your time. The Raptors learned that from the Heat on Monday when the defending champs started Torontos losing streak. The Pacers sent them home with that same effortless spanking, extending the Raptors skid to three and reminding them why Wednesdays disappointing loss to the Bobcats was so disappointing. They need to take advantage of winnable games because in this league, if youre a middling team, theyre few and far between. "There are no moral victories," Gay repeated. "We want to get this next one, thats it. We have to get this next one. The more we put ourselves in a hole, the more important the next game is and the next game is pretty important for us." The Raptors host the winless Utah Jazz in the second night of a back-to-back on Saturday. Its not a game they can afford to lose. George vs. Gay The match-up at small forward was a fun one in Indiana Friday night. Gay and the Pacers rising superstar Paul George combined for 53 points, 30 per cent of the total offence in the game. Gay - who came into the game struggling, shooting just 34 per cent - was red-hot out of the gate. The Raptors leading scorer looked like the player of old, scoring 14 of his teams 32 first-quarter points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field. He would go on to shoot just 3-of-13 in the second half, finishing the evening with an even 30 points but needing 26 shots to get there. "You can talk about Paul George, but I thought Rudy outplayed him," Casey said. "They won the game, but talking about individual matchups, Rudy played the game hes supposed to play." George was outscored by his counterpart, pouring in 23 on the night, but hardly outplayed with 17 of his points coming in the third quarter when his team needed him the most and the game was ultimately decided. The Pacers all-star forward, who came into the game fifth in scoring, has had at least 21 points in each of his teams six contests. A gifted two-way player, hes every bit the superstar he was paid to be this summer. As George stepped to the line with 11 seconds remaining, he was greeted by a chorus of MVP chants. Although anointing an MVP six games into the season is as silly as it sounds, hes playing at that level and thats the direction the 23-year-old is headed. Hes that good. Learning from the best The Raptors coaching staff, like most teams with young and impressionable big men, have been using the Pacers Roy Hibbert as a model for the 21-year-old Valanciunas. Offensively, the Raptors sophomore centre continues to make strides but, as head coach Casey reminds us, he still has a ways to go on the defensive end. The team hopes he will one day become the anchor that Indianas all-star big man has grown into on both ends of the floor. "He does such a good job of getting deep post position," Casey said of Hibbert, who scored 20 points on 9-of-14 shooting. "Where he got JV last year was reposting, kicking it out and reposting up so on that second one, if you relax at all, all you can do is pray." One technique Torontos staff continues to preach with Valanciunas is something Hibbert has perfected in his sixth NBA season. To stay out of foul trouble and contest shots in the lane, the Raptors want Valanciunas to go straight up, remaining vertical without bringing his arms down in the process. "We give him the respect of calling it the Hibbert play," Casey said of the technique. "Hes one of the best in the league at doing that and thats where JV is getting much better." "Im trying to be like him with that skill," Valanciunas noted. But its not something Hibbert - the leagues early-season shot block leader - picked up overnight, one of the reasons Casey preaches patience with the development of his young centre. "It takes a lot of time," Pacers coach Frank Vogel acknowledged. "Its one of the things I think most of the big men in the NBA are working to achieve now. I think thats the way that Roy has set the model for how its done." Friday was one of those nights that Casey calls a "learning experience" for Valanciunas. One of his roughest of the young season, Valanciunas scored just four points in 24 minutes, committing five fouls and two turnovers. He was out-muscled by Hibbert, beat off the dribble by quicker players, exposed on switches and missed defensive assignments. The Pacers star big man is a good example of what Valanciunas can grow into but he also serves as a reminder that it takes time. MELBOURNE, Australia -- Forward Jack Gunston kicked four goals as the Hawthorn Hawks beat the Fremantle Dockers 11.11 (77) to 8.14 (62) on Saturday to win the Australian Football League championship for the 11th time at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Hawthorn led 5.5 (35) to 1.6 (12) after a fast-paced but low-scoring first half - the first since 1960 to see only six goals scored. Playing in their first-ever Grand Final, Fremantle narrowed Hawthorns lead to 6.5 (41) to 5.8 (38) midway through the third quarter, but late goals by Luke Breust and Bradley Hill allowed the Hawks to hold on and to claim their first AFL title since 2008. Hawthorn were top qualifiers after the regular season and were playing in the Grand Final for the third time in six years. Their end-to-end win -- Gunston kicked the opening goal after 3 minutes, 39 seconds -- allowed them to finally shed a reputation as under-achievers after their upset, 10-point loss to Sydney in last years grand final and their three-point loss to Collingwood in the 2011 preliminary final. They remain the only club to have won at least one premiership per decade since the 1960s, accumulating 11 titles since 1961. A total of 10 Hawthorn players became two-time premiership winners, including Shaun Burgoyne, who won with Port Adelaide in 2004 and superstar Lance Franklin, who kicked one goal in the first quarter in another quiet match. Coach Ross Lyon, who led Fremantle into the premiership decider for thhe first time in their 19-year history, remained without a win in four Grand Finals.dddddddddddd He guided St. Kilda to the premiership deciders in 2009 and 2010, when a replay was needed to find the champion. Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson won the premiership for the second time in his nine-year reign. Gunstons three first-half goals were crucial in a close-fought match, in which Fremantle didnt kick their first goal -- through Tendai Mzungu -- until the 12th minute of the second quarter. By that stage Hawthorn had four goals and Gunston strengthened their position when he followed Mzungus major with his third goal. In a match which was occasionally made scrappy by wet conditions, Fremantle dominated the ruck in the first half through Aaron Sandilands without turning possession into points. Midfielders David Mundy, Nathan Fyfe, Michael Barlow and Stephen Hill led Fremantles strong start to the third quarter when it kicked five of the first seven goals. But Fremantle paid for their inaccuracy, putting four shots out on the full and wasting late chances by kicking 2.4 in the final quarter. Brian Lake won the Norm Smith Medal as the best afield, claiming his first premiership medal after losing three preliminary finals with the Western Bulldogs. Jordan Lewis, Josh Gibson, Grant Brichall and Cyril Rioli, who laid seven tackles, were also prominent for Hawthorn while Fremantle tagger Ryan Crowley kept Sam Mitchell to just 12 touches. ' ' '