By InsideHoops.com

The Indiana Pacers visited the New Jersey Nets in a battle of high-ranked Eastern Conference powerhouses. Below are some notes from the evening.

- A decent amount of fans showed up for this huge game, but considering the matchup, it should have sold out. More of you need to get to Nets games. Fortunately, the fans that did come rocked the house. The crowd was totally into the action. Assuming you live in the area, you should have been there.

- It was "Retro Night" in the Continental Arena. Nets players wore retro home white - the unforms that the old New York Nets wore, with a red, white and blue stripe circling around the bottom of the shorts, and a red white and blue stripe, with white stars on top of the blue, running down the left side of the uniform. They look cool. I support the retro look. InsideHoops should talk to a store and get some printed up or something. To all you kids out there, make sure you don't accept any as gifts while you're still playing high school basketball. Unless you're going to jump straight to the pros and know you're going lottery. Then, does it really matter?

- The Nets dancers were looking fine, in ultra-short blue "hot-pants" (that's the actual name of the style) and white shirts. The roller skates were a nice touch, too.

- Upon disagreeing with a call, Kenyon Martin fired the ball into the stands and received a technical foul.

- This is a great matchup.

- Ron Artest appears to be sticking with the bald look.

- In the middle of the 4th quarter, Ron Artest threw a chest-pass to a ref who wasn't looking. The ball bounced off him reasonably hard. After discussing it with the other refs, despite Artest waving his finger while explaining he didn't mean to do anything wrong, a technical foul was called.

- Richard Jefferson had the ball in the paint, rose 185 feet in the air for an attempted layup, but Jermaine O'Neal rose even higher and stuffed him.

- Nets with a 6-point lead with 6 minutes left in the game.

- With 5:30 left in the game, Ron Artest is playing the point, and guarding Jason Kidd.

- Those of you in this area should have gone to this game. It was a playoff-type atmosphere. Well, almost. Considering this is February, it's close enough.

- 4:50 to go, and Artest is still the point. Richard Jefferson is guarding him.

- At 4:30, Artest drove to the basket, got fouled, and crashed into the TNT cameraman who was in a chair just next to the basket. After getting up, Artest made sure to help him up.

- 4:20 to go, Kenyon Martin set a pick that Artest didn't see and crashed into. Half the crowd heard the crash.

- For some reason Brad Miller is doing a lot of standing in 3-point range in this quarter. To draw the defense away, obviously. But still.

- Artest to the line with the Nets up 8 and 3:20 left. Makes one, misses the second. But he steals it one second later and lays it in.

- I don't mean to focus this entire late-game summary on Ron Artest, but the last few minutes really have centered around him.

- With 3 minutes to go, the Nets are up by 5.

- Reggie Miller gets the ball in 3-point range, fakes, steps a bit closer, nails it.

- Kidd answers. Nets by 5 with 2:20 left.

- Kidd is scoring bundles of points this quarter. Bundles.

- Every Indiana play is starting with Brad Miller in 3-point range at the top of the key.

- Nets by 8, 1:50 left. Ron Artest is still playing point. And he just hit a 3. Nets by 5.

- Every team needs a Ron Artest. Nets coach Byron Scott stated the obvious a while back, that every team would love to have that kind of player. He puts his heart and soul on the floor. He plays almost every night as if it's a playoffs game 7. It would rock if more "role players" fought this way on such a consistent basis. Unfortunately for Indiana tonight, Artest did mess up and get called for a flagrant foul in the 2nd quarter and a technical foul in the 4th. Such silly things detract from what he provides.

- With 55 seconds left it's Pacers ball, down by 5. Time-out.

- The crowd had been going nuts all night, but during this time-out, they sort of forgot to go nuts again. Fortunately, the public-address announcer reminded them that they are the sixth man, and their services are needed. Yay!

- The Nets pulled off the win. Great game.

- Jason Kidd? A mere 18 points in the 4th quarter, 26 in the second half and 31 for the game. To go with 12 assists and 9 rebounds. Amazing. It's his 20th double-double of the season.

- The Nets are now 37-18, and an astounding 25-3 at home.


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