Indiana Pacers Blog – Page 64 – NBA Blog

Danny Granger on how his jumpshot improved

Indiana Pacers swingman Danny Granger is an All-Star, and has made his strides in improving his shooting ability. Here’s what he said Friday at NBA All-Star weekend:

Question: How did you improve on your jump shot? It’s clearly gotten better.

Danny Granger: I had surgery on my shoulder in my junior year and I started altering my jump shots to make them more efficient. And my rookie year I changed them, just to fine‑tune, and it has been helping me.

Question: So you changed it twice in two years?

Danny Granger: Not dramatically. I don’t know if anyone else would be able to really tell other than myself, but I actually did change it.

Question: What did you change the second time?

Danny Granger: A lot of times I was shooting the ball with all my fingertips. Actually, I’m better shooting off my palm I found. I’m much more accurate with it.

Pacers plan on renegotiating arena lease

The Indianapolis Star (Jeff Rabjohns) reports: NBA commissioner David Stern expressed confidence professional basketball would remain in Indianapolis but stopped short of saying he was certain it would. The Indiana Pacers have the right to renegotiate their Conseco Fieldhouse lease after this season, and plan to do so. The team has lost a reported $7 million the past two seasons, but co-owner Herb Simon told The Star at the end of January the amount is more than that… The Simons pay the cost for operating Conseco Fieldhouse, estimated at $15 million. The Capital Improvement Board pays the operating costs for Lucas Oil Stadium, which it says were $27.2 million in 2008.

No surprise Danny Granger is All-Star

The Indianapolis Star (Jeff Rabjohns) reports: Several fellow All-Stars said they were not surprised Danny Granger has become an All-Star. Denver guard Chauncey Billups worked out with Granger in Las Vegas over the summer. “He’s stronger than people think. He’s long. He can score. He can shoot it from anywhere. He can post up and score. He puts it on the ground pretty good. He’s a difficult cover,” said Billups, the former Detroit Piston in his fourth All-Star game. The 6-9 Granger entered All-Star weekend sixth in the league in scoring, behind LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Kobe Bryant, Dirk Nowitzki and Kevin Durant. “Danny’s been doing it for a while now. We played against each other in college when he was at New Mexico, and now he developed a great confidence and his teammates have that confidence in him,” said New Orleans star and Wake Forest product Chris Paul. “Every night, you expect 30 from Danny, and that’s the way you become an All-Star.”

Jefferson scores 32, Bucks beat Pacers 122-110

The AP reports: Ramon Sessions scored 15 points and added a season-high 17 assists, and Richard Jefferson scored 22 of his 32 points in the second half, leading Milwaukee to a 122-110 win over Indiana on Wednesday night. Milwaukee (26-29) tied its win total from last season and improved to 2-1 without starters Michael Redd (knee), Andrew Bogut (back) and Luke Ridnour (thumb). Sessions is averaging 28.3 points per game and 12 assists in the starting role… Troy Murphy scored 23 points and Jack had 21, but Indiana fell short again after a wild win over Cleveland on Tuesday night because the Pacers allowed the Bucks to shoot 53 percent.

Pacers notes

Positive-leaning Indiana Pacers team notes:

A leading candidate for the NBA’s Most Improved Player Award, Danny Granger is on course to become the first player in NBA history to improve his scoring average by at least five points a game in three consecutive seasons. Granger is fifth in the NBA this season with an average of 25.5 ppg, which is nearly six points per game more than his average (19.7) of a season ago.

Including 4-5 on his way to a team-high 18 points vs. Cleveland, Feb. 10, Troy Murphy has shot 24-45 (.533) from 3-pt range in his last nine games. Murphy has made a career-best 99 3-pt field goals this season.

With an average of 11.5 rpg, Murphy is fifth in the NBA, and he is the only player ranked in the top 20 in both rebounds and 3-pt field goal accuracy. Murphy’s 43.0 percent from long range is 13th best in the NBA.

With their win over Cleveland on Tuesday, Feb. 10, the Pacers became the first team in the NBA this season to post a win against each of the four teams (Boston, Cleveland, the Lakers and Orlando) with the best winning percentages in the NBA.

The only Indiana player with more steals than turnovers, Travis Diener has accumulated 14 steals and committed just 10 turnovers in his 33 appearances this season. Diener leads the team in assists-to-turnover ratio with 77 assists and 10 miscues (7.70:1).

This weekend Danny Granger will not only make his first appearance in the NBA All-Star game on Sunday, but he will also participate in the 2009 Foot Locker 3-pt Shootout during All-Star Saturday in Phoenix, Feb. 14. Granger joins the NBA’s all-time 3-pt field goals king, Reggie Miller, as the only Pacers’ players to participate in the 3-pt Shootout. Miller took part in the long distance shooting competition five times, finishing second in 1990 and 1995.

Players union files grievance regarding Tinsley

The Indianapolis Star (Mike Wells) reports: The NBA’s Players Association took the first step in trying to resolve point guard Jamaal Tinsley’s situation when it filed a grievance on his behalf Tuesday against the Indiana Pacers. Tinsley’s agent, Raymond Brothers, said last week they planned to file the grievance because he wants the Pacers to trade, release or buy out his client. Tinsley was barred from the team before training camp. He will make more than $14 million in the final two years of his contract, which expires in 2010-11. Pacers president Larry Bird said they have no intention of buying out Tinsley’s contract.

LeBron scores 47 but Pacers beat Cavs 96-95

The AP reports: LeBron James scored 47 points, had seven rebounds, four assists and had the Pacers crowd oohing and aahing all night. So, of course, he also made the decisive play — for the wrong team. James was called for a foul with 0.2 seconds left on Danny Granger, who hit a free throw to give Indiana a 96-95 victory over the Cavaliers. James started walking toward the locker room before the final buzzer sounded… Troy Murphy led the short-handed and nicked-up Pacers with 18 points. Granger, playing with a sore knee, finished with 16. Indiana also was without three key players—Jeff Foster, Mike Dunleavy and Marquis Daniels.

Jim O’Brien: LeBron better than Kobe

LeBron James enters tonight’s game averaging 28.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 7.1 assists, the third season he has topped 25-7-7. He had his 20th career triple-double taken away last week when he was incorrectly given a rebound in his 52-point, 11-assist, nine-rebound performance against the New York Knicks. “He’s the best player in the league,” Pacers head coach Jim O’Brien said. “I don’t even know if it’s close right now. Certainly, Kobe Bryant is a great player and there are other great players in the league. But he is so big, so strong, so quick, so good off the dribble and so powerful, when he’s hitting 3-point shots, he’s unguardable.”

Butler leads Washington to 119-117 win over Pacers

The AP reports: Caron Butler scored 15 straight points, including a game-winning 18-footer at the buzzer, as the Wizards edged the Indiana Pacers 119-117 on Sunday night… Danny Granger led Indiana with 29 points, while T.J. Ford added 23 and Troy Murphy had 18 and 10 rebounds… Through the first three quarters, Antawn Jamison kept Washington afloat with a season-high 34 points, but he missed both his shots in the fourth quarter. Fortunately for the Wizards, who recorded just their 11th win against 40 losses, Butler more than made up for him.

Dalembert rocks, Sixers beat Pacers 99-94

The AP reports: Samuel Dalembert had 18 points and 20 rebounds, and Miller and Iguodala also had double-doubles to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a 99-94 win over the Indiana Pacers on Thursday night… “We have to rally around each other and go out there and pick up our play on both ends of the floor,” said guard Willie Green, who had 23 points… Miller had 13 points and 12 assists, while Iguodala had 20 points and 11 assists to help the Sixers snap a two-game losing streak… Dunleavy led the Pacers with 21 points, and Danny Granger and Jarret Jack each scored 18 as Indiana dropped its third straight. Murphy had 15 points and 14 assists.