© Brian Spurlock
The Indiana Pacers are up two games to nothing in their NBA Playoffs series against the Atlanta Hawks, but there is still the possibility of five more games to go.
Don’t let the first two games of the series fool you, because there is more to this series than meets the eye. Indiana simply did what they were supposed to do, in games one and two, by holding home court. Now the series switches to Atlanta for games three and four, and it will literally be a whole new ball game.
The Pacers have not won a game in Atlanta since 2006, coming up winless in their last 11 tries away from home against the Hawks. The Pacers have looked prepared and the Hawks have played without passion, but those two things could easily change with a change of scenery. Indiana will have to get over a mental hurdle, if they want to get out of their slump in Atlanta.
Game three of this series will really indicate how the rest of these match-ups might go. If the Pacers can get the win in Atlanta on Saturday night, then they will take a commanding 3-0 lead. If Atlanta can use home court to their advantage, then the tables could quickly turn in their favor. The Hawks don’t want to have their backs against the wall in game four. On the other hand, the Pacers don’t want to head back to Indiana with the series possibly being tied up after two away games.
