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Now we’ve got Carmelo Anthony saying basically the same thing, only in his case he’s unlikely to even earn a date with the Jordan of this era, LeBron James. “I still believe we are the better team," Anthony said when he again failed to produce in the clutch and the Knicks fell to the Pacers on Tuesday night, 93-82. “We are not playing at that level right now." New York Daily News

Indiana Pacers, New York Knicks, Carmelo Anthony 

“We just stay level-headed. We don’t get too high, we don’t get too low,” said Pacers All-Star Paul George. “When teams go on a run, we do a good job in staying together, not calling other guys out. We’re a family here. Everybody’s on the same page.” NBA.com

Indiana Pacers, Paul George 

Start with lots of George Hill, who did his best work of the night in that crucial third quarter stretch. “I tell George all the time, he’s just as good as any point guard in this playoff run right now,” Pacers All-Star Paul George said. “He plays at that level, we’ve got a chance to go far.” New York Post

Indiana Pacers, Paul George, George Hill 

DiLeo began the search for a coach that included names such as assistants Mike Malone (Golden State) and Brian Shaw (Indiana) as the leading candidates. But Hinkie said that although they will remain possibilities, the new chief has some others in mind. "Those names weren't my names, but I won't throw them out out of hand," said Hinkie, who spent eight seasons with the Houston Rockets, the last two as the team's assistant general manager. "That's just not the way I operate. I have a list of guys that I think are interesting. I'd like it to grow and I'd like to solicit the ideas of others. I don't believe that all the ideas come from one person. I believe the opposite, in fact. Philadelphia Inquirer

Golden State Warriors, Indiana Pacers, Coaching, Brian Shaw, Mike Malone, Sam Hinkie 

Roy Hibbert: I know we live in Indiana. But this should not be happening outside of a fine dinning restaurant. GOAT!!!! pic.twitter.com/xgp82vtpYS Twitter @Hoya2aPacer

Indiana Pacers, Roy Hibbert 

Indiana Pacers associate head coach Brian Shaw has been contacted by the Detroit Pistons to interview for the team's head coaching job, according to a source with knowledge of the situation. wxyz.com

Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, Coaching, Brian Shaw 

Chris Herring: Indiana's Vogel: "The beauty of this team is that we don't really adjust to other teams. We do what we do." Twitter @HerringWSJ

Indiana Pacers, Frank Vogel 

Metta World Peace: Paul George is playing well. Never knew he was that good. Thumbs up Twitter @MettaWorldPeace

Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Lakers, Paul George, Metta World Peace 

You have the life of luxury. You work one day a week during the regular season. But how much do you think about running a team in the front office? Reggie Miller: All the time. It would have to be the right situation (and), for me, the only situation I know is Indiana. Those competitive juices always flow. During the regular season, not so much because it’s only one day a week. It really picks up come the end of March and April when the playoffs are about to start and we have a lot of games. That’s when my blood starts to boil and I start to sweat a little bit more. I’m in the action because every possession means something. That’s when I think I could possibly do that. Again, it’ll have to be the right situation. We’ll see. I’m not going to broadcast forever. I’ll probably want to do something else in basketball, which will probably be running a team or at least helping run a team. Indianapolis Star

Indiana Pacers, Reggie Miller 

Ira Winderman: NBA confirms East finals will not start earlier than Monday. If Heat-Bulls or Knicks-Pacers go six or more, East finals open next Wednesday. Twitter @IraHeatBeat

Chicago Bulls, Indiana Pacers, Miami Heat, New York Knicks 

Still, when informed of Hibbert's All-Defense snub, frontcourt mate David West shook his head and said, "He didn't? No comment, man." New York Daily News

Indiana Pacers, Roy Hibbert, David West 

Small forward Paul George, who was named to the second team, called Hibbert "the best center, defensively, guarding the rim, easily…If I made it, he should've made it." New York Daily News

Indiana Pacers, Paul George, Roy Hibbert 

Jackson's long relationship with Brian Shaw, the Indiana Pacers assistant regarded as a top head-coaching candidate, also could factor into the search. Pacers president of basketball operations Donnie Walsh has said he would prefer his assistants not interview for other jobs during the postseason, but if Jackson happens to mention to Shaw that he thinks Detroit might be a good fit, and Dumars happens to agree, then the unconventional association between Jackson and the Pistons could pay substantive dividends. Booth Newspapers

Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, Phil Jackson, Coaching, Brian Shaw, Donnie Walsh, Joe Dumars 

Scott Agness: Roy Hibbert on being left out on the All-defensive teams: “Nobody cares about big dog!” Twitter @ScottAgness

Indiana Pacers, Roy Hibbert 

“I had a rough beginning of the season offensively. I didn’t start off the way I wanted,” Hibbert said. “I relied on my defense. Toward the end of the season, my offense started picking up and my defense was still solid and I said to myself, ‘I can start peaking toward playoff time.’ ” New York Post

Indiana Pacers, Roy Hibbert 

But before that peaking, more apologies. “It was too much,” said teammate David West, one of the guys who told Hibbert to quit apologizing. “Nobody’s going to play perfect every night. He was having an impact on the game defensively. He was just putting too much pressure on himself offensively. “He worked his way out of it. He didn’t complain. He was just mature about it. He wasn’t blaming the offense and how plays were being run, he took it square in the chest.” New York Post

Indiana Pacers, Roy Hibbert, David West 

David West, the Pacers’ acknowledged locker room leader and vital power forward, becomes a free agent at the end of the season. Without question, losing the 32-year-old guru would be a blow to a team that appears to have such a promising future. Pacers’ management officials want to keep him, and believe they’ll be able to afford him, but what about West? Would he chase a larger contract elsewhere? Pacers.com

Indiana Pacers, Free Agency, David West 

“I’ll address that at the end of the season and focus on finishing this year as best as possible,” he said Saturday after contributing 11 points and 12 rebounds to the Pacers’ 82-71 victory over New York at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. “But I love it here, love this group of guys, this environment, love the core group that we have. This group only has room to get better.” Pacers.com

Indiana Pacers, Free Agency, David West 

Does he expect the franchise to be able to pay him his market value, whatever that turns out to be? “I don’t know,” he said. “I haven’t given it much thought. Just trying to make sure I focus on finishing this year as well as we can. I’ll just deal with all that when it’s time to deal with it. When it’s on the table, we’ll eat.” Pacers.com

Indiana Pacers, Free Agency, David West 

Indiana Pacers center Roy Hibbert had the best playoff game of his career on Saturday, and very nearly followed it up with the greatest press-conference fashion statement of all time. When the big man took to the podium after the game, he began by explaining that he almost wore a monocle until teammate Paul George talked him out of it. For The Win

Indiana Pacers, Paul George, Roy Hibbert