He led the way for the bench once again as they helped put this game away in the third quarter and played all the fourth quarter. The Pacers in the second half scored 35 points in the third quarter and 33 points in the fourth quarter. This coming in the third game of a back to back to back, so who says this team was tired and needed to rest? They will need all the rest they can get before Monday’s night game against the Heat. Hopefully some of these stats will show up in that game.

They will need to play just as physical in that next game with the Heat as they were last night. There was some confrontation between Tyler Hasbrough and Mike Dunleavy, which led to a double technical. This led Hansbrough to getting the ball afterwards and pushing his way to a basket. It was one of those moments you knew he was going to score. But this is definitely indicative of the smash mouth basketball that the Pacers keep saying they want to play. Grabbing 49 rebounds helps prove that point home.

What a good win to finish up the week for the Pacers as they finish this week 3-1, and that could have been 4-0 after that tough loss to the Suns on Friday night. But no time to look back, and time to look ahead to tomorrow’s night tangle with the Heat. This is the same Heat team that’s blown out the Pacers twice, but then got taken to overtime by the Pacers in their last meeting. So who knows what might happen in this game? A Pacers win is all that matters to me. And if the Pacers can play this tough brand of basketball like they have been playing, there’s a good shot they can muscle their way to a win.

Mike Dunleavy has done a lot of good for his career with the Indiana Pacers. The team’s guard/forward has returned this season after injury, and has been playing well as he fits great with Jim O’Brien’s system. Dunleavy enters free agency this off-season and O’Brien really wants him to stay.

“One hundred percent absolutely (I want Dunleavy back),” O’Brien told The Indianapolis Star. “I would hate not to have an opportunity to have him on our basketball team.”

Dunleavy has taken a chunk out of the team’s cap space, with $10.6 million per year. Dunleavy will have to take a pay-cut, or leave. O’Brien may also leave, too, as he is on the last season of his contract.

Really, I wouldn’t be surprised or worried if these two end up leaving.