Indiana has shot below 40 percent from the field in each game this season, yet is off to a 3-0 start. Indy went 0-19 last season when shooting under 40 percent, but the Pacers have a new identity this season under coach Frank Vogel, a hard-nosed approach that emphasizes defense and rebounding.

Gone are the days when the Pacers flung 3-pointers at will — Indiana made just two against the Cavaliers. Indiana had three players with double-doubles for points and rebounds for the second time this season: Roy Hibbert had 17 points and 13 rebounds, David West had 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Tyler Hansbrough added 11 points and 12 boards.

It’s what Vogel calls “smash mouth basketball.” And the Pacers say they are only going to get better.

“When we start shooting over 40 percent, it’s going to look a lot prettier out there, and we won’t have to grind these wins out,” Hibbert said. “Just to be able to do this now is great.”

Part of the reason Indiana has been able to get away with shooting so poorly is the team’s ability to make shots at key moments. Granger shot just 5 of 17 in regulation, but was 3 of 5 in the extra period. On Wednesday against Toronto, Granger made two big 3-pointers in the fourth quarter after struggling throughout the game.

“That’s what Danny does,” Hibbert said. “He makes big shots down the stretch and we follow his lead. David and I try to be defensive anchors, and everything else falls into place.”

George Hill added 15 points for the Pacers.

Irving led Cleveland with 20 points in his best game so far, but missed a layup that would have won the game at the end of regulation. Irving got by his defender and drove the lane for an open shot, but the ball rimmed out, and the game went to overtime.

“I had a great look at it,” the 19-year-old Irving said. “Wish it would have gone down for me and my teammates to get this win, but it didn’t. We fought hard in overtime. We just didn’t come out with the win.”

The Pacers knew they got away with one.

“Irving is a heck of a player,” Vogel said. “Not ‘going to be,’ but right now. He got by our pick-and-roll defense and got penetration to the basket. Fortunately, he missed.”

Irving said he’d learn from the experience.

“I left it all out there in the floor,” he said. “All you can do is leave it out there, play hard, and go to sleep and get better the next day.”

Anderson Varejao added 14 points and 13 rebounds, and Anthony Parker and Antawn Jamison each scored 12 points for the Cavaliers.

The score was tied late in regulation until West made a pair of free throws with 2:12 left to give the Pacers an 82-80 lead.

Irving made one of two free throws to cut it to 82-81 heading into the final minute.

Parker’s 3-pointer as the shot clock expired gave Cleveland an 84-82 lead with 17.5 seconds left. Indiana, with no timeouts, immediately went into its offense. West nearly lost the ball, regained control, drove and dropped in a floater with 4.4 seconds left to tie the score.

Granger took over in the extra period. He hit a layup while closely defended by Alonzo Gee. Jamison’s 3-pointer was blocked by West, then Granger hit a 3-pointer from the left corner to put the Pacers up 93-87, and Indiana maintained its lead from there.

The Pacers led 70-61 at the end of the third quarter. Cleveland made just 4 of 18 shots and committed seven turnovers in the period.

Hill carried the Pacers early in the fourth quarter. He hit a baseline jumper, then converted a three-point play to push Indiana’s lead to 75-64. Cleveland rallied, and a reverse layup by Irving trimmed the Pacers’ lead to 76-72 and forced Indiana to call timeout with 6:40 remaining. The game remained close the rest of the way.

“We took some bad shots, made some bad plays down the stretch, and we added fuel to the fire by giving up layups on the other end and giving Anthony Parker open threes,” Granger said.

Cleveland coach Byron Scott said it was a positive step for his young team.

“We had an opportunity to win the game before the overtime period, but I just loved the way our guys competed, against a team we feel is one of the better teams in the East,” he said. “Our effort was fantastic and something we should be proud of.”

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Notes: Indiana F/C Jeff Foster sat out with a sore lower back. Vogel said he planned to use Foster sparingly early in the season anyway. … Cleveland coach Scott played for the Pacers for two years. … Indiana F Jeff Pendergraph missed the game with a sore right knee. … The Pacers failed to make a 3-pointer in the first half and Cleveland made just one. .. Cleveland G Daniel Gibson left the game in the second quarter with a sprained right ring finger. He returned in the third quarter. … Cleveland’s Samardo Samuels fouled out with 9:25 remaining.

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Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – Danny Granger scored nine of his 22 points in overtime to help the Indiana Pacers beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 98-91 on Friday night.

Granger shot just 5 of 17 in regulation, but was 3 of 5 in the extra period.

Roy Hibbert had 17 points and 13 rebounds, David West had 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Tyler Hansbrough added 11 points and 12 boards for Indiana. George Hill scored 15 points for the Pacers, who improved to 3-0.

Rookie guard Kyrie Irving led Cleveland with 20 points in his best game so far, but missed a layup that would have won the game at the end of regulation.

Anderson Varejao added 14 points and 13 rebounds, and Anthony Parker and Antawn Jamison each scored 12 points for the Cavaliers.

The score was tied late in regulation until West made a pair of free throws with 2:12 left to give the Pacers an 82-80 lead.

Irving made one of two free throws to cut it to 82-81 heading into the final minute.

Parker’s 3-pointer as the shot clock expired gave Cleveland an 84-82 lead with 17.5 seconds left. Indiana, with no timeouts, immediately went into its offense. West nearly lost the ball, regained control, drove and dropped in a floater with 4.4 seconds left to tie the score.

Irving got by his defender and drove the lane for an open game winner, but the ball rimmed out, and the game went to overtime.

Granger took over in the extra period. He hit a layup while closely defended by Alonzo Gee. Jamison’s 3-pointer was blocked by West, then Granger hit a 3-pointer from the left corner to put the Pacers up 93-87, and Indiana maintained its lead from there.

The Pacers led 70-61 at the end of the third quarter. Cleveland made just 4 of 18 shots and committed seven turnovers in the period.

Hill carried the Pacers early in the fourth quarter. He hit a baseline jumper, then converted a three-point play to push Indiana’s lead to 75-64. Cleveland rallied, and a reverse layup by Irving trimmed the Pacers’ lead to 76-72 and forced Indiana to call timeout with 6:40 remaining. The game remained close the rest of the way.

Indiana has shot below 40 percent from the field in each game this season. Indy went 0-19 last season when shooting under 40 percent.

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Notes: Indiana F/C Jeff Foster sat out with a sore lower back. Coach Frank Vogel said he planned to use Foster sparingly early in the season anyway. … Cleveland coach Byron Scott played for the Pacers for two years. … Indiana F Jeff Pendergraph missed the game with a sore right knee. … The Pacers failed to make a 3-pointer in the first half and Cleveland made just one. .. Cleveland G Daniel Gibson left the game in the second quarter with a sprained right ring finger. He returned in the third quarter. … Cleveland’s Samardo Samuels fouled out with 9:25 remaining.

Read More: George Hill (G – IND), Kyrie Irving (G – CLE), Indiana Pacers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Cleveland Cavaliers at Indiana Pacers, Dec 30, 2011 6:00 PM CST

The Cleveland Cavaliers are coming off of a convincing road win against the Detroit Pistons and have a chance to win another in Indiana on Friday night.

Behind strong shooting from inside the arc, the Cavaliers have a 47-45 lead after the first 24 minutes.

While the Cavs have a two-point advantage at the break, they are shooting just 57-percent from the line and 1-of-9 from long distance. The Pacers outscored the Cavs 8-5 in the final 2:50 of the first half, too.

The No. 1 overall pick in last year’s draft, Kyrie Irving, leads all scorers with 12 points on 6-of-8 shooting with two assists and two rebounds for the Cavaliers. George Hill is the leading scorer for the Pacers with 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting off the bench.

For more on the Cleveland Cavaliers, go to Fear The Sword. You can also head over to SB Nation’s main NBA hub at SBNation.com/NBA.

Overall. the Cleveland Cavaliers looked good Wednesday night, Dec.28. Not only did they pull off a 105-89 win on the road, six different players scored in the double digits. But, just like the opening game was not clear indication of how the season will go, this game can not accurately predict the future. Despite the solid performance, they did have a bit of a headstart on this team having already faced them twice in the short and rushed preseason.

Regardless, as a fan it was great to see the team, working as a team. The bench truly stole the show from the starters, and no one minded. The depth of the team was great to see.

The bench contributed 56 points, 23 rebounds and 15 assists. While rookie, Tristan Thompson, put up 10 points and four rebounds, it was even better to see Kyrie Irving more comfortable on the court. Irving racked up 14 points, had 7 assists and four rebounds in under 20 minutes of playtime. Some fans were worried about Irving, but he proved his worth Wednesday night against the Pistons. This young recruit needs to acclimate himself to the NBA and his position and it seems he is well on his way. He certainly played more confident.

“It was definitely a different feeling,” Irving said. “Last time I wasn’t really enjoying the game. I love the game so much and the first time I wanted to be so serious, wasn’t joking around, no smile on my face. Tonight, it was about having fun.”

Although the Cavaliers had 21 turnovers, Coach Byron Scott is not complaining. They defended well, kept a handle on the easy baskets and outrebounded the Detroit Pistons, 40-26. Nothing to complain about there.

“On the defensive end, we were so much better, so much more aggressive from start to finish and that’s exactly what we talked about,” Scott said. “When you play defense like we did tonight, it seems like the offense is easy.”

More by Sylvie Branch:

Cavaliers Lose Opener 104-96 Against Toronto Raptors, Does Not Decide Season: Fan Report

Top Five Cleveland Cavaliers Moments of 2011

Cleveland State Part of the Top 25: Fan Reaction

Sylvie Branch is a die-hard Cleveland sports fan who is perpetually holding out for the day her teams do not break her heart!

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