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Indiana Pacers forward Paul George (24) shoots between Washington Wizards forward Nene from Brazil (42) and Washington Wizards forward Drew Gooden during the second half of Game 4 of an Eastern Conference semifinal in Washington, Sunday, May 11, 2014. The Pacers won 95-92. / The Associated Press
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WASHINGTON -- They played and they played and they played some more, the Indiana Pacers starters getting deep on the odometer, playing 35 to 40 minutes well into the fourth quarter.
And why wouldn't they? Coach Frank Vogel would look down his bench and regard it like a child looks at broccoli. The Indiana bench was outscored by Washington's reserves 32-2, the Wizards buoyed by coach Randy Wittman's move to a smaller bench lineup.
So it was up to the Iron Five, the guys who have carried the Pacers the past few years, to take this series by the throat, coming back from a 19-point deficit and gutting out a 95-92 Game 4 victory.
• Up to Roy Hibbert, who has officially emerged from his funk, changing the game with a block on Marcin Gortat and a three-point play on the other end. Somebody needs to take the big man fishing after he played 38:42 and guarded the rim like a precious jewel.
"I feel like I played a lot of minutes; I'm tired,'' he said. Then he broke into a broad smile. "But it's a good feeling. A good tired.''
• Up to David West, who played his typically efficient game. He deserves a nap after playing 43:51, scoring 14 points and adding eight assists and limiting Nene to 10 points.
• Up to Lance Stephenson, who had eight points, nine boards, six assists and — oops — six turnovers, and locked down Trevor Ariza after the Wizards guard had a big first half. He played 41:03.
• Up to George Hill, who once again outplayed, or at least played the electric John Wall to a standstill. He played 37:29 and once again looked like the best point guard in this series.
• And then, of course, it was up to Paul George, who was Reggie Miller-esque with his greatest-ever postseason performance -- 39 points and 12 rebounds. This is where stars are made. For a couple of months, George was a star, a guy who belonged in the MVP conversation, only to trail off in the later months. But he's made his bones in these playoffs, putting up consistent numbers against the Hawks and almost single-handedly winning this Game 4 while A) playing 46:23 and B) guarding Washington's sharp-shooting Bradley Beal.
"Just a special performance,'' Vogel said.
Somewhere, Uncle Reggie was smiling.
This is what really good, really mature and playoff-tested teams do when they have an inexperienced team on the ropes: They step on their neck, just the way the San Antonio Spurs did by dispatching the Portland Trail Blazers in Game 3 one night earlier. They don't get flustered, even when they're trailing by 19 points, even when they're struggling from the free throw line, even when they're turning the ball over and allowing the Wizards to run like Usain Bolt throughout an ineffective and ugly first half.
The Pacers have been here before, having made four postseason runs with this group.
The Wizards, who have been irrelevant for years and years, are first-timers to this party.
And you could tell.
"I actually think experience is a big deal, a big factor,'' Vogel said. "I think experience in the playoffs gives you confidence. Having been there gives you confidence. Not just overall experience, but experience as a group. This group has been there. (The Wizards) have an incredible young nucleus and veterans who've been in the playoffs, but they haven't all been together as a unit.''
Some of us thought the Pacers were hopelessly broken -- did I pick the Wizards in six? -- but they've showed something else entirely in this last week: Once again, they look unified and playoff tough, poised to reach the Eastern Conference finals and maybe beyond.
The question down the stretch of Game 4 was this: Would the Iron Five have the legs necessary to hold off the Wizards? Would they have the energy after playing major minutes in a game when Luis Scola, C.J. Watson and Evan Turner provided nothing but misery? The bench did a nearly-perfect job of losing this game. They got run out of the building by a 12-0 Wizards run to start the second quarter, a run led by octogenarians Drew Gooden, Andre Miller and former Pacer Al Harrington.
But the Iron Five saved the day.
On Sunday night, Indiana got greedy. The Pacers could have settled for the road split when they fell behind by 19 points. But they also knew they take back control when the Iron Five was out there. They knew if they stopped turning the ball over, they could limit the Wizards in transition. After giving up 18 first-half fast-break points, the Wizards had none in the second half.
The reasons for the sea change in this series has been self-evident: It's been the resurgence of Hibbert that has made all the difference. He had 17 points, nine rebounds and two blocked shots and one crotch grab – not on the stat sheet -- that was directed toward a leather-lunged heckler sitting near the Pacers bench.
"That guy woke me up,'' Hibbert said of the fan. "He said I was tired. He was saying a lot of obscenities. I'm a God-fearing man, so I'm not going to go ahead and say what he was saying, but it was the usual heckling. But know what? He got me going, and I let him hear it. I don't usually do that, but he woke my butt up.''
Now, this sleeping giant of a Pacers team appears to have finally awakened after its months-long slumber.
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