"We have to be the aggressors tonight," Pacers coach Nate McMillan was saying before the Pacers met the Los Angeles Clippers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse Sunday evening. "We can't be playing the game on our heels. We have to be on our toes and everything has to be going forward."
And so there was Al Jefferson, chasing after Lavoy Allen's missed shot in the corner of the court in front of the Pacers bench early in the second quarter and diving on the floor to retrieve the ball and call timeout to preserve the possession. To be more specific, there was nearly 32-year-old Al Jefferson, all 290 pounds of him, diving on the floor for a loose ball that wasn't all that crucial to the cause, establishing the mood for the Pacers' 91-70 victory over a team that had lost just three games.