Blocked shots are a good thing, in theory, but when they wind up as virtual assists for the other team they tend to lose their gleam. Myles Turner had seven of them in the Pacers' victory over Chicago on Tuesday, but four of them were immediately converted into layups for the Bulls.
They came during a bizarre 1 minute, 46-second stretch late in the second quarter, caused Turner great anguish on the court, and became the first topic of conversation in the Pacers' locker room at halftime. But it also reflected a primary reason the Pacers were able to hold off the Bulls and, in an indirect manner, one of the reasons they've held on to third place in the Eastern Conference.