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Tinsley, Jones queried in fraud probePacer guards Jamaal Tinsley and Fred Jones were both interviewed by a police detective at Conseco Fieldhouse Tuesday as part of a fraud investigation at a Northwestside store, writes Tom Spalding of the Indianapolis Star. The players were seen with a man suspected of twice using an unauthorized credit card at a local Best Buy. The suspect purchased $1,300 and $2,600 worth of stereo equipment during shopping trips and gave the players the impression he could get them discounts on equipment bought at the store, but the authorities know little more about the situation. "It's unknown what their relationship was with the suspect," said Indianapolis Police Department Sgt. Russell Burns. Neither player was named on the report of the theft. Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets Pacers' methods irk Spurs coachIs anyone expecting a Spurs-Pacers NBA Finals? If so, then the verbal war has already begun. Spurs coach Greg Popovich blasted the Pacers on a San Antonio radio show for the way the team campaigned for Ron Artest to be named the Defensive Player of the Year, which he won. Popovich claimed that Artest was not in the same league defensively as his player Bruce Bowen, Artest's teammate on the All-Defensive team. "Bruce guards the best player on the other team almost every single night," Popovich said when comparing Bowen and Artest. "Artest doesn't do that. Artest just looks the part. He looks like a big, tough guy. He whacks and gets knocked out of the game once in awhile. But that's not the Defensive Player of the Year." Artest wasn't appeciative of the comments made by Popavich, saying that if the championship coach had something negative to say about him he could say it to him personally instead of involving the media, thus tainting what he has earned. "All he'd have to do is call the Pacers' office and ask for my phone number, and he could speak to me instead of going to the papers," Artest said. "It's taking a lot of positive away from it. He could talk to the Pacers and call me, and let me know that I didn't deserve it, so I don't have to hear it from you guys." But Popovich wasn't done yet, criticizing the statistical data compiled by two Pacer officials that showed Artest allowing players he's guarding only 9.4 shots and 8.1 points per game. "What a bunch of baloney," Popovich said on the radio show. "Totally unsubstantiated stats put out by Indiana. The media bought it and then the NBA printed those stats. I am amazed by that . . . but the coaches know." Pacers coach Rick Carlisle campaigned hard for Artest to win the award, asking two of his video guys to go through the tape from the season extracting out every defensive play Artest was involved in. This took the two employees over a week to compile, and formed the basis of Carlisle's argument for Artest being the most deserving. Bowen had finished fourth in the voting for Defensive Player of the Year behind Artest, Ben Wallace of the Pistons and Theo Ratliff of the Blazers. "I understand where Pop is coming from," Carlisle said. "He has a strong belief in his player, and obviously, I have a strong belief in mine. I don't believe he'd have made some of those comments had he known they were going to show up the next day on the Internet (on the radio station's Web site). "One thing I'll agree with Pop on is that the coaches' vote is the most important vote. And in the coaches' vote, Ron was clearly the highest vote getter. So it really should make any of the other arguments moot on who the best defensive player is." Artest was supportive of Bowen's talents, even going as far as fantasizing what life would be like having Bowen as a teammate. But then the competitive juices started flowing... "If I had a defender on my team as good as Bruce, I would play nothing but offense, score more points, make first-team All-NBA and win the MVP trophy," Artest said before reconsidering. "Actually, I do have some guys like that on my team. "I think what would be a good thing is to ask the other players around the league about me and Bruce. Ask the other players who they respect more. I'm not taking anything from Bruce. He's a great defensive player. But ask the guys we play. I do it both ways. Ask them who can guard you and then come back at you on the other end. "I love the award. And I believe I deserve it. I worked hard." And if there are still any doubts as to who is the true winner? "We can play one-on-one," said Artest. "I'll play for the award. We can go one-on-one and see what happens." Indiana Pacers, San Antonio Spurs Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets Walsh has special feeling about teamAre the Indiana Pacers the best team left in the playoffs, both Eastern and Western teams included? The Pacers are starting to make people believers, having grown from a team which was too young into a powerful unit with terrific leadership. Donnie Walsh, the Pacers GM who built this team, believes this team is one which the people of Indianapolis can have high hopes for. "I would say this: This is a team that's worth Indianapolis getting excited about now," said Pacers CEO Donnie Walsh. "I haven't said that all year because I know you've got to prove yourself. But I really feel that way about this team." "We had to take those learning steps," Walsh said. "The first two years, we were an eight seed playing teams that went to the NBA Finals, and we were 22, 23 years old. Last year, we fell apart and we know that. So I think we got that behind us. "But we've gotten great coaching from Rick (Carlisle). He brought in exactly at the right time what they needed, and that's structure and routine. They've bought into it, and we've got 15 guys who are really together." The Pacers were so dominant against the Boston Celtics, the team which eliminated them in the opening round last year, that they became just the second time in NBA playoff history to complete a sweep and win every game by 10 or more points. The last time this happened was in 1980 when the Celtics beat the Rockets. The Pacers, however, know that their job is not done yet. "There's no champagne bottles popping in here," Jermaine O'Neal said. "I don't want to just go to the (NBA) Finals. I want to win in the Finals." Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets Pacers Apr 2004 Archive
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