NBA 2011 Playoffs: Darren Collison and the Indiana Pacers Lead into the 2nd Half

The first quarter was all Indiana. Derrick Rose some concentrated efforts to keep the Bulls in contention to win Game One of this first-round series. However, the Pacers closed out the quarter with a 27-23 lead.

The Indiana Pacers are not a team that most Eastern Conference contenders are threatened by, but should they be?

No. Defensively, Chicago was out of sync early on.  The decision to go under the high pick and rolls have proven difficult because referee Joey Crawford called even the most minor fouls. The officials have a heavy burden on their shoulders, especially in the postseason.

However, players should always watch their temper and body language around Crawford, because he will call the technical fouls to get you ejected from the game.

Heading into the second quarter, the Indiana Pacers kept up their pace. Their shots were not rushed and they stayed true to the simple offensive plays that got them the lead in the first place.

Rose wriggled his way through the defense to draw a few fouls and help the team close the lead, but Tyler Hansbrough’s mid-range efforts kept the young team sitting on a lead against the overall No. 1 seed in the league.

Then, there was Rose. Rose's play will decide how deep his team's postseason run will be.

The Darren Collison matchup against the speculated MVP of the regular season is interesting to watch. As fast as Collison has proven himself to be at times, he has no chance of ever gaining catching up to Rose on a sprint to the basket. Collison made a great effort to contain and limit him, but Rose has the body control and acrobatics of a circus freak.

Danny Granger’s comments about his desire to play the Bulls instead of the Celtics in his first-round series of the playoffs was thought to be bulletin board material for Chicago. But the Bulls currently lack the focus that they had throughout the regular season.

Boozer’s three fouls in the early part of the second quarter played a role in the Pacers' ability to force the perimeter offense from Chicago.

Each team had their runs, but Indiana pushed the ball and closed the first half with a 55-51 lead.

Derrick Rose: 18 points, 1 rebound, 3 assists, 2 blocks

Darren Collison: 15 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 1 block