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INDIANAPOLIS -- When the Indiana Pacers needed a lift. Paul George stepped up. All over the court, over and over again. George had 27 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, and the Pacers used a big second-half run to rally for a 101-85 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series. George Hill scored each of his 15 points in the second half, helping top-seeded Indiana earn a split of the first two post-season games at home. George also had four steals and blocked a shot while helping keep Hawks point guard Jeff Teague in check. "Thats why he was in the MVP conversation early," Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. "He always does those types of things, guarding the best perimeter player, rebounding the ball, deflecting the ball. His hands were all over the place. It makes him one of the most complete players in the game when he plays like he did tonight."" The Pacers sure needed it. For seven weeks, Indiana heard everyone question its fortitude, team chemistry, even whether it was worthy of a No. 1 seed. The complaints grew louder after Saturdays 101-93 loss. George and his teammates spent the next 72 hours seeking solutions and defiantly insisting they would be OK. On Tuesday, they finally reverted to their early season from. Indiana limited the Hawks to 33 second-half points and dominated the third quarter. Next up is Game 3 on Thursday in Atlanta, where the Pacers have only two wins since December 2006 -- though one of those closed out last years first-round playoff series in six games. "We want to build on what weve got going," Indiana forward David West said. "We want to continue to be aggressive. We know theyre going to play better at home, but were going down there to get back in charge of this series." George was 9 for 16 from the field, including a 5-for-7 performance from 3-point range. He also went 4 for 4 at the line. Perhaps more importantly, he managed to contain Teague after he burned Indiana for 28 points in Game 1. George wanted the responsibility of guarding Teague, who had seven points in the first quarter and seven more for the rest of the game. "I sat down and it was homework for me, just locking into his tendencies and figuring out where I will get beat or where Im vulnerable against him," George said. "Its a challenge." George was the catalyst, but he had plenty of help. Hill, who had been mired in an offensive funk, made 5 of 6 shots in the second half. Luis Scola, who kept the Pacers close when West got into early foul trouble, finished with 20 points and seven rebounds. The defence that gave up 11 3-pointers in Game 1 and eight more in the first half of Game 2, allowed just two over the final 24 minutes. "Our execution on both ends of the court wasnt at the level we need it to be," Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said. "Give them credit, they were aggressive, they made a lot of plays and our execution, particularly in the third quarter has to be better. Thats what well work on." Indiana appeared to be in trouble when it trailed 38-27 in the second quarter and was still down 52-48 at halftime. But the Pacers stormed into the lead with a 31-13 third quarter. West sparked a 25-2 run with a bank shot that made it 70-65 with 3:20 left in the third. George made a buzzer-beating 3 to make it 79-65 heading into the fourth, and the Pacers scored the first eight points of the final period. "If thats what it took for everyone to understand how close this team is, thats what it was," George said. "Weve got each others back and thats what it felt like." NOTES: Atlanta was trying to open a playoff series with two straight road wins for the first time since the St. Louis Hawks swept Baltimore 3-0 in the 1966 Western Division semifinals. ... Defending Indianapolis 500 champion Tony Kanaan attended the game. ... Atlanta outscored Indiana 30-16 in the third quarter Saturday. Cheap Nike Free With Free Shipping . Rajne Soderberg, the director of the Stockholm Diamond League event, said in an email Friday that the ban still holds. Euromeetings, the organization representing Europes top track events, "will continue to recommend that members do not invite athletes who we believe cause disrepute to our meetings and our sport. Discount Nike Free . Dallas also Monday recalled defenceman Aaron Rome from his conditioning assignment with the Texas Stars of the American Hockey League and assigned goaltender Jack Campbell to the AHL squad. http://www.wholesalenikefree.com/ . -- Wes Welker is unlikely to suit up for Denvers game Thursday against San Diego after leaving Sundays win over Tennessee with his second concussion in four games. Nike Free Clearance .com Tour title, closing with a 6-under 64 for a four-stroke victory. The 22-year-old former North Texas player finished at 12-under 268 at Panama Golf Club and earned $112,500 to jump from seventh to second on the money list with $171,500. Wholesale Nike Free . - Gary Kubiak is John Elways No.AUGUSTA, Ga. - Young and old. Even without Tiger Woods, this Masters has a little bit of everything. Twenty-year-old Jordan Spieth is making quite a bid to become golfs youngest major champion in more than 80 years with three straight sub-par rounds in his Augusta National debut. Hell have to fend off 50-year-old Miguel Angel Jimenez and 54-year-old Fred Couples, both hoping to become the sports oldest major champion. And lets not forget Bubba Watson, who stumbled a bit on moving day but will go for his second green jacket in three years from the final group. Spieth, who last year became the youngest PGA tour winner since the Depression at age 19, shot a 2-under 70 on Saturday to share the lead with Watson. "This is the place Ive always dreamt about," said Spieth, who was 5 under for the tournament. "I thought it was a good fit for my game. So far, so good." He has a shot at becoming the youngest major winner since Tom Creavey, just a few months younger when he won the PGA Championship in 1931. Watson had four bogeys on the front side Saturday — twice as many as he had in the first two rounds combined — and slid back to an emboldened group of challengers with a 74. Hell go out in the last group with Spieth on Sunday. "Were pretty good friends," Watson said. "Its going to be fun. It will be interesting, but be fun. Hopefully one of us wins, if not me hopefully him." Matt Kuchar (68) and Jonax Blixt (71) were one shot back at 212. Jimenez (66) and Ricky Fowler (67) were another shot behind. Watson, the 2012 Masters champion, posted two rounds in the 60s to start the tournament, giving him a three-stroke lead and the largest 36-hole edge since Chad Campbell in 2006. By the time he made the turn in front of the historic clubhouse and that big oak tree, the edge was gone. He got it back with a birdie at the 10th, but a three-putt par at the par-5 13th kept things close, another par at the par-5 15th was a disappointment, and a bogey at the 16th left him staggering to the finish. It shaped up to be a wide-open Sunday with Woods on the sideline for the first time in his career, recovering from back surgery. Lee Westwood (70), Jim Furyk (72) and Thomas BBjorn (73) were all in the mix.dddddddddddd And Couples did enough to hang around, managing a 73 that kept him within five strokes of the lead. Watson bogeyed the first hole, then struck a brilliant approach shot that rolled up about 5 feet from the flag to set up an eagle 3 at the second. That would be one of his few highlights. Jimenez posted the best round of the tournament thus far and matched the lowest score ever for a senior golfer at Augusta National. Ben Hogan was 54 when he shot 66 during the third round of the 1967 tournament, and Couples matched it at age 50 during the opening round in 2010. The Spaniard known as "The Mechanic" finished up with a par at the 18th about the time Watson was teeing off at the adjacent first hole, having sliced into a 10-shot deficit by taking advantage of warm, sunny conditions. There was barely a hint of the swirling breezes that can make Augusta so treacherous. Jimenez has never won a major championship but hes been a perennial contender, capturing a new generation of fans with his unique stretching routine before each round, his red ponytail, and his fondness for wine and cigars. "Just because you are 50 does not mean you cannot play golf," said Jimenez, one of six 50-and-older golfers to make the Masters cut. "Im still flexible. I hit the ball longer than ever." His wasnt the only new entry in the Masters record book. Gary Woodland matched the lowest score ever on the front nine with a 6-under 30, and actually got his score to 7 under with another birdie at the 10th. But the 29-year-old American couldnt keep it going through Amen Corner, where a bogey at the 11th and a double bogey on 12 stifled his momentum. Woodland struggled down the stretch and settled for a 69, which left him at 216. Mike Weir of Brights Grove, Ont., also struggled to a 79 and was well back at 8-over-par 224. Defending champion Adam Scott couldnt get anything going, his chances of becoming only the fourth back-to-back winner in Masters history fading away with an ugly 40 on the front side. He faced a six-stroke deficit heading to Sunday, a daunting challenge with so many players in between him and the lead. But plenty of others were ready to seize the spotlight. ' ' '
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