Despite pain, Pacers look to gain

INDIANAPOLIS -- The next field goal Indiana's Fred Jones makes in the best-of-seven, first-round playoff series against the Celtics will be his first.

Jones, who averaged 10.6 points during the regular season while shooting 42.5 percent from the field, missed all nine of his field goal attempts as the Celtics and Pacers split the first two games in Boston. And he also missed all five of his field goal attempts in Indiana's final regular-season game.

Jones spent extra time practicing his shooting yesterday as Indiana completed its final workout before tonight's Game 3 in Conseco Fieldhouse. He also got some advice from Pacers coach Rick Carlisle.

"We told Freddie that he's got to continue to play the game and take shots that are there," Carlisle said.

Jones is one of Indiana's walking wounded, battling a fracture at the base of the index finger on his right hand.

"He's obviously in pain, but we have to strike a certain balance as a team and we need everybody to be armed and dangerous," Carlisle said. "It is important that Freddie keeps playing and takes shots that are there and be a solid force at the defensive end."

Indiana's reserves were outscored, 14-6, in Game 2.

"We need all the resources we can get in terms of trying to put points on the board," Carlisle said.

Jones has had two of his fingers taped together to protect the injury, but isn't sure if he will continue the tape job for Game 3.

"Any injury on your shooting hand is something that is going to affect you. I feel like I don't have the power in my hand to control the ball at all aspects," he said. "That's going to be a problem, but I'll deal with that."

Meanwhile, Carlisle said an MRI on the left knee forward Stephen Jackson injured Monday was negative "in terms of structural damage" and that Jackson would try to play tonight.

Jackson, Indiana's scoring leader in the series with 45 points, did little during yesterday's practice.

"He's going to try and play. This thing is going to be treated symptomatically and he's going to have some pain because there is some irritation in there. We're hoping that he will feel better and start," Carlisle said. "He's very sore and really didn't do anything in practice [except shoot]. We really had to hold him out of everything, including walkthrough stuff."

Jackson is the only member of the team to have won a championship ring, having made a significant contribution with San Antonio two years ago. He joined the Pacers this season as the heir apparent to Reggie Miller's role at shooting guard, and averaged 18.7 points in a season limited to 51 games by his 30-game suspension following the Nov. 19 brawl in Auburn Hills, Mich.

"He's made big shots in the first two games and been doing his best to make it hard on Paul Pierce," Carlisle said. "It's a difficult matchup and the prospect of him not being able to play at full capacity has us concerned."

Also planning on playing is forward Jermaine O'Neal, who proclaimed his injured right shoulder "all right" in response to several questions about his condition.

The Pacers defeated the Celtics, 106-96, in their only regular-season meeting here, and Game 4 of the series will be here on Saturday.

"We knew we weren't going to win the series unless we won a game on the road. Now we have to take care of home court," Carlisle said. "Boston is such an explosive team. They've been a very good road team, especially in the later stages of the season. We know we can't beat them unless we play a really precise game and have the loudest building in the league. We're going to really need the help of our fans."

O'Neal said the team realizes the importance of the game.

"If we lose, it defeats what we did [Monday]. We want to come in and control the tempo, have them score off us in half-court sets, and put the body on them. If we can do that, we have a chance of winning."