Well the good news for Roy Hibbert is that if there’s a team capable of halting the Miami Heat’s championship run, it’s the Indiana Pacers.
The Pacers gave the Heat a good run in last season’s Eastern Conference Finals but in the end came up short. But according to a story courtesy Slam Online via the Indy Star, the Pacers’ stalwart center remains supremely confident his team can knock the defending champs off their perch.
“I want to beat those guys so bad. They’re talking about three-peating. Nah, we’re going to stop that.” And he wasn’t backing down on Tuesday while back in Indianapolis.
“That’s what we’re here to do. This team is built to have a long playoff run and if we do what we’re supposed to do and we see Miami, I think we’re built better for a seven-game series,” Hibbert said before the Indiana Pacers faced the Atlanta Hawks.
Though Hibbert has silenced his public stance on winning the Defensive Player of the Year award, he has no problems in boasting his high expectations for the team. Even if his quote can be used against him in Miami for motivation.
“I was just asked,” Hibbert said, explaining his strong words. “I’m sure if you ask anybody in the East, they want to stop the Heat from winning a three-peat, too. We’re doing everything we can, we’re working but there are other teams we have to worry about first. The Heat’s a very good team so we have to do what we’re supposed to do first.”
It’s almost a certainty these two teams will meet in the conference finals so we won’t have to wait too long to see if the Pacers can walk the walk.