It took the Indiana Pacers more than four minutes to get on the board in Game 7 on Saturday night, but their first basket was a good omen.

Roy Hibbert, savaged in the media and on Twitter throughout a horrendous series, scored eight of Indiana's first 16 points to help steady an offense that looked shaky early on. Hibbert finished with 13 points, seven rebounds and five blocks in 31 minutes. He had 10 points, seven rebounds and four blocks combined in his previous four games.

Maybe it was Hibbert's effectiveness. Maybe it was the crowd at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Maybe it was the 16-4 run they used to win Game 6 at Philips Arena on Thursday night. Whatever is was -- something woke up the Pacers against the Atlanta Hawks with a date in the semifinals against the Washington Wizards on the line.

The Pacers were the aggressors on only a few occasions through the first six games, but looked engaged for almost the full 48 with their season on the line once again. They had their best defensive performance of the playoffs, allowing only a few open threes to a team that set a postseason record for attempts. They went 11-for-44 in Game 7.

Indiana pounded Atlanta on the glass (55-38) and their aggressiveness on both sides of the ball frustrated the Hawks. The Pacers finally imposed their will, earning an important 29-16 edge in free throw attempts.

The final score, 92-80, wasn't really indicative of how the game was played. Indiana dominated so many moments that it felt like more than a 12-point win, but there is an argument to be made in the other direction. The Hawks shot 25% from three, but seemed to make a few in a row whenever the Pacers flirted with a blowout, always staying within striking distance.

It isn't surprising that, in addition to Atlanta's threes, turnovers kept the Pacers from truly pulling away. They had 18 miscues, but the Hawks rarely took advantage on the ensuing possession. The Hawks had 15 offensive rebounds, including 10 from Paul Millsap, but those came on 64 missed shots.

Paul George, Lance Stephenson and George Hill played great perimeter defense, rotating well and getting out to shooters consistently. That allowed David West and Hibbert to guard the paint. The duo also protected the rim and altered numerous shots. West, Hibbert and Ian Mahinmi combined to block 13 shots. One of those rejections helped swing the momentum towards the home team heading into halftime.

Jeff Teague, who hurt the Pacers with his speed over the two-week battle, had 10 points on 4-for-8 shooting in the first half. He had a shot at the rim emphatically blocked by Mahinmi as time expired in the second quarter. From that point forward, the Indianapolis native had just six points (1-for-8), two assists, two turnovers and three fouls.

The Pacers can only enjoy a collective sigh of relief for a few moments. The Wizards are much more talented than the Hawks and aren't short on confidence. Washington doesn't pose the same crippling matchup issues that Atlanta did, but the kind of performance we saw from the Pacers over the course of these last seven games simply won't get it done in the next round.

If Indiana wants to make their detractors forget about the first round, they'll have to play like they did on Saturday night for the entire Washington series.

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His efforts were largely overshadowed by his team's struggles, but Paul George had a tremendous series against the Hawks. He averaged 23.9 points, 10.7 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 2.4 steals on 45.8% shooting and posted a double-double in six of the seven contests.

George, who turned 24 on Friday, saved the best for last with 30 points and 11 rebounds in the deciding game. He only made one of his eight three-point attempts, but was 10-for-15 from the rest of the field. He seemed to answer with a jumper every time the Hawks made a mini-run.

Vogel Is Rewarded

Frank Vogel said after the win that he was "feeling" for Roy Hibbert, who has become like a member of his family in recent years. While the coach flirted with disaster by sticking with the big man too long throughout a majority of the series, he was rewarded with a strong effort in the most important game of the season.

It's no secret that Hibbert can be fragile. He saw a sports physiologist early in his career and always seems to play at his best when he is most confident. The Pacers even publicly admitted that they felt Hibbert cared too much when he was at his lowest against the Hawks.

For Vogel and Hibbert, what transpired in the final game of the series was a small reward for loyalty.

Hibbert's 13 points were his most since March 31 and his five blocks his highest total since he turned away the same number on March 28. The performance wasn't dominant by any stretch, but it could go a long way towards boosting Hibbert's confidence. He tied with George for the best +/- (16) in the game. 

Millsap Produces Inefficiently

Look quickly and Paul Millsap had a very good night -- 15 points and 17 rebounds. He was Atlanta's best player, but didn't truly get going until the third quarter.

Millsap entered halftime with two points and five boards. He missed his first nine shots before getting on track late. He went 6-for-12 in the second half and ended up with nine points and eight rebounds in the third alone.  

He was a beast on the glass against the taller Pacers as his teammates grabbed just 21 rebounds, but he missed all five of his attempts from deep and needed 21 shots to reach 15 points.