Mike Dunleavy: Who is This Guy?

The Pacers won yet again tonight at Memphis, and remain undefeated at 3-0. 121 points is some serious offense, even when it comes against the Grizzlies‘ pathetic defense. Still, the bigger story here (no, not Colts-Pats X) is Mike Dunleavy. He scored 27 tonight, his all-time Pacers high. Just take one glance at his season stats, and you’ll realize this isn’t the same player we saw last year…

"22.3 points, 9.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists"

He’s in the perfect system with the perfect coach, and that’s given him both his confidence and his stroke back. He finally is starting to resemble the standout Blue Devil from back in the day. Hopefully, Dunleavy has grown up and escaped the demons of Golden State to become the player many of us thought he would be when he was drafted with a high lottery pick.

Danny Granger chimed in with 23 points, and Jamaal Tinsley (25-6 assist-to-turnover ratio on the year) and Jermaine O’Neal (+20!) also came up big. I was serious when I called them The Big Four, and it looks like they are serious about it, too. Ike Diogu and Kareem Rush were also big difference makers.

• Box Score – NBA.com
• Inside The Game – Pacers.com
• Pacers 121, Grizzlies 111: Undefeated Start Continues – Indy Cornrows