"It's a credit to Frank and his staff," Granger said. "Granted, we still have some problems, and we had some problems along the way, but with the time they had to rehaul the team and do things differently, I think they did a great job."
The Pacers needed a win and a Charlotte loss to Orlando to clinch a playoff berth. As the Pacers' game ended, the Orlando-Charlotte game was in overtime, and the Conseco Fieldhouse staff put the game on the Jumbotron. Many fans stayed to cheer to the Magic on to a 111-102 win.
Vogel was thankful when his bold prediction became reality.
"I'm just really, really happy for a lot of people," he said. "I'm so happy for our fans. It's going to be a fun ride."
Vogel took over for Jim O'Brien, who coached the team for 3 1/2 seasons. Pacers veteran Jeff Foster said O'Brien deserves some of the credit.
"He's [Vogel] a disciple of O.B.," Foster said. "I have the utmost respect for O.B., and I'm sad that he's not around to get a chance to experience this with us, because this was his goal as well, and he's built this to where we are now."
In other games:
* At Miami, John Salmons scored 17 points, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute added 14 points and 12 rebounds, and even while being officially eliminated from postseason contention, the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Heat, 90-85. The loss knocked Miami (54-24) a half-game back of Boston in the race for the No. 2 seed in the East.
* At Oklahoma City, Kevin Durant scored 29 points, Russell Westbrook added 26 and the Thunder clinched the Northwest Division title by beating the Los Angeles Clippers, 112-108. The Thunder won the first division crown for the franchise since 2005, when they were known as the Seattle SuperSonics.
_ At Dallas, J.R. Smith broke a tie in the final minutes with a layup and immediately followed with a jumper, lifting the Denver Nuggets to a 104-96 victory over the struggling and shorthanded Mavericks.
