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Danny Granger called it "the perfect miss," and as strange as that may sound, he was right.

Without that tortuous full revolution of the rim, without the spin around, in and out, the ball wouldn't have been exactly where Mike Dunleavy needed it to be when he reached up with his left hand and tipped in the most thrilling shot of the year, delivering a 94-93 victory over New Orleans in front of a frenzied crowd Monday in Conseco Fieldhouse.

"It was the perfect miss, you know?" said Granger with a big grin. "Mike ran in and got his hand on it. A great win for us. We needed that. I thought it was down, but I missed it perfectly."

As will often happen in the NBA, an otherwise sluggish game got really interesting down the stretch with the teams trading the lead eight times in the final 4½ minutes. That the buzzer sounded immediately after Dunleavy's tip was fortunate because had there been any time left on the clock, the way things were going, the Hornets might've found a way to win.

"We just tried to get Danny a look at the end and my guy kind of helped out on him, so I took off for the basket and was hoping if he missed to tip it in and that's what happened," said Dunleavy. "From my standpoint, for 47 minutes and 59 seconds I played terrible but I kind of made it up at the end for my teammates."

Several heroes for Pacers

Dunleavy was the ultimate hero this night but the glory was widely distributed.

Start with Darren Collison and James Posey, who combined for 33 points and 13-of-18 shooting (.722) in their first regular-season game against their former team. Collison gave the Pacers a big lift in the fourth quarter with eight points and a couple of assists before limping out with what proved to be a minor ankle sprain.

"There was a little revenge there," said Collison. "I wanted to play well against my former team. I wanted to beat my former team. … I'm glad James Posey did his thing, too. He's a heck of a player in this league."

Posey hit five 3-pointers, the last of which answered a three-point play from fellow Xavier product David West and put the Pacers ahead 92-91 with 16 seconds left, prompting the crossed-arms X gesture from the usually reserved veteran.

Continue on to Jeff Foster, the second-oldest (to Posey, by three days) player on the roster, who in his second start had 11 rebounds and tied his career high with four blocked shots.

"Mike came swooping in with the tip, the most athletic play he's made all year, and a great Christmas present for the Indiana Pacers," Foster said.

O'Brien intends to make use of holiday break

The Pacers will have six days between games, with their next outing not until Sunday at home against Memphis, but it won't exactly be a holiday break for the players and coaches.

O'Brien plans to make good use of the time. The Pacers will practice Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, so they'll have two days off.

"This is a good time for us to get better at certain things, polish some things, maybe tweak some sets, put in a couple of new sets," he said. "It gives you a chance to rest up some bruises you have but also get better as a basketball team. We'll be a better basketball team as a result of this period of time."

Might it be characterized as a mini-training camp?

"I hate to be a Scrooge, but I'd love to go double sessions," O'Brien said with a smile. "But I'm not allowed."

The whole reunion angle is out the window. That became co-opted during the preseason, when Darren Collison faced his former New Orleans Hornets team for the first time, however unofficial.

For the unofficial record, Collison had 16 points, five assists and seven turnovers as the Pacers won 101-98. Chris Paul had 12 points and eight assists.

That was, however, a long, long time ago.

Collison's journey has been more challenging then he originally expected. Rather than taking the city and NBA by storm in his first full season as a starter, he has struggled at times to adapt to the new coach, new system, new teammates, new style.

Through it all, however, he has kept that electric smile, that positive vibe, that indefatigable spirit. In the process, he has begun to feel more comfortable, more confident, more right.

Improving in important areas

"I think I'm improving," Collison said. "If you look at my last two or three games it's steady improvement and understanding my personnel. I didn't realize how tough it would be just being on a new team. There's a lot of different stuff you've got to get used to as far as the system and your players. I'm getting used to a lot of things right now.

"Hopefully at the end of the season I'll be a much better player. If I continue to do film sessions with the coaches and continue to talk to Jim and continue to just read my guys on my team, I'll be in much better position."

Because Collison averaged 18.8 points, 9.1 assists and 3.5 rebounds while filling in as the starter when Paul was injured last season, expectations for his first season with the Pacers might've been a bit unrealistic. His overall productivity (28.3 minutes, 13.2 points, 4.1 assists, 1.04 steals, 2.17 turnovers) has been solid and his assist-to-turnover ratio has been improving.

"Certainly in college and in the pros he hasn't played up-tempo, so he had to learn to play in that," said Coach Jim O'Brien. "Now he's learning to move within our passing game. At the offensive end, he has to continue attacking the basket but always having what we call a 'soft eye,' meaning that he sees everybody on the court.

"So when he gets the ball and he's driving on the fast break across center court, you'll see Nash or Deron Williams as examples, they will know who's behind them and the teammates left and right. You swivel your head left and right as you bring the ball across halfcourt to make sure that you see trailing open 3-point shooters. He needs to develop the eye so he can see the whole court and know where everybody is at all times."

First official matchup with former mentor

Tonight will represent his first official matchup against Paul. It would be easy to be drawn into an individual duel but Collison must reign in his emotions and run his team.

"This game will be fun but when we played them in the preseason it kind of took all of that out a little bit," Collison said. "But it's still a ballgame we need to win.

"(Paul) He helped me out with a lot of different things. You can look at it so many different ways. At times he was like a big brother to me while I was in New Orleans. And he was like a coach. He helped me out and that was the biggest thing."

It is sometimes difficult to remember Collison is in just his second NBA season. For any point guard, it takes time to emerge as a consistently productive player. For a young point guard in an entirely new situation – with the added pressure of high expectations – the clock seems to tick more loudly.

Make no mistake. Collison's time is coming.

END RESULT
This was a matchup that barely registered a blip on the NBA radar, what with both the Pacers and Cavs entering the night on losing streaks. It might've been a small game for the league but it was big for Indiana. Shaking off some early sluggishness, the Pacers rode 30 points from Danny Granger and a combined 45 from Roy Hibbert, Mike Dunleavy and Brandon Rush to a much-needed 108-99 victory before 12,021 in Conseco Fieldhouse Friday night.

IMPACT
The Pacers snapped a three-game losing streak and improved to 12-13 overall, 7-6 at home. They also improved to 3-0 against the Cavs this season. Cleveland lost its 10th straight game overall and 11th straight on the road and dropped to 7-19 overall, 3-12 on the road.

QUOTEWORTHY
>"We did a lot of positive things. Danny (Granger) was very good and Roy (Hibbert) was a big factor in the second half with blocked shots. Darren (Collison) and T.J. (Ford) had 12 assists and two turnovers between them and got our tempo going." – Pacers coach Jim O'Brien.

>“I went through a stretch there of not shooting the ball well. And in short, I might say I was coasting a little bit. We must stay focused and concentrate on each opponent one at a time.” – Pacers forward Danny Granger.

>“I wanted to make it a point to be aggressive and more alert on both ends of the court." – Pacers center Roy Hibbert.

>"I want wins. There are no consolation prizes in the NBA. We’re all competing and putting ourselves in a situation to win games, but when we need to play smarter, when we need to get good shots, when we need to get stops, we’re just not finding a way to put it together for 48 minutes." – Cavs forward Antawn Jamison.

STAT OF THE GAME
Led by Hibbert's season high six and Granger's three, the Pacers blocked 11 shots.

KEY MOMENTS
A relatively tight first half ended on a high note for the Pacers, who got consecutive 3-pointers from Dunleavy and James Posey to take a 53-48 lead into the break. As it turned out, they wouldn't give it up. A 13-4 run early in the third quarter pushed the advantage to 69-54.

The rest of the third quarter was largely a march to the free throw line. The teams combined for 21 fouls and 28 free throws in the seemingly interminable period.

Granger and Rush put it out of reach early in the fourth, combining for 10 points in the first four minutes as the Pacers stretched the lead to 96-79 and cruised home from there.

BY THE NUMBERS
The Pacers shot .469 overall and were 9-of-22 from the 3-point line. They outrebounded the Cavs 49-38, marking the first time in six games they won the board. Granger was 12-of-22 overall and 4-of-7 from the 3-point line for his 30 points, adding 12 rebounds for his second double-double of the season. Hibbert was 6-of-13, scoring 15 points with six rebounds, a season-high six blocks and three assists. Dunleavy shot 4-of-12 overall but 2-of-3 from the arc for his 15 and Rush had 15 points and seven rebounds.

Mo Williams led the Cavs with 22 points, 11 assists and six rebounds. Antawn Jamison had 17 points and seven boards, while Anthony Parker had 17 points and six boards. Anderson Varejao had 15 points and J.J. Hickson 11 off the bench. Cleveland shot .415 overall.

NOTEWORTHY
With his first bucket, a driving layup in the first quarter, Granger reached 7,000 points for his career. … The Pacers are 4-1 this season when Granger scores at least 30. … Solomon Jones picked up two technical fouls and an ejection early in the fourth quarter. … Hibbert and O'Brien also earned techs in that period. … The Cavs played without Joey Graham (right quad strain) and Leon Powe (right index finger abrasion).

UP NEXT
The Pacers travel to Boston to face Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett and the Celtics on Sunday (1 p.m., WIBC 93 FM). Please note, the game will not be televised. The next home game comes Monday against Chris Paul and the New Orleans Hornets (7 p.m., Fox Sports Indiana, WIBC 93 FM).

Together, Danny Granger and Roy Hibbert have accounted for 35 percent of the Pacers' offensive output.

When one or the other struggles, then, it could be an issue. When it happens to both, well, you get the team's present situation: a three-game losing streak, a 2-6 record in December and a record (11-13) two games below .500 for the first time this season.

In seven December games (he missed one with a sprained ankle), Granger has averaged 16.3 points, shot 39-of-109 (.358) overall and 8-of-35 (.229) from the 3-point line.

After a very quick start, Hibbert has slipped to averages of 10.8 points and 6.0 rebounds in December.

Their issues are very different but the effects similar.

O'Brien wants movement, leadership from Granger

Coach Jim O'Brien believes the key to Granger's recent slump lies in his movement, or lack thereof.

"I don't think he moves at a level that he should move," said the coach. "We've been talking about this for a long time from the standpoint that when we run our passing game, the only movement he does is towards the basketball, and people know that and they get into him.

"So as a result if he gets the basketball then he gets it with somebody under his chin. When I say moving, there needs to be back-cuts in our passing game and he rarely back-cuts. … He doesn't give himself the ability to score easy baskets because he chooses not to move."

Granger has averaged 24.4 points on .495 shooting overall, .493 from the 3-point line in victories; those numbers have tumbled to 17.4 points, .359 overall and .222 from the arc in losses.

"Defensively we play well but offensively I don’t get as many shots," Granger said. "Sometimes we’ll go five or six possessions where I don’t touch the ball. Our offense is just not clicking right now. I’m not getting to the free throw line. I haven’t been through a stretch like this since my second or third year. We just have to figure it out."

Because the rest of the starting lineup is so young – the other four starters in Wednesday's loss to the Lakers (Darren Collison, Brandon Rush, Josh McRoberts and Roy Hibbert) have a combined eight seasons of NBA experience, O'Brien would also like to see Granger assert himself more as a leader.

"With that inexperienced unit," said O'Brien, "you expect the most veteran guy and your best player to be a leader."

That's a challenge Granger relishes.

"I'm ready for it," he said, "because with this team we have an opportunity to be better than we have the past few years."

Hibbert struggling against elite competition

Hibbert's biggest problem has been his competition. In the last three games he has been matched up against the Lakers' Pau Gasol, the Bulls' Carlos Boozer and the Hawks' Al Horford. Those three combined for 66 points and 42 rebounds, while Hibbert produced 24 points and 17 boards.

"The good thing is Roy's a young player and he'll learn from playing against all those All-Stars," said O'Brien. " … When you're dealing with (Milwaukee's Andrew) Bogut, a No. 1 pick, and three All-Stars, there's a chance you might get dominated. That's happened and we'll grow as a result of it."

Hibbert entered the month as the leading candidate for the NBA's Most Improved Player award. But as opponents have adjusted their defenses to him, he needs to adapt and adjust.

"Right now, I just look at myself and figure out what I am doing wrong, figure out how to be a defensive presence like I was at the beginning of the season," said Hibbert. "I don't know what happened. I've got to do some soul-searching."

Good news for Roy Hibbert: Andrew Bynum is expected to play Wednesday night when the Lakers visit the Pacers in Conseco Fieldhouse.

Good news?

Well, at least in the sense that the 7-0, 285-pound Bynum represents a more comparable physical matchup for the 7-2, 278-pound Hibbert. After chasing around smaller, more active players like Chicago's Carlos Boozer and Atlanta's Al Horford the past couple of games, Hibbert couldn't be blamed if he welcomed the chance to play against someone his own size.

Hibbert totaled 12 points and 11 rebounds while shooting 5-of-21 (.238) in consecutive losses to the Bulls and Hawks. Horford and Boozer combined for 38 points and 36 rebounds.

"We got dominated in both games. There's no way of sugar-coating that," said Coach Jim O'Brien. "It's a learning experience for our guys. We played against two front lines – Horford's an All-Star, Josh Smith might be the best power forward in the league right now, and then come against Chicago with (Joakim) Noah and Boozer, All-Star and very good player – and we got manhandled at the start of the game.

"That's part of the growth process for our bigs and I think they will grow. We have a lot of pride and we don't like losing the way we have the last couple of games."

Bynum had surgery to repair torn knee cartilage on July 28 and missed the first 24 games of the season. He was expected to make his first appearance tonight when the Lakers faced the Wizards in Washington.

In the Pacers' 95-92 victory over the Lakers in L.A. on Nov. 28, Hibbert was matched up primarily with Paul Gasol and had 24 points and 12 rebounds. He has had just one double-double since and has slumped to averages of 10.6 points and 5.0 rebounds in December as the Pacers have gone 2-5.

Hibbert said he had success against the Lakers "just being aggressive from the start."

"I think I've gone away from that," he said. "I haven't been as aggressive as I wanted to be after the West Coast trip so it's going to be a good test.

"I'm not sure (why). I'm going to go back and watch some tape, do some soul-searching and really think about what happened, try to get back on track. … When I figure it out, I'll let you know. For me, at least, I haven't been having too many good games and I have to pick it back up."

Granger good to go against Lakers

Minus their leading scorer, the Pacers scored a season-low 73 points Monday in Chicago. But Danny Granger said after Tuesday's practice he will play against the Lakers.

"It's still sore but I'm going to give it a go tomorrow," he said of his sprained left ankle. "I'm feeling good, a little swelling but nothing I shouldn't be able to manage."

Granger said he didn't think the injury would hamper him.

"Sprained ankles are part of the game, you know, bumps and bruises," he said. "I wouldn't really say limited, it's just one other thing you've got to deal with. We've still got to try to go out and get the win."

Pacers trying for rare sweep

The Pacers have the chance to sweep the season series from the Lakers for the first time since 1991-92, when both teams were in different arenas (Market Square Arena in Indianapolis, The Forum in L.A.).

Because of their victory in L.A. in November, which snapped a 14-game losing streak in Staples Center, the Pacers know the challenge Wednesday night will be even greater than normal.

"I think they're going to be a little more focused than usual," said Granger, "but they're going to be on our home court and it would be great to sweep 'em so we're going for the sweep so it should be a good game."

"I know they're looking for blood and we're just going to have to go out there and battle," said Hibbert. "This is a big one for us."

Kobe Bryant was 14-of-33 in that game as the Pacers held the Lakers to 38.6 percent shooting.

"We're not going to sneak up on them again after beating them in L.A.," said O'Brien. "It's another chance for us to grow as a basketball team and while we're growing it gives you a chance to win a game against a very, very good basketball team."