Indiana was a pleasant early-season story, going 11-10 with a resume that included road wins over the Lakers and the Heat, and a 144-point explosion in a home win over Denver. Then, in mid-December, things turned sour. It started slowly, with losses to good teams (Atlanta, Chicago, Lakers, Boston) and devolved into head coach Jim O'Brien going rogue on Roy Hibbert and challenging his young center in the media. Hibbert had become a shell of the player that was lauded as a Most-Improved candidate early on. He suffered from confidence problems and consulted with a sports therapist. O'Brien rigidly stuck with his motion-offense, not letting new point guard Darren Collison work pick-and-rolls -- the style of game he was most adept at and which made him a name as a rookie in New Orleans a year earlier. His rotation at power forward was a mess, as O'Brien was reluctant to play Tyler Hansbrough. He started going with smaller lineups, which made Indiana very easy to defend, as Hibbert was giving them little threat from the low post -- partially due to his confidence issues and partially due to O'Brien's insistence that he play primarily near the elbow. Along with his reluctance to play Hansbrough, O'Brien wasn't giving their No. 1 pick in the 2010 draft, Paul George, much love. And though O'Brien started giving Hansbrough and George more opportunities -- that was more out shaking up his lethargic lineup, with a hint toward trying anything before he got whacked. The Pacers continued to fall, going 6-17 after the nice start before Brid pulled the plug on O'Brien.

Team president Larry Bird had contemplated firing JOB after the team's winless West Coast trip, which featured blown second-half leads in the first three games, followed by the Nuggets exacting revenge on the final stop. But Bird resisted. He let O'Brien stay at the helm through a lifeless loss to the Magic, a blowout win over New Jersey, and a camel-back-breaking fourth-quarter collapse to the Bulls. In that loss to the Bulls, O'Brien curiously let his most-effective offensive performer that evening (Josh McRoberts) rot on the bench in the final quarter. By no means is McRoberts a force, but he had it going that night with 20 points through the first three quarters. O'Brien explained away the decision, saying he wanted Jeff Foster's defense on the court, but the Bulls had outscored the Pacers, 33-17, in the quarter.

So, the move was made after that Chicago game. And here comes the part where timing comes into play. Assistant Frank Vogel was named interim head coach with his first game at home against the Raptors, who at the time were losers of 11 straight. That was followed by a game against the Cavaliers, who at the time were losers of 21 straight. Next up was a home game against Portland, a team beset with some injuries, making it a very winnable game. And the win over Portland featured a season rarity for the Pacers: they didn't fall apart after blowing a big first-half lead. Yes, the schedule certainly plays a role in Indiana's three-game winning streak, their longest such streak of the season, but Vogel has made some tweaks. He's established a clear power-forward rotation, featuring traditional power forwards. McRoberts and Hansbrough are sharing the job, with Hansbrough providing a scoring option off the bench. He's averaging 14 points per game under Vogel. The Pacers are running many more pick-and-rolls, taking advantage of the strength Collison brings to the team. He's averaging seven assists per game, after posting five per game for the season. The coach's biggest project is to rehabilitate Hibbert. Vogel has taken Hibbert off the elbow and moved him in the low post. The ball is going down to Hibbert on the low blocks and Vogel's trusting him to be a scorer. Hibbert's averaging 17 points on 46.7 percent shooting in the new lineup, after shooting just 40 percent from the field in December and January.

The schedule continues to be favorable over the next few weeks. Seven of the next nine games are against an opponent with a losing record. The Conseco Fieldhouse was a little more than half-filled for that Toronto game. Another 1,500 showed up for the Portland game. Shrewd move, Mr. Bird. Look for the easiest stretch of the schedule and get the most bang for your buck with a coaching change.