Granger returns, starts for Pacers

MINNEAPOLIS -- Danny Granger was still two weeks away from his return just days ago. The next day, his return was near but it wouldn't be during the team's current two-game trip.Then, with the help of two good practices, the Indiana Pacers' All-Star forward was in the starting lineup against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday after being out since Dec. 5 with a torn right plantar fascia.

Granger finished with 19 points, six rebounds and four fouls in more than 31 minutes of play.

"He responded well to a couple days of practice," Pacers coach Jim O'Brien said. "He didn't have the soreness that we had anticipated."

The Pacers originally announced Granger would be out four to six weeks.

"I had a feeling that it would be sooner than later," Granger said. "It's just a matter of keeping an eye on it and making sure it doesn't get sore."

O'Brien wasted little time putting Granger back in the lineup, starting him alongside Earl Watson, Luther Head, Roy Hibbert and Troy Murphy, who also returned Friday after being out with a sprained left ankle.

"It's very important to have a guy of Danny's talent on the court for a number of reasons," O'Brien said. "He's a go-to-guy. He's a very good isolation guy when things break down, he spaces the court. Our whole package of plays are in play when he's able to play. We have to get him going as quickly as possible."

Bird going back in time

Larry Bird, LeBron James and Dwight Howard teamed up to film a Super Bowl commercial for McDonald's. The commercial is a reincarnation of the famous Bird-Michael Jordan H-O-R-S-E commercials featuring impossible shots.

The new commercial was filmed Monday at Conseco Fieldhouse.

The Bird-Jordan commercials end with the two on top of the Sears Tower in Chicago and Jordan saying, "Off the expressway, over the river, off the billboard, off the wall, nothing but net."

How does this one end? Who wins?

Bird can't talk about the commercial until after it airs.

Nothing but net

Granger was shooting free throws at one end of the court after shootaround Friday morning when somebody mentioned Bird was on the other end of the court shooting.

Granger immediately turned his attention to the team president. Bird missed his first shot -- an 18-footer -- but then it was suddenly like he was still playing for the Boston Celtics.

Bird effortlessly made five straight jumpers that were nothing but net before he walked off the court saying, "I can still average 10 (points) and 10 (rebounds)," in front of the majority of his players, who also started watching him. What made his shooting display even more impressive is that it was only the second time since March that he shot a basketball.

"You just have to stop and watch when you see him shooting the ball because he makes it look so easy," Granger said. "His shot is so wet."