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BOSTON -- As Cleveland Indians closer Cody Allen weaved his way through the Boston Red Sox lineup in the eighth and ninth innings Monday, a little piece of him flashed back to his boyhood in Florida. Allen took the mound in Game 3 of the American League Division Series without his best fastball or command. But as he surveyed the scene around him, his head was spinning with memories.I remember when I was a kid, watching games in this ballpark and seeing how crazy it was, Allen said in a raucous Indians clubhouse late Monday. For me to stand here and say I didnt hear the crowd, that would be a lie. I heard them. I could feel it, and Im sure their players could feel it.Its a really cool feeling to be part of a game like this, at Fenway Park, where theres so much history, playing against guys like Dustin Pedroia and David Ortiz and that team over there. Its a really cool thing to be a part of.Once Travis Shaws pop fly settled into the glove of Cleveland right fielder Lonnie Chisenhall to seal a 4-3 Indians victory, Allen and his teammates experienced the ultimate in cool. They heard 39,530 Fenway fans go quiet before striking up a Thank you, Papi! cheer in recognition of Ortizs final game.In the midst of all that mourning, the Indians held an impromptu mosh pit at second base to celebrate a three-game series sweep. Boston is done, and Cleveland will move on and try to create some new memories against the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League Championship Series.The Indians entered the division series as consensus underdogs for a reason. September injuries to Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar put a major crimp in the pitching rotation, and Bostons lineup looked too deep and formidable to be stopped. Even though the Red Sox dropped five of six games to end the regular season, they led the majors with 878 runs and an .810 team OPS. Plus, they had the added incentive of trying to write a poignant final script for Ortiz.But everything unraveled against the Indians, who took the three games in the series by scores of 5-4, 6-0 and 4-3. The Red Sox struck out 31 times in 98 at-bats and posted a .214/.278/.378 slash line. Bostons three homers in the series came from the unlikely trio of Andrew Benintendi, Brock Holt and Sandy Leon. Ortiz, Pedroia, Hanley Ramirez, Xander Bogaerts and Mookie Betts hit a combined .200 (11-for-55) against Clevelands pitching.The Indians game plan from the outset was to seize the initiative. Boston has a lot of hitters who like to work deep counts, and the Tribe pitchers focused on throwing strike one to better dictate the action.Josh Tomlin, Mondays starter, averages a tick under 88 mph with his fastball and allowed a whopping 35 homers in 174 regular-season innings. But he throws four pitches and never competes like a guy whos velocity-impaired. They dont call him the Little Cowboy for nothing.If somebody doesnt believe in our pitchers, theyre gonna prove them wrong, Indians pitching coach Mickey Callaway?said. Thats definitely the case with Tomlin. Hes had to prove himself from A ball on. Hes always been the underdog. He performs best that way.Tomlin twirled one-hit, shutout ball for four innings and seemed oblivious to the notion that he should be feeling any kind of pressure. In the fifth inning, after Benintendi doubled home a run to make it 2-1, the Fenway fans struck up a Tom-lin! Tom-lin! chant reminiscent of the mocking cheer that Pittsburgh fans used to rattle Johnny Cueto during the 2013 playoffs. It was utterly wasted on the Little Cowboy, who struck out Leon and retired Jackie Bradley Jr. on a groundout to avoid further damage.I was surprised there were that many people that knew my name, to be honest, Tomlin said.As the game progressed, everything fell into Cleveland manager Terry Franconas wheelhouse. Andrew Miller, providing a monster presence out of the bullpen, came on in the sixth inning and threw 35 pitches to record six outs. Bryan Shaw and Allen flirted with danger in the eighth and ninth, but Boston simply couldnt mount enough offense to get over the top.True to form, Clevelands hitters divvied up the goodies all series. Catcher Roberto Perez, a .183 hitter during the regular season, hit a big home run in Game 1. Chisenhall, who barely plays against left-handers, launched a telling three-run shot off David Price in Game 2. In the series finale, Tyler Naquin delivered an early two-run single, and 36-year-old Coco Crisp made a personal statement. With the Indians clinging to a 2-1 lead in the sixth inning, Crisp launched a Drew Pomeranz knuckle-curve over the Green Monster for a two-run shot that allowed everybody in the Cleveland dugout to exhale.It was the second home run in 119 career postseason plate appearances for Crisp, who began his major league career with Cleveland in 2002. He moved on to play for Boston, Kansas City and Oakland before the Indians reacquired him from the Athletics in late August.I hit it, and I was like, OK, I got it. Its a homer, Crisp said. And then I was like, Wait a second. I hit it, and thats the Monster out there, and that wasnt really a pull homer. I started running and had my head down, and I looked up and saw the second base umpire twirling his fingers. Thats when I got pumped up.The sheer joy and self-effacing nature of Crisps quote is typical of the Indians, a likable batch of grinders who take their non-star status as a point of pride. Along with an underrated lineup, a solid defense and an effective bullpen, they have the advantage of being a unified group. Just about every media interview with an Indian includes some mention of how each player on the roster has bought into the team dynamic.Everybody in here loves each other, Tomlin said. We love being around each other. Ive never seen a group of individuals who get to the ballpark as early as we get to the ballpark. We play cards with each other and hang out with each other at night. There are a bunch of things that go into it. Its not just what we do on the field. Its what we do off the field as well.Now that theyve dispatched with Boston, the Indians have the luxury of enjoying each others company for another series -- and possibly a World Series after that. Theyre enjoying the ride so much that they cant abide the thought of it coming to an end. 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Their experience showed Tuesday as the No. 10 Badgers blunted a Saint Louis surge to win 63-57 and advance to face West Virginia in Wednesdays finals of the Cancun Challenge. INDIANAPOLIS -- If the opening tip-off was any indication as to how the game would go, it was clear the Indiana Pacers didnt have anything for Dwight Howard and the Atlanta Hawks.As the referee tossed the ball between Myles Turner and Howard, Turner opted against jumping, conceding the tip-off to Howard and the Hawks. It was indicative of how the rest of the game would play out Wednesday night.The effort and energy (tonight) started with me and I have to make sure that every night I bring the same effort and energy, Howard said. When Im able to get in there and crash the boards, just get a feel for the game, it makes everything easier.Howard had 23 points and 20 rebounds to help the Hawks beat the Pacers 96-85. Paul Millsap added 18 points and 11 rebounds for the Hawks.I thought (Dwight) came out with a mindset from the beginning of the game, Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said. It felt like he was getting every rebound, going to the offensive board and getting put backs. He had something to say before the game to the team. I think starting the right way was important and I think he did it with his actions, he did it with his play,Indiana rallied to cut Atlantas lead to a point with 3:42 left in the third quarter, but the Hawks pulled away with a 19-2 run. The Pacers failed to make a basket in the first 4 minutes of the fourth quarter.Budenholzer noted it was Atlantas finish to the third quarter, extending its lead to eight points, that was ultimately what gave the Hawks enough to keep the Pacers at a distance.Thaddeus Young led the Pacers with 24 points and had seven rebounds. Monta Elliis added 19 points, and Paul George had 18.ddddddddddddhe Hawks outrebounded Indiana 56 to 37, and outscored the Pacers 48 to 34 in the paint, and 19 to 11 in second chance points. Indiana had just seven offensive rebounds.We just didnt squash down on Howard. I think he had nine offensive rebounds and thats huge when playing a team like the Hawks. You cant let them get offensive rebounds and extra possessions, Young said.AN IMPORTANT TAKEAWAY:The Pacers are third in the NBA in turnovers created, forcing their opponents into 16.2 mistakes per game, ranking fourth with an average of 9.2 steals per game. On Wednesday night, the Hawks turned the ball over 21 times, and of those 15 were the result of an Indiana steal.LOCKED UP:The Hawks are second in the NBA in fourth quarter defense, allowing opponents 21.8 points per game in the fourth quarter. On Wednesday night, the Hawks held Indiana to 19 points. It was the eighth time this season Atlanta has held it opponent to fewer than 20 points in the fourth quarter. The Hawks are 6-2 when achieving this milestone.TIP INS:Indiana: Jeff Teague has scored in double figures in each of the last nine games. ... Youngs 24-point effort was just the second time this season he has scored 20 points or more.Atlanta: The victory was the Hawks 100th over Indiana ... The Hawks have held at least a 10-point lead in 12 games this season and have six double-digit wins.UP NEXT:Indiana: Hosts Brooklyn on Friday.Atlanta: At Utah on Friday. ' ' '