The Miami Heat hung tough with the Indiana Pacers in the first half of game three of the Eastern Conference Semifinals series at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Then came the second half as Indiana knocked out the Heat in the third quarter and Miami never regained their basketball consciousness, watching helplessly as the Pacers rolled to a ridiculously easy 94-75 win and in the process, placing themselves in the drivers seat to win the series and advance to the conference finals.
Miami gave the Pacers all they could handle in the first half and had to feel good about heading in to the locker room at halftime with the game tied, considering there was no Chris Bosh in the lineup for the second straight game, and with All Star Dwyane Wade going scoreless in the first half as well. While Miami would take an early second half lead, it quickly became all Indiana, as the Pacers pounded the boards while pushing the tempo and outscored the sputtering Heat by 14 points in the quarter. The final stanza proved to be equally horrific for Miami as the Pacers kept their collective foot on their opponent’s throat, never allowing them to mount a charge much to the delight of another sellout crowd.
Indiana was led by George Hill’s twenty points, but the night belonged to Roy Hibbert as he grabbed 18 rebounds to go along with his 19 points. Danny Granger and David West joined the double figure parade with 17 and 14 respectively. Miami’s Mario Chalmers had a splendid night, putting up 25 points to go along with 6 rebounds and 5 assists. LeBron James who looked out of sync at times, still managed to hit the Pacers with 22 points and 7 rebounds.
NOTES: Please do not count me in with those who think the heated exchange between Dwyane Wade and Miami coach Eric Spoelstra in the third quarter was a crucial factor in the Heat’s second half demise. Sure, it was untimely and uncomfortable, but it also came after a 17-3 run by the Pacers.
While the night belonged to the Pacers, Wade was clearly not 100 percent physically. Michael Wallace of ESPN.Com reported that Wade is receiving treatment for nagging leg and knee aliments. He had virtually no ability to jump or challenge defenders and he was simply a non factor. Two days off before the next game will no doubt benefit him, and unless he is seriously injured, I look for him to play well in game four.
Miami is shooting just under 12 percent from three-point land in the series. Yes the Pacer defense has contributed to that number, but the Heat has also missed a ton of wide open looks from beyond the arc.
The Pacers ruled the boards in game three by a gaudy 52-36 count, including 16 at the offensive end.
George Hill continues to play splendidly at the point. His athleticism and ability to hit timely shots is a plus that Indiana would be in trouble without. While it has been a team effort, there is no way the Pacers would be up 2-1 at this point without Hill. The same obviously can be said for the Pacer fans. The noise level inside Bankers Life Fieldhouse was truly unbelievable and certainly a huge advantage for the home team.
Game Four is Sunday at 3:30 p.m. and will be televised on ABC.
Danny Bridges can be reached at Bridgeshd@aol.com
Danny Bridges is an award-winning journalist and a longtime sports columnist for the Indianapolis Recorder. He covers college, professional sports and especially all things IndyCar racing. He can be reached at 317-370-8447 or at bridgeshd@aol.com.
