The Heat and Pacers played another classic game Wednesday night as the Heat won 97-94. Down 15, the Pacers looked to be in control. The Heat made a furious comeback to pull the game within three.
And then...
From three down to three up in three possessions. That's the Heat.
It was a classic game, and another strong performance from the Pacers who just couldn't hold on. Their second-to-final possession ended when a George Hill pass sailed behind Paul George for a turnover and their final possession with a wild George Hill three missing badly as the Pacers claimed he was fouled.
George in particular was insanely good, with a series of moves, which, well... just look.
But of course, Miami had their own weapon in that LeBron guy...
And hey, he even showed leadership, yelling at Mario Chalmers before later admitting it was his fault.
Some final notes:
1. Foul trouble had a huge impact in this game. Hibbert picked up two fouls early, and wound up with five mid-way through the second half. That had a monster effect on plays like the dunk above for James to be able to attack the rim. James found himself in trouble in the first half and had to sit for much of the second quarter. You could tell the officials were worried about a blowup, and with good reason, there were two separate instances of dispute between players and one instance of double technicals called. They were worried about this one getting out of hand and called it tight.
2. Dwyane Wade had 32 points and they needed all of them. Wade kept the Heat afloat when James was out with foul trouble or resting the ankle and carried the load for a diminished perimeter attack.
3. David West was an assassin again offensively, constantly making timely buckets. But he was also too loose with some of his passes, leading to Heat fast breaks, the thing you cannot allow (along with threes, which the Pacers defended well).
4. The Pacers' bench was outscored by the Heat bench. That cannot happen if the Pacers are going to win consistently against Miami. Big problem for them, with no one really stepping up after a good first half.
5. LeBron James is not human. 24-9-7-3 on 8-of-14 shooting and +16 in 36 minutes. On a bad ankle.
6. Hibbert played just 22 minutes, but the Pacers were also outscored by 20 points in the paint. He's got to have more of an impact when he's in regardless of foul trouble. Too pivotal for what they want to do.
7. These two teams should play 1,800 more times.
