The Indiana Pacers rallied from a 9-point first quarter deficit in Game 2 to beat the Miami Heat 94-75 on Thursday. The Pacers have now won back-to-back games to take a 2-1 series lead. Indiana can really take charge of the series if they can knock off Miami at home in Game 4 on Sun.. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:30 EST and will be broadcasted nationally on ABC.
Oddsmakers apparently think the Heat will get things turned around. The Heat are favored by 1.5 over the Pacers in Game 4 with the total set at 178 points. For the latest on the Heat/Pacers Eastern Conference matchup, you can read about it here.
Miami
The injury to Chris Bosh appears to be having a larger impact than expected. While Dwayne Wade and LeBron James receive most of the credit when talking about the "big three," Miam is 0-2 in the postseason without Bosh in the lineup. I do not believe anyone anticipated the Heat to come out and play as bad as they did in Game 3.
The loss of Bosh has forced James to play a lot of power forward in this series, and it seems to be taking its toll on him. James came out and scored 16 points in the first half of Game 3, but ended up finishing the game with just 22 points. He was clearly not the same player after halftime. Wade wasn't much help in Game 3, as he had just five points on 2 of 13 shooting. Wade added to the worst playoff performance of his career by getting into a serious disagreement with head coach Erik Spoelstra.
In the first 2 games of the series, James and Wade combined to average 56.5 points per game. It was the rest of the team that didn't show up. That wasn't the case in Game 3. Mario Chalmers came out of no where to scorer 25 points on 10 of 15 shooting. Had you told me Chalmers was going to score 25 prior to that game, I'd have said there is no way the Heat would lose that game. What it really comes down to is whether or not Chalmers can continue to give Miami a spark offensively. If he does, you have to like the Heat's chances returning home tied up at 2-2.
Indiana
Few thought the Pacers had any chance of advancing past the Heat, but tBosh's injury along with the incredible defense by Indiana has completely changed the outlook of this series. While Indiana has to feel good about taking a 2-1 lead, I think the series will be decided in Game 4. One thing that is working against the Pacers for Game 4, is the fact that there are a couple of days between Game 3 and Game 4. That additional day of rest is going to benefit Miami a lot more than it is Indiana.
The Pacers had a considerable number of players step up with big games on Thursday. George Hill scored a team-high 20 points, Roy Hibbert had a monster double-double with 19 points and 18 rebounds, David West added 14 points and nine boards and Danny Granger wound up with 17 points, 7 rebounds and four assists. Granger also merits a large amount of credit for his defensive efforts against James.
The most unexpected thing about the Pacers win in Game 3, the Heat bench outscored Indiana's reserves 23-15. However , it's actually not something to get concerned about if you are Indiana. Unlike the Heat, who desperately need production out of their bench, all five of the Pacers starters can score the basketball.
Whether the Pacers can take a 3-1 lead in the series is going to come down to what they do defensively. They have held Miami to just 75 points in each of the last 2 games. I believe the magic number for the Pacers is 85. If they can keep Miami under 85 points in Game 4, they have a great shot at winning the game.
Oddsmakers apparently think the Heat will get things turned around. The Heat are favored by 1.5 over the Pacers in Game 4 with the total set at 178 points. For the latest on the Heat/Pacers Eastern Conference matchup, you can read about it here.
Miami
The injury to Chris Bosh appears to be having a larger impact than expected. While Dwayne Wade and LeBron James receive most of the credit when talking about the "big three," Miam is 0-2 in the postseason without Bosh in the lineup. I do not believe anyone anticipated the Heat to come out and play as bad as they did in Game 3.
The loss of Bosh has forced James to play a lot of power forward in this series, and it seems to be taking its toll on him. James came out and scored 16 points in the first half of Game 3, but ended up finishing the game with just 22 points. He was clearly not the same player after halftime. Wade wasn't much help in Game 3, as he had just five points on 2 of 13 shooting. Wade added to the worst playoff performance of his career by getting into a serious disagreement with head coach Erik Spoelstra.
In the first 2 games of the series, James and Wade combined to average 56.5 points per game. It was the rest of the team that didn't show up. That wasn't the case in Game 3. Mario Chalmers came out of no where to scorer 25 points on 10 of 15 shooting. Had you told me Chalmers was going to score 25 prior to that game, I'd have said there is no way the Heat would lose that game. What it really comes down to is whether or not Chalmers can continue to give Miami a spark offensively. If he does, you have to like the Heat's chances returning home tied up at 2-2.
Indiana
Few thought the Pacers had any chance of advancing past the Heat, but tBosh's injury along with the incredible defense by Indiana has completely changed the outlook of this series. While Indiana has to feel good about taking a 2-1 lead, I think the series will be decided in Game 4. One thing that is working against the Pacers for Game 4, is the fact that there are a couple of days between Game 3 and Game 4. That additional day of rest is going to benefit Miami a lot more than it is Indiana.
The Pacers had a considerable number of players step up with big games on Thursday. George Hill scored a team-high 20 points, Roy Hibbert had a monster double-double with 19 points and 18 rebounds, David West added 14 points and nine boards and Danny Granger wound up with 17 points, 7 rebounds and four assists. Granger also merits a large amount of credit for his defensive efforts against James.
The most unexpected thing about the Pacers win in Game 3, the Heat bench outscored Indiana's reserves 23-15. However , it's actually not something to get concerned about if you are Indiana. Unlike the Heat, who desperately need production out of their bench, all five of the Pacers starters can score the basketball.
Whether the Pacers can take a 3-1 lead in the series is going to come down to what they do defensively. They have held Miami to just 75 points in each of the last 2 games. I believe the magic number for the Pacers is 85. If they can keep Miami under 85 points in Game 4, they have a great shot at winning the game.
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