The Miami Heat maintained the same domination from their Game 4 second half against the Indiana Pacers as they won Game 5 in blowout fashion 115-83 Tuesday night. That victory gives the Heat a 3-2 series lead in the Eastern Conference semifinal match up. The game also carried over the physical, sometimes chippy play from throughout the series in a big fashion with three flagrant fouls.
Let's take a look back back at the good, the , and the ugly from both sides.
Miami Heat
The Good: Forward LeBron James and guard Dwyane Wade didn't have to combine for 70 points like they did in Game 4. Instead They combined for 58 points in a balanced effort from start to finish in Game 5. Forward Shane Battier had his best game in a Heat uniform so far by scoring early with two 3-point shots and frustrating Pacers forward David West on the defensive end. Center Ronnie Turiaf and guard Mario Chalmers along with Battier scored the first 10 points for the Heat and continued their contributions throughout the game. Chalmers, while having some head scratching moments, finished the game with eight points and 11 rebounds, one less than Pacers center Roy Hibbert. Even guard Mike Miller, while not scoring a point, contributed in his own way by at one point playing defense with one shoe.
The Bad: Despite never trailing in the game, the Heat allowed the Pacers energy lineup of guard Darren Collison, forward Tyler Hansbrough, and guard Leandro Barbosa to keep the game close in the second quarter. At one point the Pacers only trailed by two points before they bailed the Heat out with some bad possessions. The Heat also weren't able to get Hibbert and West in foul trouble like in Game 4, something they need to do.
The Ugly: While the Heat took care of business at home, the main stories after the game were the two flagrant fouls committed by forward Udonis Haslem and center Dexter Pittman. The foul by Haslem on Hansbrough is seen by many as retaliation for Hansbrough's flagrant foul on Wade. Some called the foul dirty, others called it Eastern Conference playoff basketball. Haslem doesn't have a history of dirty play so a possible suspension doesn't come to mind...until Pittman committed his flagrant foul. Pittman, a seldom used center, took it upon himself to retaliate against Pacers guard Lance Stephenson in garbage time by elbowing him in the neck. Stephenson made himself known in the series by giving the choking signal from the bench in Game 3 as James missed two free throws. If the NBA wanted to follow their own precedent set just this season, then after looking at the play (something the league does automatically when it comes to flagrant fouls) they would've suspended Pittman the same amount of games as Los Angeles Lakers forward Metta World Peace when he had his elbow incident. Instead Pittman will only sit out three games.
Indiana Pacers
The Good: The Pacers made the right adjustments to make sure Hibbert and West didn't find themselves in foul trouble like in Game 4. Forward Danny Granger started to get hot early in the game and the energy lineup of Barbosa, Collison, and Hansbrough kept the game close in the second quarter.
The Bad: Unfortunately the other adjustment the Pacers needed to make after Game 4 didn't happen. Hibbert and West weren't able to establish themselves in the paint to take advantage of not being in foul trouble. West was particularly bothered due to the defense of Battier and missed his first five shots finishing the night with 10 points. Hibbert, who is the biggest size advantage for the Pacers, wasn't able to score big despite grabbing four offensive rebounds en route to getting 12 for the night. His biggest highlight was him making a 3-point shot as the shot clock was expiring, something he hasn't done sine April of 2010. The energy lineup, after cutting the Heat lead to tow points in the second quarter, for some reason decided to play hero ball in trying to take the lead. The Pacers had possessions late in the quarter where they shot the ball too quickly in order to shift the game momentum. That bailed out the Heat and opened the door they needed to begin the blowout.
The Ugly: A major factor that turned the game into a blowout were the injuries that Granger and West. Granger sprained his left ankle late in the second quarter by landing it on the foot of James who was defending him following a missed 3-point attempt. He was listed as questionable to return but chose to start the second half after getting the ankle re-taped. He aggravated the injury again in the third quarter while fouling James to avoid an easy transition basket. West sprained his left knee near the end of the third quarter. While he was capable of returning for the fourth quarter the game's outcome was already evident and the Pacers chose to exercise caution. West is note expected to miss Game 6, Granger may be a different story. Had he chosen to stay out of the game Granger would have healed quicker from the injury and at least be available to come from the bench. If his actions in the third quarter lead to him missing Game 6 it will likely be the end for the Pacers. Just as Heat forward Chris Bosh's abdominal strain injury changed the series dynamics in favor of the Pacers, Granger's possible absence will to the same as he is the Pacers' main offensive threat. To add insult to injury Pacers team president Larry Bird, one of the toughest players in NBA history, told the Indianapolis Star flat out that he felt the team has become soft.
Now the series shifts to Indianapolis for Game 6 where an environment not seen since the days of Reggie Miller and Spike Lee might await. It will also present a game that is almost certain to be more scrutinized by the referees. It's become a classic Eastern Conference playoff series.
On to Nap Town.
Showing posts with label Indiana Pacers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Indiana Pacers. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Monday, May 21, 2012
Heat-Pacers: A Duel of Individual Talent vs Team Strenght
Little more than a week ago the Eastern Conference Semifinal series between the Miami Heat and the Indiana Pacers had a particular storyline set up for it. A match up between a team with great individual talent (Heat) and a team with no superstar talent but great team chemistry (Pacers).
Little has changed since to change that narrative. The abdominal strain that Heat forward Chris Bosh suffered in the first half of the team's 95-86 Game 1 victory only reinforced it.
The Heat were already at a size disadvantage coming into this series facing the Pacers front line of forward David West and center Roy Hibbert. Losing Bosh for the series to an injury made this advantage greater for Indiana and it showed in their 78-75 and 94-75 victories in Games 2 and 3. It also helps that one of the Heat's Big 3 still standing (guard Dwyane Wade) wasn't playing like himself in Game 3 with only five points in 37 minutes of play.
What Bosh's absence has done is being felt more than just on statistics. Bosh as it turns out, while sacrificing the most in individual achievements when he chose to come to Miami, has become the team's most important player. His presence is what allowed Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra to set up the pick and roll plays in a half court offense as well as his bench rotation, something a coach shouldn't be tinkering so much with in the playoffs. In fact, Spoelstra has used a different starting lineup for each game. One of those lineups featured starting second year center Dexter Pittman in Game 3. Pittman didn't play for three weeks prior to Game 3 and the experiment only lasted a little more than three minutes.
This has put the pressure on Wade and forward LeBron James. They are the two best players in the series and have to play as such for the Heat to win. With Bosh out weakening the Heat bench Wade and James have to force their individual talents to overwhelm the Pacers. However, they also need another player to step up and contribute. In Game 3 one those things happened with guard Mario Chalmers having one of the best games of his career finishing with 25 points, six rebounds, and five assists. That performance was overshadowed by Wade's lackluster effort.
Luckily in Game 4 both those things happened.
James, playing the Magic Johnson role, got Wade going in the second half after only making one field goal in the first. That effort by James led to Wade to at one point make 11 straight field goals in a row. Wade finished the game with 30 points, nine rebounds, and six assists. James, while doing his best to help his teammates, also went on to have a historic performance. James finished the game with 40 points, 18 rebounds, and nine assists. That type of stat line hasn't been achieved in a playoff game since Elgin Baylor did it in 1961.
In other words, what James did in Game 4 hasn't been done since the early days of the John F. Kennedy administration.
It didn't stop there for the Heat. Forward Udonis Haslem, who is having a down season, stepped up with a 14 point performance that included shots late in the fourth quarter that stemmed several pushes by the Pacers to take back cpntrol of the game. He also received a cut above his right eye during the game that required nine stitches afterwards. Haslem is the player that can most replicate what Bosh does for the Heat and Game 4 might get him back in a good groove offensively.
So now with the series tied at 2-2 it has become a best-of-three event with two of those games being held in Miami's American Airlines Arena. The Pacers will try to make the adjustments needed to keep Hibbert and West out of the foul trouble they found themselves in Game 4 and to reinsert their size advantage. The Heat will try to make the adjustments needed to exploit their athleticism like in Game 4 and find ways to negate the size they are giving up in this series.
The narrative is still the same in this series, and that is what will determine the winner in the end.
On to South Beach for Game 5.
Little has changed since to change that narrative. The abdominal strain that Heat forward Chris Bosh suffered in the first half of the team's 95-86 Game 1 victory only reinforced it.
The Heat were already at a size disadvantage coming into this series facing the Pacers front line of forward David West and center Roy Hibbert. Losing Bosh for the series to an injury made this advantage greater for Indiana and it showed in their 78-75 and 94-75 victories in Games 2 and 3. It also helps that one of the Heat's Big 3 still standing (guard Dwyane Wade) wasn't playing like himself in Game 3 with only five points in 37 minutes of play.
What Bosh's absence has done is being felt more than just on statistics. Bosh as it turns out, while sacrificing the most in individual achievements when he chose to come to Miami, has become the team's most important player. His presence is what allowed Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra to set up the pick and roll plays in a half court offense as well as his bench rotation, something a coach shouldn't be tinkering so much with in the playoffs. In fact, Spoelstra has used a different starting lineup for each game. One of those lineups featured starting second year center Dexter Pittman in Game 3. Pittman didn't play for three weeks prior to Game 3 and the experiment only lasted a little more than three minutes.
This has put the pressure on Wade and forward LeBron James. They are the two best players in the series and have to play as such for the Heat to win. With Bosh out weakening the Heat bench Wade and James have to force their individual talents to overwhelm the Pacers. However, they also need another player to step up and contribute. In Game 3 one those things happened with guard Mario Chalmers having one of the best games of his career finishing with 25 points, six rebounds, and five assists. That performance was overshadowed by Wade's lackluster effort.
Luckily in Game 4 both those things happened.
James, playing the Magic Johnson role, got Wade going in the second half after only making one field goal in the first. That effort by James led to Wade to at one point make 11 straight field goals in a row. Wade finished the game with 30 points, nine rebounds, and six assists. James, while doing his best to help his teammates, also went on to have a historic performance. James finished the game with 40 points, 18 rebounds, and nine assists. That type of stat line hasn't been achieved in a playoff game since Elgin Baylor did it in 1961.
In other words, what James did in Game 4 hasn't been done since the early days of the John F. Kennedy administration.
It didn't stop there for the Heat. Forward Udonis Haslem, who is having a down season, stepped up with a 14 point performance that included shots late in the fourth quarter that stemmed several pushes by the Pacers to take back cpntrol of the game. He also received a cut above his right eye during the game that required nine stitches afterwards. Haslem is the player that can most replicate what Bosh does for the Heat and Game 4 might get him back in a good groove offensively.
So now with the series tied at 2-2 it has become a best-of-three event with two of those games being held in Miami's American Airlines Arena. The Pacers will try to make the adjustments needed to keep Hibbert and West out of the foul trouble they found themselves in Game 4 and to reinsert their size advantage. The Heat will try to make the adjustments needed to exploit their athleticism like in Game 4 and find ways to negate the size they are giving up in this series.
The narrative is still the same in this series, and that is what will determine the winner in the end.
On to South Beach for Game 5.
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