Five Key Factors for Game 4 of Heat-Pacers

The Eastern Conference Finals matchup between the Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers has entertaining — especially entertaining for fans of the Heat in Game 3.

Games 1 and 2 went down to the wire, while Game 3 was an 18 point blowout win by Miami. Tonight’s game is the swing game of this series. If Miami wins they likely stroll back into Miami and beat Indiana in 5, but if the Pacers win they force this to be a longer series then some previously thought. (Our staff picks can be found here).

Below are the five keys to this crucial Game 4 in Indianapolis.

Paul George Needs to be Assertive: If the first two games were any indication, George is better when he is the main scorer on the floor. George took 16 shots in games 1 and 2, then just 10 (making only three) in Game 3. He needs to pump up the volume for the Pacers to have any chance to win.

Too many times in Game 3 we saw George stay stagnant out on the perimeter, waiting for George Hill to create movement. If the All-NBA Third Team Selection can become the main ballhandler and drive inside to the bucket, then we could see a ton more opportunities for Indiana to score

If Miami collapses on an attacking George, he could kick it out to Hill or Lance Stephenson from behind the arc. If he gets going, it will be trouble for the Heat tonight.

Keep Feeding LeBron in the Paint: As we saw in Game 3, LeBron James can not be stopped when he is posting up. He is too big and quick for George to keep him away from the basket. This new tactic by Miami causes a huge problem for the Pacers. Do they keep Paul George one-on-one against James or bring help (Roy Hibbert or David West) on the inside to contain him?

Despite his historical reluctance to double-team, I expect Frank Vogel to make the correct adjustments and double-team LeBron when he gets down in the post. If not, expect the MVP to keep terrorizing George down there all game.

LeBron posting up will also force Indiana to leave more players open on the perimeter. That means you let LeBron pummel you down low or have Udonis Haslem and Chris Bosh make 18-foot jumpers. Pick your poison, Vogel. Does Haslem have two 8-for-9 games in him? Back-to-back?

Indiana’s Defense Needs to Return to Form: The Pacers’ defense was its best at containing on the perimeter, holding teams to 32.7% from the 3-point line. If they can let Roy Hibbert do his work down low, then put an emphasis on taking away anything from 15-feet plus.

Making Dwyane Wade and LeBron run isolation after isolation will likely cause Miami’s offense to become stagnant. Forcing Wade and James to drive on Stephenson and George all night will be an advantage for the Pacers. Make the Heat’s role players stand around, while LeBron and Wade do all the work.

If Hibbert stays out of foul trouble and the Pacers play safe out on the perimeter, then that is a big advantage swung to Indiana’s side.

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Get the Georges Going on Pick-and-Rolls: As mentioned earlier, Paul George will need to be assertive for Indiana to have a chance. Another player that will also have to do the same thing is George Hill.

Hill has shown throughout the regular season and the playoffs that he can become the top scorer on the team, if needed. Also George has the speed to blow by defenders and take it to the rack, as he already demonstrated on Chris Andersen in Game 2 with this vicious dunk. Having West or Hibbert come out to set screens for Hill to get easy looks at the basket on layups or floaters will go a long way in deciding who wins Game 4.

If Hill and George can get going off of pick-and-rolls, it could also free up David West for his signature jumper from mid-range. Getting these two going for Indiana looks like it has the best chance for them to come out with a win. If Vogel can re-implement this into his game plan, then the Heat could be in for a very long night on defense.

Get the Birdman Going in his “Bird Box”: As Andersen said after practice Monday, he calls his offensive sets in half-court offense the “bird box”. This is how the Birdman has stayed perfect (13-for-13) throughout this series.

He is a pure energy spark off the bench for Miami’s offense. Andersen stays inside the paint and gets easy shots around the rim or on tip-ins. It has been a nightmare matchup for Indiana as Hibbert and Ian Mahinmi are too slow to stop him. If Birdman can continue to cause havoc down low for the Heat, then they should be cruising to another victory in Indianapolis.

Andersen’s presence has been felt so much for the Heat during their playoff run it has sparked a question. Will Birdman miss a shot at all during the Eastern Conference Finals? Birdman has become one of the vital keys to Miami’s chase for a title repeat, a thing we never would have thought long ago. If he continues his perfection from the floor, Miami will win Game 4.

Evan Sidery is an aspiring journalist from Indianapolis whose work has appeared in several Pacers blogs. This is his debut post for SheridanHoops.com. Send him a shout-out on Twitter if you liked it.