The refs gave this game to the Pacers? Why, because LeBron James fouled out for the second time in 128 career playoff games? That’s a convenient excuse. Miami was called for just five more fouls than Indiana and only attempted six fewer free throws in the game. If you look a little deeper, Indiana reversed three key trends in this series and helped the team get an enormous 99-92 win in Tuesday night’s Game 4 to help even the Eastern
Two things we weren’t expecting to see in this postseason: The Miami Heat facing a distinct dose of adversity, and LeBron James fouling out of a game.’ The latter happened late in the fourth quarter of Indiana’s 99-92 victory Tuesday night. It was the first time James was whistled for six fouls in a game since last year’s playoffs. [Read more…]
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
The Memphis Grizzlies undoubtedly had a successful season, but a sweep at the hands of the Spurs in the Western Conference Finals leaves at least several questions that need to be answered and addressed. Should Memphis do anything with Zach Randolph? His playoff numbers declined pretty dramatic over Memphis’ three postseason rounds, leaving the team with an incredibly sour taste about ZBo going into the future. Randolph Min FG % Points Rebounds FTA FT % 1st Round vs LAC 33.7 56.8 20.8 8 5.7 73.5 2nd Round vs OKC 39.6 44.6 18.4 10.8 7.2 72.2 Conf. Finals vs SA 38.5 30.2 11 12 6 50 How can a shooting slump like
Sometimes, it’s difficult to assess where blame ends and where giving credit begins. This is especially true when breaking down a lopsided sports contest, in this case the Miami Heat’s 114-96 blowout of the Indiana Pacers in Sunday’s Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Should blame be placed on Indiana for allowing 70 first half points, or for shooting under 40 percent from the floor at home? Or should Miami be lauded and praised for committing just five turnovers and
For the Indiana Pacers, the game was theirs for the taking. Dwyane Wade fouled out. They won the free throw and rebounding battles while forcing 21 Miami Heat turnovers. Yet when the final buzzer sounded and LeBron James’ layup gave the Heat a 103-102 overtime win in Wednesday night’s Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, Indiana was left sulking and stunned while asking themselves “what the hell happened?” “It just felt like everything was in our favor,” Pacers forward Paul
When the San Antonio Spurs beat the New York Knicks in the 1999 NBA Finals, it was considered a championship coronation for long-time Spurs center David Robinson. With plenty of help from second-year power forward Tim Duncan, that title validated Robinson’s career. But more importantly, it spawned a run of sustained success that is incredibly unique in the NBA, especially for a small-market franchise like the Spurs. [Read more…]
LeBron James and the Miami Heat are now closing in on not their first, not their second, but their third consecutive NBA Finals appearance, where they will be looking for their second ring with “The Big Three.” But before we can punch Miami’s ticket to the Finals, the Heat still have four games left to win against an Indiana Pacers team they’ve lost 2 out of 3 against this season. [Read more…]