MIAMI – NBA playoff games are rarely won in the third quarter. Thursday was an exception. LeBron James made sure of that. James, the Miami Heat’s superstar forward and the undisputed Best Player on the Player, had 16 points, four rebounds, four assists and one block in the third quarter of the Heat’s 90-79 Game 5 Eastern Conference finals victory over Indiana. “That’s LeBron showing his greatness and making it look easy,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. Think about it this way: LeBron’s
This Eastern Conference finals between Indiana and Miami could go down as one of the best in the past decade. It has been filled with drama and great action. With the Pacers tying the series with a home win in Game 4, it has become a best-of-three to decide which team plays San Antonio in the NBA Finals. Below are the five keys for tonight’s Game 5 in Miami, the potential swing game. [Read more…]
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
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
MIAMI – This was the best player of his generation doing what he now does best – win. When Heat superstar LeBron James drove the lane against Indiana and made a game-winning layup with no time left to give Miami a 103-102 Game 1 Eastern Conference finals victory in overtime, he sent the crowd at AmericanAirlines Arena into a frenzy and the Pacers into a stunned funk. “He continues to amaze, I think, the game of basketball, the world of basketball,” guard
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…]
