The Memphis Grizzlies and Indiana Pacers have gotten this far in the postseason by winning at home. But the San Antonio Spurs and Miami Heat are going to the NBA Finals by winning on the road. The Grizzlies and Pacers were very good home teams in the regular season. Memphis was 32-9 and lost just once at FedEx Forum after Feb. 8. Indiana was 30-11 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse and went more than two months early in the season without a home
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
This is the “I Have a Dream” column – or the I had a dream column, to be more specific. Six hours of sleep are in the books as I awake this Saturday morning with a feeling of hope bordering on euphoria. I watched the Miami Heat lose a game last night, and tomorrow night I may watch them lose again. The old rule says there is no cheering in the press box, with the exception of cheering silently for your
Miami Sun Sentinel beat writer, Ira Winderman, gets the nod for Tweet of the Day for this clever quip about the Heat’s 2013 NBA Playoffs run.
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
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…]
With defensive tenacity and a punishing, menacing front line, the Indiana Pacers have reached the Eastern Conference finals. But if vanquishing the New York Knicks in six games seemed like a tall task, their path to the NBA Finals seems preposterously gargantuan in comparison. To defeat LeBron James in his prime and the Miami Heat in a best-of-seven series is akin to defeating a Michael Jordan-led Bulls team in his prime. James is the best player in the world. He has several
