First Thoughts: Miami 103, Indiana 102
By CHRIS GOFF
ISL Correspondent
Let’s take a quick look at how the Indiana Pacers lost a 103-102 heartbreaker in overtime to the Miami Heat on Wednesday night at AmericanAirlines Arena in Game 1 of the best-of-seven Eastern Conference finals.
WHY IT HAPPENED: LeBron James blew past Paul George to convert a game-winning layup as time expired in the extra session. Miami inbounded the ball with 2.2 seconds remaining. James caught the pass, drove left and found his path to the rim unimpeded with 7-foot-2 Pacers center Roy Hibbert sitting on the bench due to a coach’s decision. Just eight seconds earlier, James had abused George Hill off the dribble and finished at the rim. That gave the Heat a 101-99 lead. Hibbert was also pulled just prior to that possession. The moves by Pacers coach Frank Vogel were confounding, considering Indiana rarely plays without a true center on the court and that James is deadly when attacking the basket. The Pacers forced overtime when George buried a desperation 3-pointer with 0.7 seconds left in regulation. They appeared to have a huge Game 1 victory in hand until James’ heroics. Indiana was led by George’s 27 points and five assists. David West carried the Pacers in the first half and finished with 26 points and five rebounds. James posted a triple-double with 30 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds for the Heat, who shot 48 percent from the field and now take a 1-0 lead in the series.
WHAT WE LEARNED: The Pacers were right there all night, leading 42-37 at halftime before tying the game at 89 on a running floater by West inside of a minute remaining in regulation. George’s game-saving trey deserves a place among the very best shots in Pacers playoff history. But this was a missed opportunity for the blue and gold. Miami was sloppy, missed nine free throws on just 25 trips to the line and didn’t have their pinpoint 3-point attack working. Indiana couldn’t take advantage despite shooting 45 percent from the floor and mammoth production from George and West. Hibbert was pretty good — 19 points and nine rebounds — when Vogel used him. Those late-game coaching blunders will haunt the Pacers all series. Chris Bosh (17 points) and Dwyane Wade (19 points, six rebounds, five assists) were good but not great. If ever there was a game for Indy to win down on South Beach, this was it. Now Game 2 becomes essentially a must-win. Miami is too good on the road (33-12 this season) for the Pacers to expect to win all three games at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Perhaps the outcome Wednesday would have been different if Vogel had sent his elite shot-blocking center out to guard the basket on the two most important defensive stands of the game. He didn’t, and Vogel deserves a great deal of criticism for his inexplicable use of Sam Young and Tyler Hansbrough in place of Hibbert.
KEY NUMBER: The Pacers committed 20 turnovers, on the down side, and snatched 17 offensive rebounds, on the bright side. Miami, meanwhile, committed 21 turnovers and shot just 5-of-18 from beyond the arc.
TURNING POINT: Ray Allen, one of the best free-throw shooters in league history, only made 1 of 2 from the charity stripe with 17 seconds remaining in regulation. Had he made both, the Heat would have taken a four-point lead, and perhaps all of the craziness in overtime never unfolds.
NEXT: The teams meet again in Game 2 on Friday night in Miami.
