The Miami Heat pulled out a dominating Game 3 win in their Eastern Conference finals series against the Indiana Pacers, largely due to the extreme post play ran through league MVP LeBron James.
With James in the post, the Heat won the battle in the paint, keeping Indiana in control and pulling away for a 114-96 victory to take the series 2-1.
"I made a conscious effort to get down in the post tonight, to put pressure on their defense," James said. "The coaching staff wanted me to be down there tonight, and my teammates allowed me to do that."
Much of this series has been centered around the matchup between James and Indiana's Paul George. James finished the game with 22 points, four rebounds and three assists, while George was held to 13 points and eight assists.
Most of the attention has been on the two since before the series kicked off, being that both are the stars of their teams, but grabbed more attention after Indiana's Game 2 victory over the Heat in Miami.
A game in which George grabbed not only the respect of spectators watching the game, but of James as well.
"We're just two guys trying to do what it takes to help our team win," James said. "He's really good. He's going to be a great one."
Then, James said, "I love competition. I try to step up to the challenge and try to be there for my team as well."
Now with George being locked in a superstar competitive duel with James, he is definitely not opposed to the challenge.
"He understands that I'm going to compete with him," George said. "... I think he understands that it's going to be a battle."
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