The Miami Heat are in control of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Indiana Pacers after winning Game 5 on Thursday night 90-79 and now the team has a 3-2 lead in the series heading into Game 6 on the road in Indiana on Saturday night.
The two teams battled hard and while the Pacers took a lead into halftime, it was Miami that took over in the third quarter and that was enough to stay ahead of Indiana for the rest of the game. Paul George led the Pacers in scoring, rebounding and assists, while LeBron James did the same for Miami with 30 points and eight rebounds. The Heat have played very well at home during the playoffs and now Miami will be tested again on the road, where they were able to win in Game 3 before dropping Game 4 to tie the series at 2-2. Saturday will give Miami the chance to close things out.
James totally took things over in the third quarter while assisting or scoring on 25 of the team's 30 points and he also got Udonis Haslem in on the action, finding him open multiple times as the big man scored 16 points. Roy Hibbert had another excellent game, as did George, who scored 27 points and 11 rebounds for the Pacers in the loss. The Heat are now in control and James basically did it on his own on Thursday night, as he outscored the Pacers 16 to 13 in the third quarter while dishing out four assists.
The winner of the Pacers and Heat series already has their opponent waiting for them, as the San Antonio Spurs took care of the Memphis Grizzlies in four games to make it to the finals for the first time since 2007. The last time the Spurs made it to the finals they swept away LeBron James and the Cavaliers and the Heat superstar would love nothing more than to get revenge for it after winning his first title last season. The Spurs have been playing great throughout the playoffs apart from some poor defensive performances against the Golden State Warriors, but San Antonio was able to change things up and win those shootouts with help from stars Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, including in Game 1 of that series when the Spurs blew a huge lead and needed an overtime three from Ginobili to win.
The series against the Grizzlies looks one sided after the Spurs swept, but Memphis played admirably apart from the first blowout and the series ended with a tight 93-86 win. The Grizzlies never could get close in Game 4 and once the Spurs went up they were able to hang on for the series victory. Another title would be icing on the cake for coach Greg Popovich and stars Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, as the group is going for its third title together, while Pop and Duncan are going for number four. The first game of the finals will come next week on Thursday June 6th.