The Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers have played a tough and hard fought series and after the Pacers were able to force a final matchup after their Game 7 win, the Heat are into the NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs after winning on Monday night in South Florida to give LeBron James a much wanted rematch with the team after they swept his Cavs in 2007.
The Miami Heat had the chance to close things out in Game 6 after dominating in Game 5 at home, but after a great game from Paul George and a solid performance from Roy Hibbert, the young team was able to force a Game 7 after tying up the series at 3-3. The Pacers won 91-77 after dominating the third quarter of the game by outscoring the Heat 29-15, which is nearly exactly what Miami did in the previous game. LeBron James helped dominate the third quarter in Game 5 by assisting or scoring on 25 of 30 points as the team outscored the Pacers 30-13, but in Game 6 it was the exact opposite, as George and the Pacers took over.
James has been a one man show mostly through the playoffs with Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade leaving him without much support and while Joel Anthony, Chris Andersen and Mike Miller have been solid, the depth of Indiana has been better than the Heat's for the series and may be the difference overall. Despite not getting much support from his teammates, James had another solid game on Saturday night, scoring 29 points to lead the Heat while also dishing out six assists. Joel Anthony led the way with eight rebounds while Chris Andersen was suspended, but the team needs more from the inside going forward, especially if they want to defeat the San Antonio Spurs.
The Pacers have been able to get scoring when they need it and the inside presence of Roy Hibbert has been invaluable to the team in the series. George has been proving that he is on the cusp of stardom throughout the series and after scoring 28 points he will be the focus for the defense and the Pacers offense. David West is the savvy vet of the group and he recorded 14 rebounds for double-digits once again, while George Hill added six assists in the game to lead the team. Hibbert ended up with 24 points and 11 rebounds while also adding one black and he had the most important play of the game when he stopped a Miami rally after challenging LeBron inside.
West had issues all game while dealing with an infection, but he made the most of his minutes while leading the team in rebounding and he scored some important baskets at the end. James has experience playing Game 7 matchups and while 13 players on the Heat have been in that situation, but two has on the Pacers, including West. One of the biggest issues for the Heat was points in the paint and that came into play once again in Game 5, as the Pacers had 22 more points inside than Miami, which has been a trend in losses for the Heat.
James wants a finals rematch with the San Antonio Spurs after they swept him back in 2007 when he was with the Cavs and he will need to play some of his best basketball to do it. The Heat need support from its stars, while the Pacers are looking to pull off one of the biggest upsets in recent memory. James was dominant again and now he has the chance to play the Spurs in the finals again.