The Miami Heat got their flow back as they defeated the Indiana Pacers 90-79 in Game 5 of the NBA's Eastern Conference Finals Thursday night. With the victory, the Heat are now just one more win away from advancing to their third straight NBA Finals meeting as they would have a prearranged meeting with the San Antonio Spurs.
LeBron James went nuts.
That's the best way to some up the third quarter as the NBA's most skilled player drove his team to victory after they trailed heading into halftime. To sum up what happened in the third quarter, the best way to describe it, the Pacers scored 13 points while James had 16 on his own. The Heat went on to outscore the Pacers 30-13, taking a double-digit lead into the final quarter.
With James' humungous quarter, though the Pacers won the final period 22-20, Miami's lead was insermountable. Miami's heat was overpowering. It didn't take too klong for this game to get physical as Tyler Hansbrough and Chris Andersen got into an altercation early in the second quarter. Luckily for both teams these guys didn't get kicked out of the resort.
The Heat are now up 3-2 and they have a chance to put it away on the road Saturday, June 1. The Pacers have been battlers but once again, their main guys didn't do much offensively to help their team win. George Hill and Lance Stephenson struggled greatly as they combined for just five points. The key for both of these teams, as the stars are clearly defined, will be to get their role players going early in the game.
Udonis Haslem doesn't miss from the baseline and the Heat continue to exploit that advantage on offense. Haslem finished Game 5 with 16 points and once again, 8-9 shooting, the total he shot Sunday.
Playoff Records
Of the three teams remaining, the Spurs have the better record as they are 12-2. The Heat follow with an 11-3 record, while the Pacers have had a tougher time winning posting a 10-7 record in the postseason.
