The Miami Heat powered through in the third quarter to get the win to go up 3-2 on the Pacers on Thursday night and there was star power on the court and in the stands, as superstar David Beckham was at the game after heading to Miami to try and get an MLS franchise going.
Beckham was spotted courtside at the game at American Airlines Arena as a guest of Bolivian billionaire Marcelo Claure and he watched as LeBron James took over the game and helped the Heat get the series lead. The Pacers took a lead into halftime, but James put Miami on his back and led the team to a 30 points quarter that saw him assist or score on 25 points and he helped hold the Pacers to just 13 points in the frame.
The Pacers outscored the Heat 22-20 in the fourth, but after that run in the third they had no chance and ended up losing 90-79 and now the Heat can win with just one more victory on the road. The Pacers play much better at home during the playoffs and are 7-1 there, but Miami knows how to win in Indiana after getting their first win of the season there in Game 3 and now they have the chance to close out the Pacers with another win.
The Pacers won two of three against the Heat at home during the regular season and both were double digit wins and now Miami must win there again to advance to play the Spurs in the finals. The Spurs played James in 2007 when he was with the Cavs and swept, but now he has a title and wants another and is looking forward to another matchup between the two teams.
James was fantastic on Thursday and led the Heat in scoring, rebounding and assists with 30 points, eight rebounds and six assists, while Paul George did the same for the Pacers with 27 points, 11 rebounds and five assists as the Pacers now have to win the next two games to survive.
