The Miami Heat already know what's at stake on Monday night in South Florida and if the Indiana Pacers win the series, it would be one of the biggest upsets of all-time, as Miami had a record streak during the regular season and are the number one team in the East.
LeBron James had a rough go of it in Game 6 after he didn't get any help from his supporting cast and James will be looking to be more like it was in Game 5 when the Heat dominated the Pacers in the third quarter. James was able to assist or score on 25 points in that quarter while the team outscored 30-13 and he will need another performance like that to win on Monday. The Pacers flipped the script in Game 6 and did the same to the Heat, outscoring the team 29-15 and the deficit was just too much to overcome for Miami.
The Pacers showed their depth in Game 6 with key contributions up and down the roster, including George Hill, Paul George, David West , Lance Stephenson and Tyler Hansbrough. The Pacers have a better bench than Miami does, but when the role players on the Heat are playing well, it is hard to defeat Miami. Norris Cole and Mario Chalmers need to step up and James needs help from his Big Two, as Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh simply haven't been cutting it for the team in the series. The Pacers dominated in every quarter apart from the first in Game 6 and although the game is on the road on Monday night, all the pressure will be on Miami to win.
James is looking forward to a rematch with the Spurs after they swept away the Cavaliers in 2007 and the Pacers are looking to get back to the finals since they lost to the Lakers. George will be key once again on Monday after scoring 28 points in the win and he has been one of the most important pieces for the team as they make this run. George added eight rebounds in the win and after scoring 27 points and 11 rebounds in the loss in Game 5, he was ready to ball on Saturday. George was limited to 12 points and eight rebounds in the win back on Tuesday in Game 4 and for Miami to win they will need to limit his damage.
Roy Hibbert has been the MVP for the Pacers and his work on the offensive boards and on the inside paint has been invaluable to the team. He added 24 points and 11 rebounds in the win on Saturday and before putting in 22 and 6 in the loss on Thursday, he had another double-double with 23 points and 12 rebounds on Tuesday in the Game 4 win. He made some bad comments after the game, but Hibbert will be ready to win on Monday night to send the Pacers to the finals.
