With Game 5 tonight in Miami and the series tied, both teams will do what it takes to take a commanding 3-2 lead in the series.
The Miami Heat are coming off a strong performance from Lebron James and Dwayne Wade, who combined for 70 points in Game 4. The Heat will need similar performances from their top dogs since Chris Bosh is still out with an abdominal injury.
The Indiana Pacers will look to hold James and Wade, forcing another player to step up. Udonis Haslem burned them in the fourth quarter in Game 4. He responded to Pacer rallies by knocking down shots.
They need a big game from their center Roy Hibbert. He needs to stay out of foul trouble to challenge the Heats' game in the paint, forcing them to take shots from the perimeter.
Danny Granger needs to intimidate Lebron the way he did in Games 2 and 3. The look on James' when Granger stepped up to his face was priceless. Young kids have similar facial expressions when getting bullied in elementary school.
Granger has anchored the team in scoring in the last two games, so he must continue his scoring ways while containing Lebron whenever they matchup. The Pacers were able to hang around in Game 4 because they did not stop scoring. Had they made a few clutch shots late in the game, they might have beaten the Heat.
It is simple for the Pacers: disable one of the dynamic duo and your chances of winning increase. The Heat's game plan has been the same since last season, give the ball to James and Dwayne and hope that they catch fire.
Game 5 is set to tip off at 8 PM eastern time.
