Pregame notes, Miami at Indiana, Game 4
Some things to look for in Sunday’s Miami-Indiana game:
Roy Hibbert needs to remain dominant. He had 19 points, 18 rebounds and five blocks in Game 3, but at times in his career, he has been inconsistent, especially on offense. The key to Roy’s success is how aggressive he is about getting position before he shoots. The further from the basket he is, the more he has to dribble, the longer it takes him to set up, the lower his success rate. He needs to be decisive.
Hibbert needs to stay out of foul trouble. Pacers coach Frank Vogel said he expects Miami to attack the 7-foot-2 center and try to get him off the court.
Can Chalmers do it again? Chalmers scored a career postseason high 25 points in Game 3 against Indiana, and the Pacers say they won’t guard him any differently in Game 4.
Dwyane Wade can’t possibly be that bad again. Wade had one of the worst games of his career in Game 3. He scored five points in 2-for-13 shooting and had five turnovers and one assist. It was his worst scoring output in a playoff game since 2004, and only the second time he’s scored in single digits in a postseason game.
Indiana’s defense has been stifling. The Pacers have held Miami to 37.6 percent shooting in the series. Indiana is shooting 40.5 percent.
Danny Granger has improved with each game this series. He was 1-for-10 in Game 1, 5-for-14 in Game 2 and 6-for-15 in Game 3. He’s starting to figure things out. He’s only the fourth-leading scorer for the Pacers in the series.
George Hill has been solid. The Indiana point guard is averaging 15 points per game and shooting 14-for-27 from the field. He’s the only Pacers shooting better than 50 percent in the series. He has committed 13 turnovers though.
David West hasn’t shot as well as usual, but he has been Indiana’s stabilizing force in the series. He’s shooting 16-for-38, but he’s averaging 15.7 points and 10.3 rebounds per game.
This is the biggest home game in Indiana in years. The Pacers haven’t advanced to the conference finals since 2004; a win here would give the Pacers an excellent chance to return.
LeBron has posted huge numbers in this series. James is averaging 27.6 points and 10.3 rebounds per game while shooting 46 percent from the field.
Starters: Indiana-Hill, George, Granger, West, Hibbert. Miami-Chalmers, Wade, James, Battier, Turiaf. With Turiaf starting, it’s Miami’s fourth starting lineup in four games.
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