Pacers beat Heat, likely seize tiebreaker
By TYLER SMITH
ISL Correspondent
INDIANAPOLIS — It has been a struggle of late for both the Miami Heat and the Indiana Pacers. Wednesday’s head-to-head showdown was viewed as a great opportunity for one of these teams to break out of its slump.
In another defensive battle, the Pacers protected their home court and came out on top, 84-83, in front of a sellout crowd at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
With the win, the Pacers all but assuredly own the tiebreaker over the Heat should these teams tie in the regular-season standings. That could very well come into play and give the Pacers the edge.
Home dominance has been the story all season long for the Pacers. They improved to 33-4 in their home building, closing in on the all-time franchise record of 36-5, set back in 1999-2000.
“We’ve been dominant at home,” Indiana coach Frank Vogel said with a smile. “That’s a big reason why we want home-court advantage.”
I’ve often said that Roy Hibbert earns his money in two main ways: on defense, and against the Miami Heat. He becomes a 20-and-10 threat while playing the Heat, despite averages of 11 points and eight boards on the season. Sure enough, the Pacers wanted to feed Hibbert early and he delivered. He scored 13 first-quarter points and finished the game with 21 after only averaging nine points a game since the All-Star break.
The real story of the game came late in the fourth quarter. After two straight buckets by Lance Stephenson to give the Pacers a 76-72 lead, Stephenson was then called for a technical foul and was ejected. He was called for a double-technical earlier in the game.
“Can’t let that happen in a game like this, he’s too important to us,” Vogel said.
The momentum shifted back to Miami after that play. A made free throw, a 3 from LeBron James and a dunk by Dwayne Wade gave the Heat a late fourth-quarter lead on an 8-0 run.
Evan Turner came in to replace Stephenson, and scored two huge buckets at just the right time for the Pacers to give them an 81-80 lead. Fast forward a few plays, and you get the play of the night: A David West 3 as the shot clock was winding down.
Chris Bosh hit a 3 of his own with 2.9 seconds left, keeping the Heat alive. Two missed free throws from George Hill gave Miami a serious chance to win on the final shot. James gave the last shot up in favor of Bosh, who missed, giving the Pacers a one-point victory.
James was dominant all night for the Heat in the losing effort, finishing with 38 points, eight rebounds and five assists. He and Wade did combine for 12 turnovers, however.
These two teams will meet again on April 11. The race for the No. 1 seed is far from over, but the Pacers took a huge step in the right direction of accomplishing that goal.
Follow Tyler Smith on Twitter: www.twitter.com/sports_TYs_20.
