Late charge by LeBron James helps Miami Heat down Indiana Pacers in Game 1 – NBA Playoffs
The Miami Heat defeated the Indiana Pacers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semi Finals here at the American Airlines Arena on Sunday night. The Heat took the game 95-86.
LeBron James was awarded the Most Valuable Player trophy in front of home crowd by NBA commissioner David Stern in a small ceremony before the match, and took inspiration from it to have an outstanding night.
The newly selected MVP scored 32 points, with 26 points coming in the second half, and grabbed 15 rebounds for the night. He also did an amazing job on defense holding Danny Granger of the Pacers to 1-of-10 shooting.
"We needed him. I thought about taking him out for a minute. To start the fourth quarter, we were going to get into our normal rotation and I just said, `No, we'll figure it out” said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra
regarding James’ performance.
Dwyane Wade had 29 points and 4 assists for the night, and went 13 of 14 from the foul line. David West of the Pacers finished with 17 points and 12 rebounds.
Indiana led for much of the 2nd period to go into the half leading 48-42. LeBron James was ineffective in the 1st half, failing to make any notable impact. He managed
only 6 points in the first quarter and went scoreless throughout the second one. With James not in rhythm, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade took the offensive responsibilities. Both players had 13 points in the first half and kept the Heat in the game.
A free throw by James with 4:29 left in the 3rd period gave the Heat the lead for the first time since the 1st quarter. James picked up his offensive play in the
period, scoring 10 points. Wade also had 10 points as Miami started clicking on offense. The scores were tied at 70 as both teams entered the final period.
An 8-2 run to start the final period gave Miami a 78-72 lead. A jump shot by David West brought Indiana to within 2, trailing 82-84 with 5:22 left in the game. However, James was unstoppable on the offense, scoring
16 points in the final period alone to finish with 32 for the night after managing only 6 in the first half. The heat held on to win 95-86.
Chris Bosh had 13 points and 5 rebounds before suffering a strained abdominal muscle which resulted in him not playing the 2nd half of the game. It is still unclear whether Bosh will be
available to return for game 2. Roy Hibbert had 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Pacers to support West. Danny Granger was cold for the night, going 1 of 10 from the field for his 7 points. He was defended well be James. Paul George was also not very impressive
on the night, going 1 of 5 from the field to score 6 points.
The Heat out-rebounded Indiana 45-38 despite Indiana’s size advantage. They were 0 of 6 from the field, failing to connect on a single three point attempt. They did not need it, however, as James and Wade played
excellent transition basketball and were able to penetrate the paint area. The two teams will now play game 2 in Miami on Tuesday.
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