Miami Heat advance to the Conference Finals with a game 6 win over Indiana Pacers – NBA Recap
The Miami Heat were able to finish their Eastern Conference Semi Final matchup with the Indiana Pacers with a 105-93 game 6 victory at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
Dwyane Wade and LeBron James were at their usual best once again and proved to be too much for the Pacers, who were playing in front of a sell-out home crowd. Wade had 41 points for the night and was 17 of 25 from the field. He
also contributed 10 rebounds and 3 assists. David West had 24 points and 5 rebounds for Indiana but the Pacers fell short yet again and lost the series.
"We understand that when Chris (Bosh) went out we had to step up. The team looked to us to lead. We understand we couldn't do things without their help. They helped guide us to the win” said Wade.
The Pacers started off well, leading 19-8 in the first quarter. Miami came back to trail 21-28 at the close of the quarter. The 2nd quarter was contested toughly by both teams, as none seemed to let the other build a
lead. After a few lead changes, Indiana led 53-51 at half time.
For the 3rd time in as many games, Miami won the match due to their third quarter performance. They ended the quarter with a 13-3 run to take a 79-69 lead heading into the final period. Miami outscored the Pacers 28-16
in the third period, as the Pacers went 6 of 17 from the field and committed 6 turnovers in the period alone.
The fourth quarter was all about the Pacers chasing the Heat, trying to get back into the game. They came as close as 78-83, but missed on key possessions to allow Miami to extend the lead again.
With less than 5 minutes remaining in the game, the Pacers came within 6 of Miami, helped by a 5-0 run, but the Heat responded with 6 straight points to bring the lead back up to 12. They finished the game with the same margin
at 105-93.
“Chris Bosh is an awesome basketball player but when he goes down that just means more touches for LeBron and Wade and that's not exactly an advantage. You've just got to give credit to those guys. They were spectacular this series
and they were just too much for us” said Indiana coach Frank Vogel.
James had 28 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists and went 12 of 23 from the field. The Miami role players also got into the act, with Mario Chalmers finishing with 15 points and Mike Miller going 4 of 7 from the distance for his 12
points.
For the Pacers, West led the scoring but was assisted by George Hill with 18 points. Paul George had 11 points and 10 rebounds, his second double double of the post season. Roy Hibbert had 12 points and 8 rebounds while Danny Granger,
playing with a sprained ankle, scored 15 points off a 6 of 14 shooting night.
The Pacers outrebounded the Heat 37-26, but could not capitalize on the advantage. The Heat shot 53.9% from the field and went 7 of 20 from the distance. In comparison, the Pacers shot 48.6% from the field and were 6 of 17 from
the distance.
Indiana had 20 turnovers for the night leading to 26 Miami points off turnovers. The Heat only had 9 for the game.
The Heat will now face the winner of the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 7ers game 7 on Friday night in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Tags: