Miami vs Indiana Handicapping
As Arte Johnson used to say on the 1960s television show “Laugh In” – Verrrrry interesting. The Pacers’ surprising Game 2 win in Miami may not exactly have the Heat back on their heels, but the victory has caught the attention of fans nationally.
Eastern Conference
Indiana Pacers (1-1) at Miami Heat (1-1)
Sunday, May 26
Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis
8:30 p.m. EST
Spread – Heat -1.5
O/U – 181.5
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Coupled with Indiana blowing Game 1 with 2-plus seconds of shoddy defense in overtime, we’re all starting to realize that this is not quite the lambs-to-slaughter Eastern Conference finals series we all thought was in the making this time last week.
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With Indiana holding home-court edge in what has become a best-of-five series and the next two games in Indianapolis, it’s on the Heat now to make some adjustments and get at least one of the next two before this thing gets completely out of hand.
And LeBron James, who more than anyone else will determine whether the Heat get to defense their title in The Finals, seems down with that:
“Very disappointed in my judgment and my plays down the stretch,” James said after the Game 2 shocker, “but I‘ll make up for them.”
Maybe, but with Saturday being a travel day, there hasn’t been much time for the Heat to figure out what to do with a Pacers front line that in two games has scored a total of 136 points and has shot well over 50 percent from the floor. It’s not like Udonis Haslem has grown three inches since Friday night.
With the exception of the final two seconds of overtime in Game 1 when Pacers coach Frank Vogel experienced an ice cream headache/brain fart and kept Roy Hibbert on the bench, the Pacers took the deed to the paint.
They outrebounded the Heat over two games in Miami, 82-70, and assuming no foul problems tonight, should expand that advantage even more. [ad-6571516]
Miami desperately needs someone to step up. Dwyane Wade? The Heat were outscored by 10 points in the 81 minutes he played over the first two games.
Is he even capable of a monster game given that the ball is almost always in James’s hands? Ray Allen has made exactly one 3-pointer and his playing time is shrinking.
Maybe Chris Bosh, who seems bound and determined to pull a reluctant Hibbert out into the perimeter.
It’s clear someone has to lend a helping hand.
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The Pacers are slight dogs at home in this one, and as of this morning books were reporting pretty much equal money on both teams. Miami lost two games in a row only twice this season, and the second time (Jan. 8 and 10) the back-end loss was at Indiana.
We’re liking an over play tonight.
Five of the last six Miami playoff games have gone over, including the last three. No change tonight with a very modest 181.5 target.
