The Pacers
cannot afford to make the same mistakes they did in Game 5 and then hope that
Game 6 ends up in their favor. Too many blown lay-ups. Turning the ball over
seven more times than the champs. Lance Stephenson and George Hill pairing up
for just 4 points. I didn’t see as much Blue Collar as I wanted, and I sure as
hell didn’t see much Gold Swagger by Game 5’s end.
The Best:
- LeBron James reverted to Cleveland mode – 30 points on 13-of-26 FG shooting on top of 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block.
- As good as LBJ was, however, one other guy really stood out for the Heat – Udonis Haslem. Prior to this game, Haslem averaged a little above 6 points per outing. His highest scoring output in the regular season was just 13 points against the Wizards in December. In this game, Haslem punctured the hoop for 16 points on 8-of-9 FG shooting. It was eerily similar to his performance in Game 3, where he also hit 8-of-9 field goals and then scored a total of 17 markers.
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| LeBron is pumped after a big second half performance. (image by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) |
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| Udonis Haslem does really just one thing, but in this game he did it with near-flawless execution. (image by Lynne Sladky/Getty Images) |
The Worst:
- Like I said, Hill and Stephenson struggled here. They shot 2-of-11 from the floor and combined for a 1-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. #JustWillNotCutIt
- Chris Bosh. The dinosaur lookalike scored just 7 points on 3-of-7 FG shooting to go along with 5 rebounds. Oh, all that in 33 minutes of play. #WhatIsNOTEfficient
Final Score: Miami 90, Indiana 79
Miami, FL
(Sports Network) - LeBron James put the Miami Heat on his back in a
game-changing -- and potential series-defining -- third quarter. A testy Game 5
was tight before James scored 16 of his game-high 30 points in the third frame,
carrying Miami to a 90-79 victory over the Indiana Pacers for a 3-2 lead in an
unpredictable Eastern Conference finals. The Heat outscored Indiana by a 30-13
margin in the 12 minutes after halftime, and the defending champions cruised
down the stretch to put themselves one win away from reaching the NBA Finals
for a third straight year. Udonis Haslem stepped up with 16 points on 8-of-9
shooting and Mario Chalmers netted 12 for Miami, which forced 18 turnovers to
overcome below-average production from Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Paul George
finished with 27 points, 11 rebounds and five assists to lead the Pacers, whose
season will be on the line at home in Game 6 on Saturday.
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| Roy Hibbert (L) and David West (R) were visibly frustrated in Game 5. (image by Lynne Sladky/Getty Images) |
Highlights:
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