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| Dwyane Wade finally had a good game to support LeBron James in Game 7. Miami will appear in their 3rd straight NBA Finals vs San Antonio (Image from: Joe Skipper/REUTERS) |
#beatdown #Game7 #LetsGoHeat
Defense wins championship and in this case, it won Game 7 of the East Finals. This was a tight and contested series with defense and rebounding being the winning factors in each game. Miami won 3 of their games by double digits and Game 7 was a total team effort that resulted into a beat down of the Pacers. Miami limited Indiana to a measly 76 points including a dominating 2nd quarter where the Heat took over by scoring 33 to the Pacers' 16 which bumped the halftime lead to 17 points. The Pacers never recovered as the lead ballooned to 29 plus George and Hibbert got into foul trouble for the first time in the series. The Heat led by Wade and Bosh, finally owned the glass as they grabbed more rebounds than the Pacers. Miami was more aggressive with their shot selections as they attacked Hibbert and the paint at will which resulted to a staggering 33 of 38 FTs (highest of the series). LeBron James spearheaded the attack with his smothering defense of Paul George to start the game (7 points) and on offense, LBJ made sure that Wade and Bosh got their touches to get them more involved. The strategy worked in the first half when Wade/Bosh already eclipsed their total production from Game 6.
#JesusSaves #WoW #Finally #AboutTime
It was about time for some of the Heat players to show up. Ray Allen was missing for most of the series as he struggled to get his threes in while his FTs also deserted him. He still got his 20 minutes of playing time but the production was not there. Things finally went his way during the 2nd quarter when Allen erupted for 10 points including 3 threes that helped Miami establish a big lead which they never relinquished. Meanwhile, Dwyane Wade produced his best game of the series and the playoffs with his 21 points and 9 rebounds (6 offensive). This was the first 20-point outing for Wade in the past 12 games. D-Wade a.k.a WoW was active on defense and his scoring provided ample support to James. Wade attacked the paint and drew fouls which resulted to 7/7 FTs. As for Chris Bosh, he had a productive first half with his 8 points and 7 rebounds. He still struggled shooting (3-13) but he was engaged and competing. Bosh did not always settle for the long jumpers as he tried to drive to the hoop and challenge Hibbert at the rim. The results were not pretty for Bosh but that was a lot better than doing nothing. More importantly, Bosh played solid defense against Hibbert in the 1st half as he finally delivered better numbers during the opening half.
#PacerNation #PG24 #Elite
The Pacers had a wonderful season and they exceeded expectations. They were not supposed to reach this far in the playoffs without Danny Granger while Paul George's rise to stardom was not expected to happen this early. Lance Stephenson had a decent season as he became a full time starter while Roy Hibbert and his verticality deserve a ton of credit for challenging Miami. The Pacers truly had a chance to upset the Heat and some (Sir HoopNut) would argue that they should have already won the series. In truth, the Pacers are an amazing defensive team but they simply lack the offensive firepower to match the Heat. In 3 of their losses, Indy averaged 84 points while giving up 101 to Miami. The Pacers are on the cusp of becoming an elite team but they need another shooter (maybe a healthy Granger) plus more help from their bench. A more capable backup PG and a shooting wing player should elevate them to another level for next season. Miami always dominated Indiana when their starters went for a short rest.
The Finals start on Thursday with the San Antonio Spurs resting for about 9 days. This series will be billed as the fight between whose "Big 3" is better while other subplots include: the chance for LeBron James to avenge his 2007 loss as a Cavalier, which team is healthier (Wade or Manu), which bench is better and can Coach Spo hold his ground against the best in the business, Gregg Popovich. The Spurs swept LBJ in such a dominating fashion 6 years ago which left James embarrassed and humiliated. Their season series was 2-0 in favor of Miami but both games featured a bunch of missing key players which offer us nothing in terms of advantages and disadvantages. Both teams are among the top in offensive production while also being devoted to defense. Stay tuned at here at Hoop Nut as we will have additional articles to cover the NBA Finals. We will have guest writers as well!
#Player of the Night
LeBron James (Heat) - 32 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and a nasty alley-oop in the 2nd quarter!
#Highlight of the Night
Dunkathon in Game 7
#Tweets of the Nights
Salute to MIA...Championship Resolve 2nite!!
GREAT year.. Proud of my guys! Nothin better than competing agaisny a great competitor.. We there tho Pacer Nation! #Wethere
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