Latest update April 24th, 2024 12:59 AM
May 30, 2013 Sports
INDIANAPOLIS — In the biggest playoff game for this incarnation of the Indiana Pacers, Frank Vogel wanted to see how his team handled the situation.
Vogel got his answer. The gritty Pacers defeated the Miami Heat 99-92 and evened the best-of-seven Eastern Conference finals at 2-2. Now, the series has been condensed to a best-of-three: Game 5 is in Miami today, Game 6 in Indianapolis on Saturday and a potential Game 7 in Miami on Monday.
Center Roy Hibbert, a problem for Miami’s interior all series, delivered down the stretch with a layup and three-point play, giving the Pacers a 94-89 lead with 1:30 left in the fourth quarter. He finished with 23 points and 12 rebounds. The Pacers also relied on the strong guard play of George Hill and Lance Stephenson and overcame another tough offensive outing from forward Paul George. Hill had 19 points and six assists, and Stephenson had 20 points and five rebounds.
After Miami took an 89-86 lead on Ray Allen’s three-pointer, the Pacers outscored the Heat 13-3 in the final 3:10.
Heat forward LeBron James had 24 points but fouled out with 56 seconds left in the game. It was the first time James has fouled out since last season’s conference finals. It was just the fifth time he has fouled out in his career.
The Pacers outplayed the Heat in the second half after losing momentum late in the second quarter and early in the third quarter. Miami took a 60-54 lead with 7:36 left in third quarter. But Miami’s play suffered when Mario Chalmers, who was in the middle of his best game of the playoffs, picked up his fourth foul.
Indiana outscored the Pacers 23-10 and took a 77-70 lead on Stephenson’s three-pointer at the end of the third quarter. But beating Miami is no easy chore, and after falling behind by nine points, James tied the score at 83-83 on a three-pointer with 6:12 remaining.
The Pacers clobbered Miami on the glass, outrebounding the Heat 49-30 – a large part of that due to Miami’s 47 missed shots.
Pacers forward David West had 14 and 12 rebounds as Indiana again took advantage of its size and shut down center-forward Chris Bosh (seven points on 1-for-6 shooting) and Andersen (no points).
Hibbert had six offensive rebounds and West had four offensive rebounds, and his final two, game-deciding baskets came after offensive rebounds.
Indiana couldn’t have asked for a better start: an 11-0 lead, an energized crowd at Bankers Life Fieldhouse and an early Miami timeout to start.
Miami scored its first points on two James free throws with 8:48 left in the first quarter, and Wade collected his second foul with 8:09 left in the first quarter. It was exactly what Pacers wanted and needed. But sustaining that kind of energy and execution is not easy. The Pacers were ready for Vogel’s challenge in the first half. Indiana led 26-22 after the first quarter and extended its lead to 43-34 with 3:25 left in the second quarter.
The Heat continued to get James the ball in the low post, but the Pacers had a better defensive strategy early. Indiana played more physical and showed flashes of help so that James didn’t have clear paths to the basket. James settled for jumpshots and made just 3-for-10 in the first half.
However, Indiana ran into danger when a struggling Paul George collected his third foul with 4:46 left in the second quarter and the Pacers ahead 38-30. Miami outscored the Pacers 17-8 to finish the half and trailed just 48-47 at halftime.
Chalmers exploited Indiana guard D.J Augustin on drives to the basket and helped keep Miami close with 10 points in the first half.
Miami trailed just 48-47 at halftime after it shot 39.5% and Indiana shot 50% from the field. The Pacers did not make a field goal in the final 3:25.
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