Miami Heat vs. Indiana Pacers – Game 5
Status: Series tied 2-2
Where: AmericanAirlines Arena (Miami, Florida)
When: Thursday, May 30th
Time: 8:30 p.m.
TV: TNT
Four games in and the Eastern Conference Finals are tied at two games apiece. After stealing a game in Miami, the Indiana Pacers gave one back in Game 3. The Miami Heat now return home with home court advantage back in their pocket.
After the Pacers’ Game 4 win, the question being thrown around is ‘Are the Heat in trouble?’ For me, it’s not as bad as it sounds. Indiana still needs to win another game on the road after dropping Game 3, and even though Miami shot horribly in Game 4 and was crushed on the boards, they still nearly won in Indiana on Tuesday. And when you factor in that they have the best player on the planet in Lebron James, I still give them the advantage at this point. The Heat have a lot of work to do, but right now, they’re still in the driver’s seat.
Speaking of James, he’s been his usual spectacular self in the series. He hasn’t been perfect, but has led both teams in scoring in each of the four games to this point. His scoring has dipped down slightly over the past two games, but he’s still averaging 28 points. James also is hauling in seven rebounds and dishing out five rebounds per game.
Read More: The Eastern Conference Finals Has Become Battle Of Inches and IQ
The big story for the Heat will be what they get out of center Chris Bosh going forward. Miami was beaten badly on the boards in Game 4 and Bosh had only three rebounds. To make matters worse, the center missed some of the game with an ankle injury before returning. Afterwards, Bosh said he would suit up in Game 5, but the question will be about the level of his effectiveness. Even if Bosh manages to play, the team needs to get a lot out of him. The Pacers already have an edge in the frontcourt over the Heat and have won the rebounding battle in each game of the series. Without an effective Bosh, that advantage becomes even more significant.
One positive for the Miami Heat is some improved play by guard Dwyane Wade. Wade has still been a bit inconsistent, but is playing better in this series than he has in the rest of the playoffs. He shot only 45% and averaged 13 points per game in the first two series against the Milwaukee Bucks and Chicago Bulls. But in this series, he’s shooting 48% and averaging just under 17 per contest. Those numbers are still below his season averages, but he is playing slightly better.
If the Pacers are going to steal Game 5, they’ll certainly need more from their star, Paul George. George has played exceptionally well this postseason, but has struggled a bit against Miami in the past two games. After averaging just under 25 points in the first two contests, George has gone cold. He’s shot only 35% the past two games and has averaged only 12.5 points. George has also shot worse from the free throw line and had more turnovers in those games. The Pacers squeaked by in Game 4 but will be pressing their luck if they need to win again with another weak performance by George.
Another problem for Indiana is that they’ve gotten next to nothing offensively from their bench. Indiana has only been going four deep into their reserves for the most part and the backups have only averaged 12.5 points per game. The Heat’s bench, meanwhile, is scoring nearly twice that amount at just under 22 per contest. The Pacers’ starters have been playing more so that explains the lack of bench scoring a bit, but their chances to win the series would improve if they were a bit deeper.
