The turning point of Heat-Pacers game

  Even the most casual sports fan could see what happened in Tuesday night’s rematch of the Eastern Conference Finals. The defending-champion Miami Heat smashed the Indiana Pacers in the mouth early, with their patented pressure defense. In the second half, Indiana settled down and got the ball inside. Ball game. But wait, it wasn’t just a tale of two halves. There was a single moment that turned the game early in the 3rd quarter. The 2013-14 Indiana Pacers looked like the 2010-11 Indiana Pacers to start Tuesday night’s game vs the Miami Heat. From the opening possession (a series of hot potato passes that resulted in a rushed three), the home team was visibly rattled by Miami’s pressure defense. The first half saw little change, with Indiana tallying 13 turnovers at halftime. The second half started well for the Pacers, with a quick 5-0 run to make it a two-point game. Then, it happened. At the 9:18 mark of the 3rd, with Miami leading 53-47, Lebron James picked up his 3rd foul. He carelessly reached in on Paul George at the top of the key, the same place Miami had been pressuring ‘PG’ hard the entire 1st half. James […]