NBA Playoffs 2012: Indiana Pacers Topple Bosh-less Heat On The Road (Pacers POV)
By Editorial Staff
It was a nail bitter, but they got it done. The Indiana Pacers pull out a win on the road as they defeat the Miami Heat 78-75. It was a low scoring affair for most of the first half, but as the second half rolled around, things started to get a little scrappy. Dwayne Wade’s flagrant one on Darren Collison, Lebron James and Danny Granger getting tangled up; tempers were getting heated and egos were at check. These are the type of games I love to watch. Who has the most heart? Who has what it takes? Who will sacrifice the most for the better of their team. Going into game 3 in Indianapolis, things will start to get a little more interesting from here on out.
Key Players:
Yay – David West: 16 PTS, 10 REB, 6-8 FTM-A, 40:49
Once again David West comes up big for his team when they need it the most. When his team was struggling from the floor, coach Vogul would draw up a play specifically for West in order to swing the momentum back into Indiana’s hands. Not only was West the catalyst for most of Indiana’s offence, but he also takes on the role of the Veteran very seriously. Stopping his teammates from getting out of hand and telling his team to hold off the celebrations; Indiana is successful because of David West. If he continues to lead this team, they have a good chance in winning the series.
Nay – Roy Hibbert: 8 PTS, 11 REBS, 2-6 FGM-A, 33:20
Even with Chris Bosh sidelined for the remainder of this series, possibly even longer, Roy Hibbert still struggled to get his offence going. Shooting only 4-6 from the free throw line, and a dismal 2-6 from the field, Roy Hibbert has to contribute more in order for this team to even have a chance to advance in these playoffs. No other big man on Miami, other than Bosh is athletic enough to guard Hibbert, so what is he waiting for?
KEY MOMENT: Dwyane Wade Flagrant 1 on Darren Collison
No question whether this was a cheap shot from Wade as he deliberately pushes Darren from behind during a face break. Wade was struggling from the field as he only shot 8-22, scoring 24 points (funny how 24 points is a bad thing). You could tell that frustration was starting to kick in, but will this ultimately cause Wade to miss game 3 this Thursday?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUMOu12inQk
KEY STATS:
Yay:
Pacers – 50 REBS
Heat – 40 REBS
Nay:
Roy Hibbert – 4-6 FGM-A
Quote of the game:
David West on the win – “We can’t get too excited because we won one game, that’s not our goal in this series. We can’t over react because we were able to get one game down here. We gotta win professionally. Understand we haven’t reached the goals that we set out to reach”. (NBA.com)
Next Game:
Thursday, May 17th, 7:00, @Indiana
Series:
Series Tied 1-1
Notes:
Chris Bosh’s absence from the Heat’s lineup was extremely evident during this game. Roy Hibbert may not have had one of his strongest outings, but Bosh’s defense in the paint was the key to the Heat’s demise. With Bosh out of the lineup for possibly more than this series, will this affect the outcome of the Heat’s playoff push?
Being a diehard Raptors fan for so many disappointing years, it’s nice to finally have the feeling of victory for once. Indiana in 7! Bring it on Heat fans!
Check out @JosephNardone for Heat’s recap.
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