This was Dwyane Wade’s very best â€" his Ninth Symphony, his Ulysses, his roundhouse, double-legged dropkick from the top rope.
Led by an otherworldly performance by Wade, the Heat defeated the Pacers 103-95 in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Thursday.
If this series was cage match â€" like Heat coach Erik Spoelstra predicted before it even started â€" then the Indiana Pacers folded like jumbo shrimp on their home court.
The series was marred by flagrant fouls and trash talk but there was none of that in the Heat’s close-out performance â€" just a lot of Wade turning back the clock to 2006 and doing things that will one day make him a Hall of Famer.
Wade finished with 41 points on 17 of 25 shooting. Let that sink in. He scored 20 points in the second quarter alone.
Once seemingly on the brink of melting down in this series, the Heat finished off the Pacers with three consecutive victories, including two that came here in Indiana in front of a rowdy and screaming fan base.
Those fans, clad in “Gold Swagger†shirts were frothing at the mouth at the beginning of Game 6. By the end, they could only clap in appreciation for their gritty team.
Up next
The Heat now awaits the winner of the Eastern Conference semifinals between the Celtics and Sixers. Regardless of the outcome, the Eastern Conference finals will be Monday night at AmericanAirlines Arena.
The Heat won despite losing the rebounding battle 37-26. With Udonis Haslem watching the game from an Indianapolis hotel room due to his suspension, the Heat’s sharpshooter did just enough to assist Wade and LeBron James.
James, who wisely deferred to the hot-handed Wade, finished with 28 points on 12 of 23 shooting. Mario Chalmers added 15 points, shooting 3 of 4 from three-point range. Mike Miller, barely walking at this point, gutted out his best performance of the postseason. He was 4 of 6 from three-point range for 12 points.
Supporting cast
The Heat led by 10 points entering the fourth quarter after a clutch three-pointer by Mario Chalmers but the Pacers cut Miami’s advantage to five points with eight minutes to play. That’s when Joel Anthony delivered quite possibly the greatest offensive effort of his career.
Fouled by Danny Granger in the act of shooting, Anthony delivered a tough basket inside and converted the and-one free throw to give the Heat an 86-78 lead. The play halted a 9-2 run the Pacers.
The Pacers’ final push came with a basket from David West with 3:45 to play. It cut the Heat’s lead to eight points but James responded with six consecutive points to close out the game.
West led the Pacers 24 points on 10 of 16 shooting. George Hill had 18 points and Danny Granger added 15. The Pacers shot 48.6 percent â€" a respectable number for this seriesâ€" but the Heat was 41 of 76 from the field (53.9 percent).
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