The Indiana Pacers shocked the Miami Heat on May 15, walking away with 78-75 win at the American Airlines Arena. With the win, the Pacers now have home court advantage for the remainder of the series, a position the Heat certainly didn't want to find themselves in.
The Heat played well during the first half of Game 2, but they couldn't keep it up in the third quarter, allowing the Pacers to outscore them by 14 points. They tried to dig themselves out of the hole in the final quarter, but they fell short in the end, allowing the Pacers to even out the series.
"Welcome to the playoffs, for us," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters after the game. "That's how we're viewing it. This series has started. They won on our home court. Now we have to collect ourselves, gather ourselves and get ready for Game 3. That's all that matters right now."
LeBron James led Miami's offense against the Pacers in Game 2, finishing with 28 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 steals. LeBron did have a chance to give Miami the lead in the final minute of the game, but he wasn't able to convert on a pair of free throws.
"The game is not lost or won with two free throws," LeBron told reporters. "But I definitely want to come through for my teammates. So I'll get an opportunity again. I know I'll be at the line again in that situation. Just go up and make 'em."
Dwyane Wade also played well on Tuesday, adding 24 points and 6 rebounds to the scoreboard.
Chris Bosh -who is possibly out for the remainder of the series against the Pacers due to an abdominal strain - was definitely missed by the Heat, as they weren't able to get their role players going on the offensive end. For the second straight game, Miami's role players failed to show up, with no one besides LeBron and Wade finishing with over 5 points. With the series about to relocate to Indiana, Spoelstra needs to find a way to get them going.
Given how poorly Miami played on the road in the second half of the 2011/12 NBA season, they'll need their role players to step it up a notch, if they want to advance to the Eastern Conference finals.
David is a Miami Heat fan that has followed the team for 16 years. Follow him on twitter @davidkingwriter and check out his blog.
Sources:
Associated Press, "Pacers hold off Heat down stretch, knot series 1-1"
Player and game information from ESPN.com
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