Pacers need Granger to step up in Heat series - USA TODAY

MIAMI â€" The Indiana Pacers need Danny Granger's scoring.

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  Steve Mitchell, US Presswire

  Miami Heat small forward LeBron James (6) shoots over Indiana Pacers small forward Danny Granger (33) during the second half in Game 1.

Steve Mitchell, US Presswire

Miami Heat small forward LeBron James (6) shoots over Indiana Pacers small forward Danny Granger (33) during the second half in Game 1.

They need his defense on Miami Heat forward LeBron James.

And therein the conundrum facing small forwards throughout the NBA: How to limit James offensively and score on him on the other end of the court?

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Granger, Indiana's leading scorer during the regular season (18.7 points per game) and the first-round series win against the Chicago Bulls, (21.4 points per game), scored just seven points in Miami's 95-86 victory Sunday to open their Eastern Conference semifinal series.

He was scoreless in the first half â€" not the offensive output Indiana requires against Miami.

"After looking at the tape, there weren't that many opportunities, and that's what Miami wants," Granger said Monday. "So we have to find ways to counteract that so I still get involved. I'm very confident that can happen. That's the beauty of a playoff series. You can look at one game and see everything from a bird's-eye point of view."

Pacers coach Frank Vogel said after Game 1 that he needed to get more creative with Granger. Asked what he came up with, Vogel said, joking, "I have about 20-25 new plays we're going to put in today. We think he can get free maybe on half of those."

Seriously, Vogel said, "You're limited, obviously, with what you can do. We got a couple of different looks. The plan was not for him to get 10 shots going in. We, in some ways, didn't execute."

Vogel wasn't thrilled with the ball movement and wants to see it move side to side with more speed, precision and accuracy.

"We do understand, getting him the ball on reversal is a key element, and we didn't do that well enough," Vogel said.

Miami's defense had something to do with that. "Miami's probably the best in the business at taking away your sets and your first options," Vogel said.

He said after Game 1 that it might be difficult for Granger to have a great offensive series because he had to expend so much energy guarding James.

Granger said it's a tough task: "They're a really good screening team. LeBron has the ball every possession, and I'm fighting through three pick-and-rolls. So it's tough. It's taxing on me. I just have to find a balance."

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