Reggie Hayes: LeBron needs some bite for Heat to ignite - News Sentinel

INDIANAPOLIS â€" LeBron James better get mad if he wants this playoff series to get even.

It was stunning the way the Indiana Pacers manhandled the Miami Heat 94-75 on Thursday in taking a 2-1 lead in their best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal series. Weren't the Heat supposed to be the alpha dogs in these playoffs? They looked more like lukewarm hot dogs in a sea of mustard (Pacers T-shirts).

Miami's usually great guard Dwyane Wade appears physically and mentally drained. James faded as the game wore on. Shane Battier set new depths for awful three-point shooting. Only guard Mario Chalmers appeared to be rising to the moment late.

Who knew Chris Bosh would end up as the one indispensable Heat player?

The Heat are running on empty, with Bosh out and Wade hurting. James is tremendous, no question, and he's going to have to step up his sheer force of will to carry the Heat on his back against the waves of Pacer contributors.

James must find a way to seize the tone if the Heat are to discard their funk for some old-fashioned rock 'n 'roll when the teams meet at 3:30 p.m. Sunday in Indianapolis.

“(We) understand it's a different series if we don't get Game 4,” Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. “We definitely feel like we can win this series. We felt that way coming into this series.

“Obviously, with them being undermanned with Bosh out, we feel even stronger about it. But how we feel is irrelevant. We had to get the job done between the lines.”

Numbers sometimes tell the story, and they did in the Pacers' win on Thursday.

The Pacers dished out 20 assists to the Heat's nine (and five of those by Chalmers). So ball movement was clearly in Indiana's favor.

The Pacers pulled down 52 rebounds to the Heat's 36. Indiana repeatedly limited Miami to one shot while Roy Hibbert (18 rebounds) and other inside players kept the ball alive after Pacers shots on multiple occasions.

The Pacers hit eight of 14 three-point shots. The Heat missed 16 of 20. Battier was 0-for-6.

If they Heat thought after Bosh's abdominal strain that they could lean on James and Wade to roll over the somewhat anonymous Pacers, they now realize the error of that thinking.

Danny Granger wavers somewhere between aggressive and belligerent in guarding James. Hibbert's shot blocking (five in Game 3) skills make the Heat think twice on drives. David West just muscles everybody.

“We will not back down or take anything from any team,” West said. “We'll not start anything, but we'll not take anything. We're not going to be pushed around by any team.”

Indiana played off the energy of its home crowd on several occasions Thursday, first in getting off to a quick jump, then in riding a stretch where the Heat appeared to be clicking.

Game 3 was tied 43-all at halftime and Wade hadn't scored a point. The Heat, understandably, figured that was actually a pretty good scenario.

Then the Pacers went out and outscored the Heat 26-12 in third quarter to seize command.

The Pacers fed off the crowd, which resembled the heyday of Reggie Miller in terms of size and decibel level. The fans started the night chanting “Lar-ry! Lar-ry!” as team president Larry Bird received his Executive of the Year Award. But it also chanted “He's a flop-per!” at James and Wade at various times.

When Granger got up in James' grill, it turned to “Dan-ny! Dan-ny!”

“Best building I've ever been in for basketball,” Vogel said. “Best crowd I've ever witnessed.”

The only way for the Heat to silence that crowd is with a vintage performance, something they haven't delivered since the discombobulating feel brought on with Bosh out. Maybe we need a new word: DiscomBoshulating.

Before he left the game with two minutes left, having been thoroughly whipped by the Pacers, James went to each of the Heat players still on the floor and shook their hands. He's apparently trying to be an encouraging leader.

He might want to try another tactic, with a little more urgent emotion.

This column is the commentary of the writer and does not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of The News-Sentinel. Email Reggie Hayes at rhayes@news-sentinel.com