Dwyane Wade, LeBron James lead Miami Heat to victory over Indiana Pacers in Game 1 - MiamiHerald.com

The directive was clear: You simply cannot get tired.

That’s the message Heat coach Erik Spoelstra delivered to LeBron James in the second half Sunday. James then delivered a performance worthy of his MVP award.

With a dominant fourth quarter, James led the Heat to a 95-86 victory in Game 1 of its second-round series against the Indiana Pacers. James equaled the Pacers in scoring in the final period, scoring 16 points in the last 12 minutes of the game.

James played every minute of the second half after Spoelstra told him in a team huddle that the team couldn’t afford for him to become fatigued. Earlier, Heat power forward Chris Bosh sustained an abdominal strain and didn’t return.

James responded with 32 points to go along with a season-high 15 rebounds, five assists, two steals and a blocked shot.

“I made a conscious effort in the second half to rebound the ball more,” James said. “[Indiana] does a good job of rebounding the ball, so I wanted to do my best to help the team.”

It was a big day for James, who received his third MVP award from commissioner David Stern before the game. As for Bosh, it’s possible he could be lost for the series. The Heat’s All-Star power forward injured himself going up for a dunk with a minute left in the first half.

The Heat, which lacked energy to begin the game, trailed throughout the first half but Bosh’s dunk and free throw cut the Pacers’ lead to six points at the break. Bosh went down on his knees and lingered under the basket for about 30 seconds before being helped to his feet.

“Anytime a teammate goes down, there’s a concern,” said Dwyane Wade, who also picked up his game in the second half to finish with 29 points. “[Bosh] just made an unbelievable move. You saw the look on his face and you knew something was wrong.”

After Bosh’s injury, James and Wade combined to outscore the Pacers 42-38.

Bosh’s status for the remainder of the series is unclear. He underwent an MRI after the game. He had 13 points and five rebounds in the first half.

The Heat entered the series with a height disadvantage, and losing Bosh could have swung momentum in favor of the Pacers. It didn’t. Reserves Ronny Turiaf and Joel Anthony played important roles in the second half and mitigated the loss of the Heat’s starting center. Despite Bosh’s injury, the Heat out-rebounded the Pacers 45-38.

“We feel one of the greatest strengths of our roster is our versatility, and we showed that in the second half,” Spoelstra said.

Turiaf started the third quarter and provided the Heat with an immediate spark. He finished with four points and three rebounds in less than 11 minutes. Little used for more than a month, Turiaf said he was surprised by the warm greeting from AmericanAirlines Arena when he entered the game.

“The ovation surprised me and it went a long way,” said Turiaf, who was added to the roster late in the season. “To be accepted by the fans is something I take very personal. I’m still the new guy in town.”

The score was tied at 70 to begin the fourth quarter but the Heat quickly pulled ahead with an 8-2 run. Anthony started the fourth quarter and, along with Wade and James, provided superb defense in the final period. The Pacers shot 28.6 percent from the floor in the fourth quarter and were out-rebounded 13-8.

“We started to get defensive stops, and we started to get rolling offensively,” Wade said.

It was a noteworthy game for Anthony, who began the season as a starter before being shuffled to the bench. He had nine points and seven rebounds in less than 24 minutes.

James was particularly effective on Danny Granger â€" not only in the fourth quarter â€" but the entire game. Granger, the Pacers’ star wingman, finished with seven points on 1 of 10 shooting. He didn’t score a single point in the fourth quarter.

Afterwards, Pacers coach Frank Vogel said Granger probably wasn’t going to have a great series going up against the league’s MVP.

“We are going to have to get [Granger] better shots,” Vogel said. “I do not know if he is going to have a huge offensive series, especially when he has to guard LeBron James for 38 minutes. That takes a lot out of your offensive game.

“Obviously LeBron James is the Most Valuable Player of the league because he is the best defensive player in the league as well. So, that has something to do with it as well.”

Center Roy Hibbert and power forward David West led Indiana with 17 points. The Pacers’ bench outscored the Heat’s reserves 20-15.

“This series is going to be one of those series that’s ugly and you just got to stick with it,” said Wade, noting the physical nature of Sunday’s game.