This is the one that got away for Pacers

The visiting Pacers lost to the Miami Heat 97-94 Wednesday night. The Pacers fell to 20-5 and the Heat improved to 19-6 in the battle for the best record in the Eastern Conference.
The Big Picture

Paul George returned to form for the Pacers
by scoring 25 points, but it wasn't enough
to defeat the Heat in Miami Wednesday night.

There's a lot to take from this game. The Pacers came out from the beginning, even with those early turnovers, and set the tone. They certainly weren't intimidated and were ready to play. They built the lead to double digits in the second quarter and were up by as much as 15 in the third quarter. The Pacers were even up 7 with 3:21 remaining, but the Heat went on a 10-0 run that included back-to-back 3-pointers by Chris Bosh and Ray Allen to take the lead for good.
The Ups
1) Well, yes, it was good to see Paul George return to form after a couple of down games. The Pacers need him to be that MVP-type player that he was in the first 20 or so games of the season. And it was especially good to see this happen in a game getting a lot of attention (ESPN gave it something similar to Super Bowl pre-game coverage). And despite the loss, George played the way the Pacers need him to with his 25 points, eight rebounds and six assists. And regardless of whether there should have been a foul called on that last play of the game, it was good to see the Pacers look for George in that situation and for him to take that shot.
2) It's hard to say this after a defeat, because the Pacers are all about winning, but it was good to see them return to the style of play that they have had for much of the season. It was a slower pace and gave them a chance to use their size and to get open looks for George. I think it's safe to say that if the Pacers had played like this against Detroit on Monday they would have won. Now it's just a matter of getting that consistency back for every game. If that happens (and I think it will) the Pacers will be right in the mix when it comes to going for the best record in the East when these two teams meet again March 26.
The Downs
1) I saw a graphic the other day about which teams are best at scoring coming out of timeouts. The Pacers were right in the middle of the pack. So, it's not been a disaster. But their last two possessions of the game were unorganized, and it was especially disheartening to see George Hill and Paul George not be on the same page on that next-to-last possession that resulted in a key turnover.That's one of those things that hasn't happened a lot this year partly because the Pacers have not been in a lot of close games. But it's definitely something they need to work on as the season progresses. It will be important coming into the playoffs that Pacers coach Frank Vogel and the players have a firm understanding of what they want to do on late possessions in games. They all need to be on the same page and they all need to know what adjustments to make to defenses in mid-possession.
2) It was the first game the Pacers have played this year that was decided by three points or less. That's not a big deal as much as this is one that they know they let get away. It doesn't matter who the opponent is, if you are up by 7 in the final three or four minutes of the game, you should win. The Pacers have often played so well in games that they have not been close at the end and there haven't been these late game surges by opponents. So hopefully they will be able to use this game as bit of learning experience in how to finish games on both the offensive and defensive ends.
3) The Pacers have generally dominated the Heat on the boards in the last couple of years, so the fact that the Heat won this battle 37-36 was a bit of an issue for the Pacers. It's an area where the Pacers have not been their dominant selves lately, so let's hope they can find their old rebounding form.
4) And finally, I had to be in the car for part of this game and flipped over to the Miami radio announcers for a couple of minutes. They were constantly complaining about how they were "getting mugged" and not getting calls in the second quarter. Pretty laughable to hear that from the Miami perspective. And pretty easy to switch back over to Pacers play-by-play guy Mark Boyle, who you know likes to the see Pacers win, but doesn't look at the game through Pacer-colored glasses either.
Afterthoughts
The Pacers lost the game, but they may have found themselves again. If not for some abnormal things happening here they would have won the game. They had Roy Hibbert in foul trouble for much of the second half, which without question hurts the interior defense. Then you had Allen and Bosh wake up and hit 3-pointers late, something that hadn't happened all game as the Heat finished 5-for 21 from behind the arc. So you can't kill the Pacers defense on this. Allen probably should have retired after last season as he's certainly no better of a player than Rasual Butler is for the Pacers, but even at this advanced stage of his career Allen will hit a 3-pointer on occasion when left wide open. This one hurt a little for the Pacers, no doubt. But maybe it will help them grow into a better team.
Next Up
The Pacers return home and face the Houston Rockets in an 8 p.m. game Friday on ESPN. The Rockets come in with a 17-9 record. They have been led by left-handed guard James Harden at 24.4 points per game. Also center Dwight Howard is average 17 points and 13 rebounds and forward Chandler Parsons is averaging 17 points while shooting 51 percent from the field, including 41 percent from 3-point range. Harden is questionable with a sprained ankle, but did play Wednesday night. The Rockets also hope to get starting point guard Jeremy Lin back, who has missed some games with a bad back. Lin is average 14 points and four assists per game.
And the Pacers could get a boost from the expected (once again) return of forward Danny Granger, their former all-star who played just five games last season and has had two knee surgeries.