Pacers step forth in fourth to beat Heat

The Pacers defeated the visiting Miami Heat 84-83 Wednesday night in a battle of the top two teams in the East. The Pacers are now 52-20 overall and 33-4 at home while the Heat are 48-22. The teams have one more regular season head-to-head meeting remaining on April 11 in Miami. The Pacers also clinched the Central Division title with this win.

Forethoughts
If there was any better example of why the Pacers need to have the best record in the East and earn the No. 1 seed and homecourt advantage presumably against the Heat in the Eastern Conference, it was this game. The Pacers were down seven to start the fourth quarter and to be honest, that kind of deficit against Miami on the road would have been hard to overcome. But the Pacers did overcome it this time and being at home was certainly one reason for that. This was pretty much the type of game that most expected. Not a lot of easy shots, and some pretty physical play from both teams. The good news for the Pacers is that style points didn't really matter in this win. Just finding a way to get it done is what mattered. It now puts them in prime position to claim that No. 1 seed in the East, something they've talked about wanting since the beginning of the year. It's right there for them to take now.

The Big Plays

Paul George had a key dunk in the fourth quarter
to help the Pacers comeback and beat the Heat.

There were quite a few in this game. First you had Paul George's drive past Lebron James and dunk early in the fourth quarter that cut the lead to one. Then, late in the fourth quarter and the Pacers down one, Evan Turner wanted the ball and made a nice move to beat Mario Chalmers for the basket at the 1:30 mark to give the Pacers the lead for good. And finally, too, on the Pacers next to last possession in the final minute, David West hit a step back 3-pointer with 50.2 seconds left to give them a four-point lead. West has been a clutch shooter for the Pacers all year, so while some might have been shocked that he made that shot, those of who watch the Pacers know West has delivered in key situations all year.

The Ups

1) One big advantage the Pacers have against the Heat is center Roy Hibbert. So, it was good to see the Pacers establish Hibbert's inside game early on as he scored seven points in the early going, hitting four of his first five shots. Hibbert responded well in the rest of the game too and finished with 21 points on 7 of 15 shooting.

2) The Pacers defense was pretty good most of the night, but it was especially good in the fourth quarter. The Heat hit just 4 or 13 shots in the quarter and had seven turnovers. The Heat can say what they want, but the Pacers' defense had something to do with their inefficient offense.

3) When Lance Stephenson was ejected for his second technical (we'll get to that in a minute), it forced Turner into the game for the final minutes of the fourth quarter. And really, there had to be some question on how he would perform in a real pressure situation. He had not been in many of them in the past couple of seasons in Philadelphia. But Turner responded just fine, hitting two key baskets late and scoring six points in all in the fourth quarter. They were all big baskets and hopefully a bit of confidence boost for Turner and for his teammates to know they can depend on him in late-game situations.

The Downs

1) Yes, it's true Stephenson did get two technical fouls and was ejected after the second one. The problem was of course the second one, after he made a basket and said something to Dwyane Wade on the way past him. Wade, being the veteran he is, sold the situation to the refs and the whistle blew for the second technical. There were all kinds of things wrong with the play. First, yes, Stephenson needs to be aware of his situation and importance to the team and just not even come close to getting a technical. Second, if Wade had not sold it, I don't think the officials would have called it. So, it's not good when the officials give the appearance that a player talked them into a call. And third, I agree with ESPN announcer Jeff Van Gundy in that for a player to be thrown out of a game, it should take a lot more than what Stephenson did in that situation.

2) The Pacers, save for Turner's eight points, pretty much got nothing from their bench. Even with Turner's output, the only other points were two from reserve center Ian Mahinmi. Overall, the bench hit just five of 20 shots from the field, and that includes Turner's 4 for 10. The bench doesn't have to carry them in these games, but it does have to give the Pacers a little more than that. 

3) George Hill is one of the game's really good guys. One of the guys you want to see do well. But he's got to hit those two free throws with 2.3 seconds left instead of missing them both. He just has to hit them if this happens again in the playoffs, and it very well might.

Next Up

The Pacers play next at Washington in a 7 p.m. game on Friday. The Wizards are 36-35 and currently sit in the sixth spot in the Eastern Conference playoff race, so unlike previous late season games in recent years, they have plenty to be playing for now. The Wizards lost three of four on a recent road trip before returning home Wednesdsay and losing to Phoenix. The Wizards are led by point guard John Wall at 19.8 points and 8.8 assists, shooting guard Bradley Beal at 17.2 points, including shooting 41.8 percent from 3-point range, Trevor Ariza at 14.9 points and 6.4 rebounds, Marcin Gortat at 12.8 and 6.9 rebounds, Drew Gooden at 10.6 points and Martell Webster at 10.2 points. The Wizards will be without starting center Nene, who hasn't played since Feb. 23 due to a sprained medial collateral ligament. In earlier meetings this season, the Pacers won at Indiana 93-73 on Nov. 29 and 93-66 on Feb. 10, back in the salad days when they overwhelmed teams with their defense.