George rises and Pacers live another day

The Pacers defeated the visiting Miami Heat 93-90 in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals Wednesday night. The Heat lead the series 3-2 with Game 6 in Miami at 8:30 p.m. Friday.
Forethoughts

Paul George scored 21 of his 37 points
in the fourth quarter Wednesday night.

This was all about getting to the next game for the Pacers. They played the second half with a sense of urgency that was needed to keep their season alive against the Heat. The Pacers didn't always make the smartest plays, but they did play with a tremendous amount of heart and they were smart enough to just keep giving the ball to Paul George in the second half. Sure, the Heat didn't have LeBron James on the court for much of this game (only 24 minutes) due to foul trouble, so that's something that can't be counted on every game. But the Heat also can't count on Rashard Lewis making 6 of 9 3-pointers in every game either. So while that doesn't totally even things out, it does at least a little. And maybe some think that Lance Stephenson took the "find a way" mantra a little too far by blowing in James' ear, but even the Heat superstar got a little laugh out of that and if that broke James' concentration for just one possession, then well, OK.  And for the moment, the Pacers get to concentrate on one more game and given the situation they were in, that's all that could be asked of them for now.
The Big Plays
This was a more typical playoff game with big shots being made by both teams down the stretch. One of the big possessions late that went in the Pacers favor was when center Roy Hibbert grabbed an offensive rebound off a Paul George miss and passed the ball back to Paul George for a 3-pointer that gave the Pacers a 91-87 lead with 46.7 seconds left. It turned out to be the last big of several big plays made by George in this one.
The Ups
1) This could pretty much start and end with George. He had one of the better second halves and fourth quarters in Pacers playoff history, scoring 31 points on 12 of 19 shooting for the half and 21 points in the fourth quarter quarter while finishing the game with 37 points. The good thing, too, about this was that George also used his defense to feed his offense with six steals, including some key ones in the second half that led to baskets. It was simply the kind of superstar-like performance the Pacers needed from him, especially when they are struggling on offense and need someone to step up. It's not that they need 37 from him to win every game against the Heat, but George does need to recognize there will be nights in the playoffs and against the Heat where he has to step up  and be the man. And it was nice to see that happen in an elimination game.
2) The Heat had ruled the third quarter in winning three straight in this series, but the third is where the game turned for the Pacers in this one. They outscored the Heat 31-15 and erased an early 11-point deficit in the quarter to lead by seven at the end of the quarter. The Heat shot just 29 percent with six turnovers in the quarter. That's too much bad offense for the defense to not have something to do with it.
3) When the Heat had the ball and trailed by two with 13.6 seconds left, there was some speculation by the TV announcers that the Pacers should take Hibbert out of the game so they could protect the 3-point area better. But having remembered what happened in Game 1 of the series last year, when Hibbert was on the bench when James won the game with a drive to the basket, I was glad to see Pacers coach Frank Vogel leave Hibbert in because a similar play would put the game into overtime. So with Hibbert there to guard the rim this time, James kicked the ball into the corner to Chris Bosh who missed the 3-pointer. It wasn't a bad shot for the Heat to get, but it also wasn't James shooting it and that was a good thing.
The Downs
1) The fact that David West and George combined to miss three free throws late in the game was not good, especially when you are at home. On two occasions the Pacers could have been up by four in the final seconds and not have had to play defense, but in true character for this team, nothing seems to come easily. In all, the Pacers were 13 of 22 from the line, so a little better accuracy there would have the final couple of minutes a little less stressful.
2) The Pacers defense was slightly better in this one, holding the Heat to 45 percent, but the defense was by no means great. The Heat have the ability to draw the Pacers defense into the lane and then find the open shooter in the corner for a 3-pointer. In Game 3 it was Ray Allen and in Game 5 it was Rashard Lewis who hit six 3-pointers. Sure, Lewis draws a bigger player like David West outside the lane where West is not accustomed to playing defense, but also all Lewis can do on offense is shoot 3-pointers and that in itself shouldn't be that hard to guard.
Next Up
The Pacers face the unenviable task of trying to stay alive by winning in Miami. The one thing that might be on their side, in an odd sort of way here, is that the Heat will feel some pressure to win Game 6 because they won't want to come back to Indiana for a Game 7. The other side of the coin though is the Heat are the two-time defending champions and they've been in plenty of pressure situations over the past couple of years so you know they are not going to panic. With James having such an bad night in this one, it would be a surprise if he doesn't come out and assert himself early on in Game 6. The Pacers will have to survive that early push and find a way to dig in make this a game in the fourth quarter. It is true these Pacers seem to embrace the underdog role, so in another sort of odd way, that makes me think they just might have a chance down in Miami Friday night.