3 things you need to know about Pacers vs. Heat Game 6
The Miami Heat will look to close out their Eastern Conference finals series against the Indiana Pacers on Friday night, securing their fourth consecutive trip to the NBA Finals.
It won't be easy, however, even with Game 6 coming on their home floor, as battles between these two rivals rarely are.
LeBron James, Paul George and their respective squads tip off at 8:30 p.m. on ESPN; here are three things you need to know.
These teams are still razor-close
While the Heat lead the series 3-2 and looked pretty solid in Games 3 and 4 in particular, the battle between these teams over the past three seasons remains about as close as imaginable.
They've now played a ludicrous 29 times since the beginning of the 2012 calendar - the Heat hold a 17-12 edge overall and an 11-7 edge in playoff games, but 12 of the games have been single-digit margins and only three have been decided by more than 20 points. In short, the Heat may have the edge, but it's hardly decisive...yet.
| Heat | Since 2011-12 | Pacers |
|---|---|---|
| 17 | W | 12 |
| 12 | L | 17 |
| 94.7 | PPG | 90.7 |
| 46.7% | FG% | 43.7% |
| 35.6% | 3FG% | 37% |
| 25.3 | FTA/gm | 25.9 |
| 12.7 | TO/gm | 14.8 |
Can Paul George repeat his massive Game 5 second half?
The primary story in Game 5 was the foul trouble for James, who played just 24 minutes due to foul trouble, seven fewer than he had ever played in a playoff game before. Just as big, however, was the second half performance from George, who scored 31 points on 12-of-19 shooting, never leaving the floor as the Pacers made their comeback.
That's obviously a best-case scenario for the Pacers - George is averaging 22.2 points, 7.6 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 18 playoff games and has averaged 20.6 points on 44.8 percent shooting in 19 games against the Heat over the past two seasons - but he may have found an important groove.
Look at the video of his second-half baskets that Eye On Basketball produced, and you see that he wasn't necessarily hitting insane shots but rather creating from the defensive end and leveraging his offensive versatility in a collected manner.
James won't be in foul trouble to start Game 6, but even if he isn't, George may have re-found his early-season confidence at the offensive end, something that wasn't apparent as he shot 41.4 percent in the series' first four games.
Which Roy Hibbert?
The narrative before the series, and really over the past two seasons, was how Hibbert's presence was a perfect antidote to both Miami's offense and defense. Opponents shoot just 41 percent at the rim against Hibbert, and Game 5's final play was a perfect example of how he changes the game, with James opting to dish to an open Chris Bosh in the corner rather than attempting a layup over Hibbert.
However, a quick look at the game logs from the series shows that Indiana has no idea which Hibbert may show up:
| Game | Pts | Rbs | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 | 9 | 19 |
| 2 | 12 | 13 | 3 |
| 3 | 16 | 2 | -21 |
| 4 | 0 | 5 | -23 |
| 5 | 10 | 13 | 9 |
This continues a frustrating playoff-long trend for the big man, who has scored four points or fewer in six of 18 games and has lacked an impact as often as he's made one.
Series at a Glance
Game 1: IND 107, MIA 96 (Pacers lead series 1-0)
Game 2: MIA 87, IND 83 (Series tied 1-1)
Game 3: MIA 99, IND 87 (Heat lead series 2-1)
Game 4: MIA 102, IND 90 (Heat lead series 3-1)
Game 5: IND 93 MIA 90 (Heat lead series 3-2)
Game 6: Friday, May 20 - 8:30 p.m., ESPN
Game 7*: Sunday, June 1 - 8:30 p.m., ESPN