Birdman active for Heat in Game 6

The Birdman flies in any weather.

Well, except for Games 4 and 5, when a thigh bruise kept him grounded. Other than that, though, Chris Andersen can't be held down.

The heavily-tattooed center is active for the Miami Heat on Friday night as they look to close out their Eastern Conference finals series against the Indiana Pacers in Game 6.

That's good for the depth of the Heat, though they've been playing smaller with some success in Andersen's stead (that has more to do with removing Udonis Haslem from the starting lineup, however). Andersen averaged 6.7 points and 7.7 rebounds in the first three games of the series and shot 66.7 percent, a year after shooting 88.9 percent against the Pacers in this same situation.

At the very least, it gives coach Erik Spoelstra another frontcourt option and perhaps someone who can soak up reserve minutes at the five, a role they largely abandoned in Game 5.