Game Thread: Eastern Conference Finals: Miami Heat VS Indiana Pacers

[gordontrue]

2011 ECF - Bulls win Game 1... Heat win next 4
2012 Finals - Thunder win Game 1... Heat win next 4
2013 2nd Round - Bulls win Game 1... Heat win next 4
2014 ECF - Pacers win Game 1...

 

[Am I Blue Through it All?]

2011 ECF - Bulls win Game 1... Heat win next 4
2012 Finals - Thunder win Game 1... Heat win next 4
2013 2nd Round - Bulls win Game 1... Heat win next 4
2014 ECF - Pacers win Game 1...

So your point is, the Heat are 4 years older as a team?

 

[Hambombs]

2011 ECF - Bulls win Game 1... Heat win next 4
2012 Finals - Thunder win Game 1... Heat win next 4
2013 2nd Round - Bulls win Game 1... Heat win next 4
2014 ECF - Pacers win Game 1...

Don't matter. This team is not as good as those teams

 

[Hambombs]

This stat is exactly why Heat fans shouldn't be worried

Sometimes, stats lie. SportVU says that Heat took 18 more uncontested shots than Pacers, and 7 fewer contested ones.

In other words Miami offense was good and guys just missed open looks while Miami defense wasn't as bad as it seems but Indy were just on fire just as Brooklyn was in game 3 of the 2nd round vs Miami.

You should worry if it's a team like the spurs but maybe not Indiana although these are nba players

 

[gordontrue]

Don't matter. This team is not as good as those teams

Depends on how you define "matter". Nothing that happened in the past is going to have a direct affect on what happens in this series... BUT it might be a reasonably reliable predictor on what happens in a similar situation.

You could make an argument that last team's was better than this team, but I would disagree with the 2012 Heat being better and I would vehemently disagree with the 2011 team being better than this team. I mean, that team had Arroyo, House, Bibby, Jones, and Anthony each playing 20+ minutes.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

This stat is exactly why Heat fans shouldn't be worried

Sometimes, stats lie. SportVU says that Heat took 18 more uncontested shots than Pacers, and 7 fewer contested ones.

In other words Miami offense was good and guys just missed open looks while Miami defense wasn't as bad as it seems but Indy were just on fire just as Brooklyn was in game 3 of the 2nd round vs Miami.

MIA did miss open looks, but it's not like they were all in the paint...bottom line, they can't let Hill, Stephensen get into the mid/high teens and win this series.

 

[TurnUpTheHeat]

No - the Heat only have to lose 2 road games and two home games for it to be over - besides that Heat only have 3 road games in this series, so lets just cross our fingers and hope for Indiana to give the Heat some more asswhuppings

So you are saying the Heat in 5 or 6 (6 was my prediction)?

Other wise how could they only have 3 road games when Indy has HC advantage?
In other words WTF are you actually talking about?

 

[bksballer89]

Real answer: your team is wearing their assses for hats. Wire to wire. Not one lead.

It's one game. The heat could've led all game until the final seconds and it would still count as the same. As I said before if Miami wins tmr night, this win means nothing for Indy because Miami would've done what they set out to there. People get too excited over one home win in the first game of a series.

 

[RobToxin]

I know we've had this discussion about the regular season being thrown out the window come playoff time. Hell, I have led that discussion more than once.

However....

this season, including Game 1 yesterday....

the home team is undefeated in the Heat-Pacers season series.

 

[bksballer89]

I know we've had this discussion about the regular season being thrown out the window come playoff time. Hell, I have led that discussion more than once.

However....

this season, including Game 1 yesterday....

the home team is undefeated in the Heat-Pacers season series.

Same thing as last season. The first time a road team won in the season series including the playoffs was game 2. Only difference is they met 3 times in the regular season instead of 4 but the first road win by either team came in game 2 of the conference finals

 

[BUD]

Good game Pacers. They started the series out right. Forget about the heat losing the first game then end up winning the series. This is 2014 not 13,12,or 11. Get the 2nd home game W and Miami will be Wondering WTF is up.

 

[avalon2423]

Miami wins in 6

 

[True Lakers Fan]

So you are saying the Heat in 5 or 6 (6 was my prediction)?

Other wise how could they only have 3 road games when Indy has HC advantage?
In other words WTF are you actually talking about?

The person indicated that the Miami Heat would need to lose 4 ROAD GAMES FOR IT TO BE OVER. I was thinking Miami had home-court advantage and had only 3 road games to worry about - I didn't check and notice that Indiana had home court advantage

Now with that being said I agree - Miami in 5 or 6 - I really don't believe Indiana is strong enough to be Miami in the best of 7

 

[Jims_Doors]

As the old saying goes, it's not time to worry until the home team loses a game.

 

[Heatles84]

Don't matter. This team is not as good as those teams

That 2011 Heat team was barren outside of the big 3. You had Big Z and a washed up Mike Bibby starting. Off the bench was a decent Mario Chalmers along with an injured Mike Miller and Udonis Haslem coming back from a torn ligament in his foot. I don't think the Heat will win 4 straight against the Pacers. But I'm not going to start losing my shit because the Heat played like shit in game 1.

 

[Black Adam]

only thing i'm also going to bring up on this is the age factor. the Heat are one of the oldest teams in the NBA, and since(as jefe once put it) this is a "war of attrition" that might matter as the series wears on...

 

[TRIPLE 777]

The HEAT LOST GAME 1 BECAUSE THEY USED A VERY SMALL LINE UP--THEY WILL MAKE ADJUSTMENTS ,IT'S A 7 GAMES SERIES,POOR MATCH UPS COST THE HEAT GAME ONE.

 

[bksballer89]

So I was just watching sportscenter and they showed a stat that basically proofed that Miami is much better vs Indy when Bird/Bosh are on the floor together instead of just having one of them on the court.

 

[trojanfan12]

So I was just watching sportscenter and they showed a stat that basically proofed that Miami is much better vs Indy when Bird/Bosh are on the floor together instead of just having one of them on the court.

The only problem with stats like that is that they don't usually show how it projects over the course of an entire game, let alone a series. Increasing his minutes a bit may help some, but I wouldn't want to bank on that to win the series. Not that you are, but those kinds of stats tend to be fools gold more often than not.

Players like Birdman play a certain amount of minutes for a reason and when they are asked to go over those allotted minutes, they tend to show why their minutes are limited. Kind of like the bench player who steps in for an injured star player, looks like an all-star for a couple of games and then shows why they are a bench player.

 

[bksballer89]

I agree but instead of taking out Bosh for Birdman maybe Spo can make a minor adjustment and take out whoever he starts at 4 tmr (Battier/UD) for Birdman and maybe give them 3 minutes together in the 1st and another 3 or 4 minutes before the half (do the same thing for the 2nd half). So for example he can take out UD/Battier around the 6 min mark for Bird and leave Bird/Bosh in there until about the 3 minute mark and at that point he can take out Bosh for his normal rest. If he follows that strategy, Bird is playing his normal minutes which is 16 MPG in the playoffs except that these minutes are mainly coming with him and Bosh on the court together instead of Bosh being on the bench with him in the game