Chris Mendez, Victor Drew Jimenez, John Serna It wasnt easy, but it was tough, gritty and grind, as the Indiana Pacers finally get a key victory in the month of March, knocking off the Miami Heat. The Pacers showed plenty of toughness, they werent afraid of Miami, they proved that regardless of the struggles they have gone through, they never back off against anybody and they will fight till the bitter end. The Pacers were also trying to hold off the Heat, in getting the top spot in the Eastern Conference. Both teams have struggled in the March, so getting this victory over Miami was critical in the Pacers chances of keeping the number spot in the East. With there victory over the Heat last night, the Pacers now lead Miami by 3 games. Both Indiana and Miami are the beast of the east, but Indianas strength and toughness prove to be the difference in the 3rd meeting of the 2013 Eastern Conference Finals rematch. With the way both teams play last night, we could be in for another incredible Eastern Conference showdown in May. The way the game was playing on, it was looking like the playoffs had started a bit earlier than usual. Superstars were stepping up, role players that struggled made key plays down the stretch, and a whole lot of physical play was definitely shown in this playoff atmosphere type of game. PF David West was very solid, scoring 13 points, making good passes, getting key rebounds, but it was his clutch 3-pointer, that gave the Pacers a 4-point lead with 50.2 seconds remaining, and extending Indianas lead. West had 13 points while shooting 3-11 from the field, 5 assists, 9 rebounds and 6-6 from the free-throw line. SG Lance Stephenson provided great energy before getting ejecting from the game. Stephenson scored 9 of his 15 points in the 1st half, along with 2 assists, 2 rebounds and 3-4 from 3-point land. Two of Indianas most important players had there best games in quiet a while, C Roy Hibbert and Superstar SF Paul George finally got of there slumps, showing true leadership, and making strong plays to give the Pacers a chance to win the game. Hibbert helped set the tone right way for Indiana, scoring 13 of his 21 points in the 1st quarter, using his height advantage to get as many easy points as possible for the Pacers. Hibbert shot 7-15 from the field, 4 rebounds and 7-9 from the field. Superstar SF Paul George was looking like the Superstar that he is, attacking the basket, getting aggressive to the rim, throwing down a couple of slam dunks and knocking down a few 3-point baskets. Paul George once again, was showing the stardom that he has, he was doing the little things that sometimes doesnt notice, but truly matters the most at the very end. George had a quiet 1st half, but in the 2nd half, he provided instance offense for Indiana, scoring 15 of his 23 points, including a couple of unbelievable and entertaining slam dunks that got the crowd up off there feet, as the Pacers were making a comeback. George had 3 steals, 4 assists, 8 rebounds, 3-6 from 3-point land and 3-3 from the free-throw line. George scored 6 of his 23 points in the 4th quarter, including two incredible slam dunks. Newly acquired SF Evan Turner scored two key baskets late in the 4th quarter, PF David West buried a clutch 3-pointer in the final minute, as the Pacers held on to get the 84-83 victory. Indiana improved to 52-20, while the Heat fell to 48-22. Both Hibbert and George provided great offense to the Pacers in the 1st quarter, as both players combined to score 19 points and Indiana had the early lead over Miami. Hibbert had 13 points in the 1st quarter, while George had 6 points as well. First, Hibbert with a great post move in the paint, scoring the turnaround jumper, then PG24 with a great pass to West for the layup basket. Stephenson makes a great pass to Paul George for the wide-open 3-pointer in the corner, then George dishes a great pass Hibbert for the layup, gets foul and has a chance for the 3-point play. Hibbert with another post move, scoring the hook shot, then Hibbert attacks the basket, scoring the reverse layup. West finds Hibbert for the wide-open two-point jumper, then George buries a step-back 3-pointer. Hibbert continues to dominate in the paint, scoring another easy layup over his defender, as the Pacers would take a 23-17 lead into the 2nd quarter. Both George and Hibbert continue to make strong plays in the 2nd quarter, but the Heat comeback to have a lead at halftime. First, PG George Hill finds PG24 for the two-point jumper, then PG24 gets the steal, and dishes the pass to Stephenson for the 3-point basket. Hibbert makes two free-throws, then West makes the pass to Hibbert for the hook shot, as the Pacers trialed 45-44 at halftime. Hibbert doesnt score as much in the 2nd half, but he continues to make tough plays for Indiana, Paul George scores 9 of his 23 points in the 3rd quarter, as the Pacers still trail against Miami. First, George knocks down two free-throws, then Hibbert makes two free-throws as well. Stephenson finds PG24 for the two-point jumper, then Hill dishes the pass to George for the wide-open 3-pointer in the corner. Backup PG Donald Sloan with a great pass to George for the easy slam dunk, as the Pacers were trailing 68-63 heading into the 4th quarter. George continues to make critical plays for Indiana, Hibbert makes a couple of free-throws, as the Pacers would hang on to beat Miami. First, Hill with a great pass to George for the two-hand jam, then PG24 finds SF Evan Turner for the jumper. George attacks the rim with great authority by throwing the powerful two-hand jam, exciting the crowd and keeping the Pacers in the game. Hibbert makes 1-of-2 free-throws, after Heat SF LeBron James was called for a flagrant foul, then George gets the steal over James. George knocks down two free-throws, then Hibbert makes 1-of-2 free-throws. Turner scores two baskets late in the 4th quarter, West buries a clutch 3-pointer in the final minute, as the Pacers held on to beat the Heat and get an 84-83 victory. The Pacers defense was incredible last night, by forcing 19 turnovers and scoring 26 points off those Miami turnovers. The Pacers held Miami to just 6-19 from 3-point land, shooting only 31.6% from downtown. Both teams were even in the rebounding department at 37 boards apiece, and both teams scored 30 points in the paint each. Indiana had the 18-13 edge in the assists department. My web info sports sources comes from NBA and ESPN By: Stats
Posted on: Fri, 28 Mar 2014 01:44:02 +0000