Sunday, May 26th, 2013 at 8:30 PM EDT at Bankers Life Fieldhouse
Game Preview: IND vs MIA, Game 3
Scott Agness | May 25, 2013
Matchup
The Pacers return home from Miami having accomplished what they sought out to do: Win at least one game to take home court advantage away from the defending champions. If not for a couple mistakes in the final 2.2 seconds of overtime in Game 1, in which they gave up a game-winning layup to LeBron James, the Pacers likely have a 2-0 lead.
In the first game of this Eastern Conference Finals matchup, Paul George sent the game into overtime with a 3-pointer from 32-feet out. Turnovers and defensive breakdowns cost the Pacers down the stretch, giving up two layups to James, the four-time MVP, on back-to-back possessions. Roy Hibbert wasn’t in the game during that time, drawing national criticism but the Pacers stayed together and their belief didn’t waiver.
Related: Game is "Checkered Out" »
The Pacers responded on Friday night with a 97-93 victory to knot the best-of-seven series at one game apiece. Hibbert posted a playoff career-high 29 points along with 10 rebounds to pace the team. Paul George had spectacular moments en route to 22 points, but none more memorable than his move around James to the hoop that resulted in a right-handed slam on Chris Andersen.
Related: Pacers Preparing for Wade to Play »
The big three, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, were the only three Heat players in double figures in Game 2, led by James’ 36. It was his two costly turnovers with less than a minute to play and two pairs of free throws from George Hill that allowed the Pacers to claim the win.
While the Heat are reliant on those three, the Pacers feature a starting lineup that they believe sizes up against anybody. On Friday, they accounted for 92 of their 97 points.
"Take nothing away from their big three,” Paul George said, “but we'll take a big five any day. That's what we have."
Bankers Life Fieldhouse is a welcomed sight for the Blue and Gold because they’re one of the most successful teams on their home floor. They have yet to fall at home in the postseason (6-0). That success, though, will be put to test against the Heat, who not only had the best regular season record, 66-16, but they also won the most road games. Including the playoffs, they have only lost 12 of 45 games this season away from home.
The keys for the Pacers will be limiting turnovers, winning the inside game, maintaining their composure, keeping Miami out of fast break situations, and hitting free throws.
Probable Starters
George Hill
Lance Stephenson
Paul George
David West
Roy Hibbert
Mario Chalmers
Dwyane Wade
LeBron James
Udonis Haslem
Chris Bosh
Injury Update
Pacers: Sam Young (probable, left ankle sprain), Danny Granger (out for the season, left knee)
Heat: None
Quotable
“This whole team is showing great desire and great heart and great belief. And that's the only way to put what these guys are doing right now, is they believe we can win this series, and they're giving it all their might, all their might. And they're playing with confidence and they are rising to the challenge. I'm very, very proud of them.” – Frank Vogel
“I can't believe how much that kid keeps growing and growing and growing. He's a third year player. His third year in the NBA. And he's going against the best player in the world in LeBron, and he's guarding him the entire night, guarding LeBron the entire night, and carrying an offensive scoring load and just making confidence building plays on the offensive end … He's giving us a huge, huge lift.” – Frank Vogel on Paul George
“We can’t get too high after this. We have to keep our composure. We still made some mistakes [in Game 2] defensively, but we just have to continue to focus, have a good day [Saturday] and be prepared for Game 3.” – David West
"It's a nice win. It's good to split but we haven't done anything yet. We haven't closed the series out. We won one game. A lot of us feel we should be up 2-0 … We're a tough-it-out team, and we learned from last year, we learned from Game 1. We're a growing and evolving team, and I think our defense really won the game for us." – Roy Hibbert
“It feels like deja vu a little bit. We're in the same situation where we were last year where we gave away Game 1 and came back and won Game 2. We tell everybody don't focus on that. Put that in the past. We know each game means a lot. We can't focus on Game 4 and 5. We have to focus on the next game. That's what I tell the team, don't worry about the series 1 1. Worry about the series as 0 0, just win the next one.” – George Hill
Noteworthy
- The Pacers won both regular season meetings with Miami at the Fieldhouse by double digits.
- The Heat have only lost five times in their last 51 games and two of those losses have been to the Pacers.
- Each fan will have a navy OR white shirt on their seat. Together, it’ll have a checkered look for the Indianapolis 500, which is earlier Sunday.
Last Meeting
May 24: With the five starters scoring all but five points, the Pacers edged the Heat in Miami 97-93. The Pacers shot 50 percent from the floor and held the Heat to just one field goal in the final 6:09. Hibbert had 29 points and 10 rebounds for his fourth double-double this postseason. Paul George finished with 22 and George Hill added 18, including four clutch free throws in the final moments. LeBron James had 36 points, his highest total in this year’s playoffs and Chris Bosh contributed 17 for the Heat. It was the Pacers’ first victory in Miami this season.
Broadcast Information | Find Local Listings
TV: TNT – Marv Albert (play-by-play), Reggie Miller (analyst), Steve Kerr (analyst), Craig Sager (reporter), David Aldridge (reporter)
Radio: FM 107.5/AM 1070 The Fan, Pacers Radio Network - Mark Boyle (play-by-play), Austin Croshere (analyst), Michael Grady (host)
Note: The Pacers TV crew of Chris Denari, Quinn Buckner, Austin Croshere and Brooke Olzendam will have a 30-minute postgame show on FOX Sports Indiana immediately following the game.
"Checkered Out" Fieldhouse
The game is "Checkered Out" In celebration of both the Pacers playoffs game and Indy 500 occurring on the same day, the game will be a first-of-its-kind "Checkered Out" where fans will receive either a blue shirt or white shirt in staggered sections to represent a checkered flag in Pacers colors. Check the map to see what color shirt you'll wear!
Ticket Information
Want to secure Playoff tickets now? Place a deposit on a Season Ticket Plan by clicking here or calling (317) 917-2827 to get access to Playoff tickets through the NBA Finals.
