The Miami HEAT defeated the Indiana Pacers 102-90 Monday night at AmericanAirlines Arena to take a commanding 3-1 series lead. LeBron James led the way for the HEAT with 32 points, 10 rebounds and five assists.
Impact Performance of the Night: Chris Bosh was likely frustrated with all the talk about him not scoring as much as he’s accustomed to thus far in the Eastern Conference Finals. As soon as Game 4 started, he pretty much ended all of that.
Bosh connected on his first three shots and got the HEAT off on the right foot in the first quarter. He got to his comfort zones early and as a result, shot 7-of-12 for 25 points. Bosh was very aggressive and it really made a difference for the HEAT, as he was the catalyst on a quick 10-2 start for Miami. He also had timely boards in the fourth quarter as the Pacers were trying to mount a comeback.
LeBron James also had a fantastic game. To start, James picked his spots and played a very patient, methodical game. But in the second half, particularly in the third quarter, James really started to bring it to the Pacers on both ends. James shot a very efficient 13-of-21 for his 32 points and led the charge in forcing turnovers in the third quarter which led to the deciding run in Game 4.
The Deciding Run: The HEAT’s defensive pressure in the third quarter was just too much for the Pacers to handle. Thanks to that pressure, Miami went on a 14-7 run to go up 78-59 with 0:57 left in the third quarter. LeBron James was all over the court and really started to get hot on both ends during the run. At one point, he made a tough contested 3-pointer as the shot clock winded down. Miami forced the Pacers to commit five turnovers in the quarter.
Play of the Game: With 57 seconds left in the first half, LeBron James had George Hill alone on him at the top of the key. James blew right by him and finished an incredible one-handed reverse slam plus the foul to put Miami up 48-39. James would hit the ensuing free throw.
Another great play came with 1:22 left in the third quarter. LeBron James pulled down the rebound off a Roy Hibbert miss. He then proceeded to sprint down court like a gazelle before slamming it home to put Miami up 76-59. Paul George had no chance as James blew right by him.
Lastly, with 8:23 left in the second quarter, Norris Cole found Chris Bosh after a Shane Battier screen on Ian Mahinmi at the free-throw line freed him up. Bosh then took it right to the hoop and dunked over Luis Scola to put Miami up 33-26.
Efficiency Rating: Offensive Efficiency: 120.1; Defensive Efficiency: 107.8
Trend to Watch: Against one of the best defenses in the league, Miami took care of the ball and made the most of its possessions. The HEAT committed only seven turnovers against the Pacers and committed their first turnover early on in the second quarter. In turn, Miami capitalized on the Pacers’ turnovers and scored 20 points off them. When the HEAT protect the ball on the offensive end and swarm on the defensive end to create easy buckets in transition, they are very tough to stop.
The Takeaway: The HEAT played a phenomenal third quarter which really swung Game 4. A quick 11-5 run to start the quarter really set the tone for how the rest of the game shaped up. Miami collapsed and rotated on time to contest every shot.
As a whole on the offensive end, the HEAT attacked and got the Pacers in foul trouble. Both Roy Hibbert and Lance Stephenson had three fouls apiece in the first half. LeBron James went right at Hibbert on a number of occasions and made it tough for him to stay in the game.
Once again, Rashard Lewis played very good defense on David West and fronted him in the post. Lewis had three boards, two steals and a plus-14 rating despite missing all five of his shot attempts. He had some good looks from downtown that will eventually start to fall.
Notes: Chris Andersen was inactive due to a thigh contusion.
Rashard Lewis started at Power Forward.
Game Highlights: