NBA
Semi-Finals Game 4: Indiana P. - Miami Heat 99-92
Date: May 28, 2013
The Pacers and the Heat had been in this position before. A year ago, in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, fans inside Bankers Life Fieldhouse waved gold towels and reveled as the Pacers — with a two-games-to-one series lead — raced ahead by 9-0 and maintained control of the game throughout the first half. On Tuesday night, it was Game 4 of the conference finals, the towels had been replaced by “Gold Swagger” T-shirts distributed to every fan and the Heat led the series, 2-1. Everything else was eerily similar early on. The Pacers jumped out to an 11-0 edge, Heat Coach Erik Spoelstra showed his frustration on the sideline and the Heat, the N.B.A.’s defending champions, were up against it. Last year, the Heat were desperate to win Game 4, and they seized control with a third-quarter run, with LeBron James and Dwyane Wade combining for 70 points and 27 rebounds. This time, the Pacers needed to protect their home court and they did, winning by 99-92 and tying the series. Game 5 is in Miami on Thursday. The teams exchanged runs in the fourth quarter. The Pacers led by 81-72 early before Miami went on a 14-2 spree. With 5 minutes 13 seconds to play, Miami held an 89-86 advantage, but the Pacers went on an 8-0 tear and never trailed again. “We knew we were going to take their punches,” Pacers guard George Hill said. “And we knew we were going to have to throw punches back.” Spoelstra lamented the fourth-quarter lead that disappeared. “They got us there in the fourth,” he said. “We got what we wanted; it was a fourth-quarter lead, 89-86, going down the stretch. And they made bigger plays.” David West, who scored 14 points, said: “We just didn’t let each other down. We had very few breakdowns.” Despite falling behind again in the third quarter, the Pacers were clutch down the stretch. Roy Hibbert (23 points, 12 rebounds) played like the best player on the floor in the fourth quarter. Lance Stephenson (20 points, 9-of-15 shooting) had his best outing since he scored 25 points in Indiana’s closeout game against the Knicks. James scored 24 points to lead Miami before fouling out with 56 seconds to play. Mario Chalmers had 20, his high game of the playoffs. It was the first time James had fouled out since June 3, 2012, in a playoff game against the Celtics. It took what looked pretty clearly like a James flop for the Heat to finally stop the Pacers’ early run. West blocked a pair of James’s attempts at the rim before James — who has rankled some fans with perceived flopping this postseason — appeared to lurch his upper body backward and fall to the floor with dramatic flair. As the fans booed, James made two free throws. The Heat seemed to be awakened when George drove past James for a two-handed dunk and hung on the rim to make it 14-4. James immediately responded with a 3-point shot, and he stopped and stared into George’s face before making his way back down the court. Less than five minutes later, the Heat had their first lead at 17-16. A technical foul on James helped launch an 18-8 run, capped by West’s first basket of the game, that gave the Pacers a 34-25 lead with 7:33 to play in the second quarter. But after George left the game with his third foul with 4:46 to go, the Heat closed the half on an 18-9 run and trailed by only 48-47. Still, for the defending champions, it was a far cry from the 70 points they had scored in the first half of Game 3. Game 4 picked up extraordinary intensity as Indiana closed the third quarter on a 23-10 tear. With the score 71-67 in favor of Indiana, shortly after Hill and James had traded 3-point baskets, James closed out on a Hill breakaway and swatted his layup attempt out to center court. George and Ray Allen collided going for the ball, with George whistled for a foul. As George smacked the flood in frustration, Pacers Coach Frank Vogel gestured angrily from the bench and was called for a technical foul. In the final moments of the quarter, James threw a left elbow as he dribbled by West and was hit with a foul. The Pacers inbounded under their basket with two seconds on the clock, giving Stephenson just enough time to nail a 3-pointer from the corner as time expired. Indiana led by 77-70. “Our backs are against the wall,” Vogel said at the earlier shootaround. “We saw how the champs responded when their backs were against the wall when they lost home-court advantage. We will respond the same way.” There will be no looking ahead to a possible matchup with San Antonio for the Pacers. As Vogel said, “What’s happening out there in the Western Conference means nothing to us.” Vogel was asked before the game if he was aware that many pundits and fans were already sizing up a Heat-Spurs Finals. “That’s for the media to talk about,” he said. With this series tied at 2-2, such talk will go quiet immediately. Courtesy of: nytimes.com
Terms:
Field Goals : 2PM-A (2 point Field Goal made-attempts) 3PM-A (3 point Field Goal made-attempts) FTM-A (free throws made-attempt)
Rebounds : OFF (Offensive) DEF (Defensive) TOT (total)
Fouls : CM (Committed) RV (received)
Blocks : FV (In Favor) AG (Against)
Other terms : MIN (minutes) AST (assists) ST (steals) TO (Turnovers) PTS (points) RNK (ranking)
Semi-Finals Game 4: Indiana P. - Miami Heat 99-92
Date: May 28, 2013
The Pacers and the Heat had been in this position before. A year ago, in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, fans inside Bankers Life Fieldhouse waved gold towels and reveled as the Pacers — with a two-games-to-one series lead — raced ahead by 9-0 and maintained control of the game throughout the first half. On Tuesday night, it was Game 4 of the conference finals, the towels had been replaced by “Gold Swagger” T-shirts distributed to every fan and the Heat led the series, 2-1. Everything else was eerily similar early on. The Pacers jumped out to an 11-0 edge, Heat Coach Erik Spoelstra showed his frustration on the sideline and the Heat, the N.B.A.’s defending champions, were up against it. Last year, the Heat were desperate to win Game 4, and they seized control with a third-quarter run, with LeBron James and Dwyane Wade combining for 70 points and 27 rebounds. This time, the Pacers needed to protect their home court and they did, winning by 99-92 and tying the series. Game 5 is in Miami on Thursday. The teams exchanged runs in the fourth quarter. The Pacers led by 81-72 early before Miami went on a 14-2 spree. With 5 minutes 13 seconds to play, Miami held an 89-86 advantage, but the Pacers went on an 8-0 tear and never trailed again. “We knew we were going to take their punches,” Pacers guard George Hill said. “And we knew we were going to have to throw punches back.” Spoelstra lamented the fourth-quarter lead that disappeared. “They got us there in the fourth,” he said. “We got what we wanted; it was a fourth-quarter lead, 89-86, going down the stretch. And they made bigger plays.” David West, who scored 14 points, said: “We just didn’t let each other down. We had very few breakdowns.” Despite falling behind again in the third quarter, the Pacers were clutch down the stretch. Roy Hibbert (23 points, 12 rebounds) played like the best player on the floor in the fourth quarter. Lance Stephenson (20 points, 9-of-15 shooting) had his best outing since he scored 25 points in Indiana’s closeout game against the Knicks. James scored 24 points to lead Miami before fouling out with 56 seconds to play. Mario Chalmers had 20, his high game of the playoffs. It was the first time James had fouled out since June 3, 2012, in a playoff game against the Celtics. It took what looked pretty clearly like a James flop for the Heat to finally stop the Pacers’ early run. West blocked a pair of James’s attempts at the rim before James — who has rankled some fans with perceived flopping this postseason — appeared to lurch his upper body backward and fall to the floor with dramatic flair. As the fans booed, James made two free throws. The Heat seemed to be awakened when George drove past James for a two-handed dunk and hung on the rim to make it 14-4. James immediately responded with a 3-point shot, and he stopped and stared into George’s face before making his way back down the court. Less than five minutes later, the Heat had their first lead at 17-16. A technical foul on James helped launch an 18-8 run, capped by West’s first basket of the game, that gave the Pacers a 34-25 lead with 7:33 to play in the second quarter. But after George left the game with his third foul with 4:46 to go, the Heat closed the half on an 18-9 run and trailed by only 48-47. Still, for the defending champions, it was a far cry from the 70 points they had scored in the first half of Game 3. Game 4 picked up extraordinary intensity as Indiana closed the third quarter on a 23-10 tear. With the score 71-67 in favor of Indiana, shortly after Hill and James had traded 3-point baskets, James closed out on a Hill breakaway and swatted his layup attempt out to center court. George and Ray Allen collided going for the ball, with George whistled for a foul. As George smacked the flood in frustration, Pacers Coach Frank Vogel gestured angrily from the bench and was called for a technical foul. In the final moments of the quarter, James threw a left elbow as he dribbled by West and was hit with a foul. The Pacers inbounded under their basket with two seconds on the clock, giving Stephenson just enough time to nail a 3-pointer from the corner as time expired. Indiana led by 77-70. “Our backs are against the wall,” Vogel said at the earlier shootaround. “We saw how the champs responded when their backs were against the wall when they lost home-court advantage. We will respond the same way.” There will be no looking ahead to a possible matchup with San Antonio for the Pacers. As Vogel said, “What’s happening out there in the Western Conference means nothing to us.” Vogel was asked before the game if he was aware that many pundits and fans were already sizing up a Heat-Spurs Finals. “That’s for the media to talk about,” he said. With this series tied at 2-2, such talk will go quiet immediately. Courtesy of: nytimes.com
 INDIANA P. (coach: Rick Carlisle)99 |
| FIELD GOALS | REBOUNDS | FOULS | BLOCKS | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | NAME | MIN | 2PM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | OFF | DEF | RB | AS | F | RV | ST | FV | AG | TO | PT | RNK | +/- |
| 1 | AURphRjsIj, vijZR | 36 | 2-68 (11.9%) | 6-4 (44.4%) | 6-8 (05%) | 6 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 85 | 63 | 5 |
| 00 | HaMMRQU, eIF | 35 | 65-61 (18.0%) | 5-5 (5%) | 4-3 (90%) | 1 | 1 | 68 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 84 | 89 | 5 |
| 4 | Hall, GRIQDR | 47 | 8-9 (82.1%) | 8-1 (44.4%) | 7-65 (75%) | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 67 | 62 | 5 |
| 86 | WRsU, giLad | 47 | 0-66 (30.0%) | 5-5 (5%) | 3-1 (11.9%) | 3 | 2 | 68 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 63 | 61 | 5 |
| 83 | GRIQDR, Oiul | 44 | 3-1 (11.9%) | 5-3 (5%) | 3-0 (25%) | 6 | 9 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 68 | 7 | 5 |
| 63 | SuDusUaj, g.z. | 62 | 5-5 (5%) | 5-5 (5%) | 5-5 (5%) | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 5 | -8 | 5 |
| 3 | YIujD, AiB | 63 | 8-8 (655%) | 5-6 (5%) | 8-8 (655%) | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 65 | 5 |
| 05 | HijsMQIuDh, wFlRQ | 7 | 5-5 (5%) | 5-5 (5%) | 4-3 (90%) | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 8 | 5 |
| 82 | bihajBa, oij | 9 | 6-8 (05%) | 5-5 (5%) | 5-5 (5%) | 6 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 5 |
| 80 | GQRRj, GRQild | gXO - CIiZh's gRZasaIj | ||||||||||||||||
| 87 | ORjdRQDQiph, zRff | gXO - CIiZh's gRZasaIj | ||||||||||||||||
| 84 | HijsMQIuDh, mRj | gXO - CIiZh's gRZasaIj | ||||||||||||||||
| zIhjsIj, PQlijdI | gXO - CIiZh's gRZasaIj | |||||||||||||||||
| wIUil | 48-01 (09.6%) | 4-63 (86.3%) | 81-44 (92.2%) | 60 | 43 | 37 | 62 | 80 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 68 | 77 | 70 | |||
 MIAMI HEAT (coach: Erik Spoelstra)92 |
| FIELD GOALS | REBOUNDS | FOULS | BLOCKS | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | NAME | MIN | 2PM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | OFF | DEF | RB | AS | F | RV | ST | FV | AG | TO | PT | RNK | +/- |
| 1 | ziBRs, vRmQIj | 34 | 3-66 (41.3%) | 3-9 (09.6%) | 3-1 (11.9%) | 3 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 83 | 67 | 5 |
| 4 | WidR, gTFijR | 49 | 0-60 (44.4%) | 5-5 (5%) | 1-1 (655%) | 8 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 61 | 7 | 5 |
| 43 | SllRj, eiF | 48 | 8-1 (44.4%) | 8-9 (82.1%) | 6-6 (655%) | 6 | 1 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 66 | 7 | 5 |
| 6 | mIsh, ChQas | 45 | 5-4 (5%) | 6-4 (44.4%) | 3-3 (655%) | 6 | 8 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 9 | 4 | 5 |
| 60 | ChilBRQs, biQaI | 87 | 1-68 (05%) | 5-8 (5%) | 2-2 (655%) | 6 | 8 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 85 | 64 | 5 |
| SjdRQsRj, ChQas | 67 | 5-5 (5%) | 5-5 (5%) | 5-5 (5%) | 6 | 6 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | -8 | 5 | |
| 35 | HislRB, tdIjas | 62 | 4-0 (15%) | 5-5 (5%) | 5-5 (5%) | 5 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 9 | 5 |
| 46 | miUUaRQ, AhijR | 69 | 5-5 (5%) | 6-4 (44.4%) | 6-8 (05%) | 6 | 6 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 5 |
| 45 | CIlR, XIQQas | 64 | 8-8 (655%) | 5-6 (5%) | 5-5 (5%) | 6 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 5 |
| 05 | SjUhIjF, zIRl | 8 | 5-5 (5%) | 5-5 (5%) | 5-5 (5%) | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | -6 | 5 |
| 88 | zIjRs, ziBRs | gXO - CIiZh's gRZasaIj | ||||||||||||||||
| 7 | vRTas, eishiQd | gXO - CIiZh's gRZasaIj | ||||||||||||||||
| 64 | ballRQ, baVR | gXO - CIiZh's gRZasaIj | ||||||||||||||||
| wIUil | 88-03 (35.9%) | 2-84 (43.2%) | 83-89 (22.7%) | 68 | 62 | 45 | 60 | 45 | 5 | 9 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 78 | 14 | |||
Terms:
Field Goals : 2PM-A (2 point Field Goal made-attempts) 3PM-A (3 point Field Goal made-attempts) FTM-A (free throws made-attempt)
Rebounds : OFF (Offensive) DEF (Defensive) TOT (total)
Fouls : CM (Committed) RV (received)
Blocks : FV (In Favor) AG (Against)
Other terms : MIN (minutes) AST (assists) ST (steals) TO (Turnovers) PTS (points) RNK (ranking)
