Indiana Pacers vs Miami Heat: Burning Questions Sure to Be Answered in Game 2

May 13 held Game 1 of the 2012 NBA second round playoff series between the Miami Heat and the Indiana Pacers. The Heat came out as victors after a hard fought 95-86 victory. 

Game 2 is on May 15, 2012 at 7:00 PM ET in Miami. 

Here are some burning questions that will be answered by the time the last whistle blows in Game 2. 

Who will fill the hole created by Chris Bosh? 

In Game 1 of their second-round NBA playoff series against the Indiana Pacers, the Miami Heat suffered a tragic blow as Chris Bosh left the game with an injury. It was confirmed that he is sidelined indefinitely with an abdominal strain. 

The star big man leaves a void that the Miami Heat will be scrambling to fill. 

The best short term option at this point is just to increase the minutes of LeBron James. 

He is the best player on the team and is incredibly versatile. He is incredibly well rounded and will be the best bet for Erik Spoelstra at power forward. 

Joel Anthony and Juwan Howard just won’t cut it. 

That should move Mike Miller to small forward because his ability to make shots from behind the three-point line is something that will scare the Indiana Pacers. 

Those moves will produce a starting lineup of James, Miller, Mario Chalmers, Dwyane Wade, Udonis Haslem with Ronny Turiaf also getting into the action. 

Who will step up for the Indiana Pacers? 

In Game 1 of the series the Indiana Pacers led for most of the contest but faltered down the stretch and let the match slip away. 

This is because the Pacers have such a great team mentality. That is, by all means, a great style of basketball and a refreshing take on the superstar driven league that is the NBA. 

But it provided them problems because there was no real star to step up and take control of the game in the final minutes of play. 

The Pacers need to find a go-to player who will make shots in crunch time. This series is bound to come down to the wire and if Indiana wants to come out victorious, then they need to find an adequate closer. 

They are a team in every sense of the word but one single player needs to rise above the rest. Who will it be? Danny Granger? George Hill? Paul George? 

The NBA is about to find out. 

Who will win Game 2? 

My pick to win Game 2 in this NBA series is the Miami Heat. It won’t be pretty and it won’t be easy, but I like Miami to win at home and give themselves some breathing room. 

The Indiana Pacers are a threat and will be competitive but the MVP will explode in AmericanAirlines Arena. 

Dwyane Wade will also have a nice game as he puts up 21 points and dishes out five assists. The role players will also step up for Miami with Chalmers adding 10 points and Haslem grabbing rebounds out of the air. 

The game will be close to begin with and the two teams will enter their respective locker rooms with the Pacers up by three. 

But the Miami Heat will come out hungry and attack the basket early and often. 

Granger and Roy Hibbert aim to establish an Indiana comeback but it will be too little, too late and Miami will win in South Beach to lead the series 2-0.