Pacers vs. Heat: Why Indiana Is No Lock to Win Game 4
Calm down, Indiana Pacers fans. You haven't won anything yet.
With a 2-1 lead and Game 4 at home, the Pacers are in great shape to put the Miami Heat on the brink of elimination. Sunday's game will be the biggest of the year for the defending Eastern Conference champions, but don't count them out just yet.
Sure, the Pacers dominated Game 3. They overwhelmed a Heat team that was without Chris Bosh for the second consecutive game. The Heat shot 37.2 percent from the floor and 20 percent from beyond the arc, and Dwyane Wade managed to score just five points.
Miami's offense was dismal, and the Heat just can't seem to find any scorers when it matters most. Indiana, on the other hand, had four of its five starters in double figures and shot 43.4 percent from the field. The Pacers depth has been the difference in the series so far.
But don't forget about the golden rule to success in the NBA: Stars dominate the postseason.
Wade will not have another horrible offensive performance like he did in Game 3, and LeBron James will have a monster Game 4. The MVP will put on a memorable performance in Miami's most important game of the year.
Mark it down.
With Wade as his sidekick, the Heat will steal Game 4 on the road to seize the momentum heading back to South Beach.
It kills me to say it. I consider myself to be one of the biggest LeBron haters on the planet. But he is also the best player on the planet, and while his fourth quarter chokes have been well documented, James has also had some memorable playoff performances.
Remember when he scored 25 straight points to put the Detroit Pistons on the verge of elimination in 2007? Remember his buzzer-beating trey to sink the Orlando Magic in Game 2 of the 2009 Eastern Conference finals?
Add Game 4 against the Pacers to that list. A James triple-double or 40-plus scoring output is on the horizon. He has yet to explode for a huge game in these NBA playoffs. The time is now for the MVP to step up and carry his team to a victory on the road. If LeBron doesn't step up to save Miami's season, there will be some serious doubt as to whether James could ever perform on the big stage.
It comes down a simple law of probability. If you take a hundred shots, at least some are bound to go in, even if you've barely ever play basketball. A great player like James is going to take over a game every once in a while. It just happens.
While it should happen more times than it actually has in the past, LeBron will steal the show on Sunday in Indianapolis to give Heat fans a taste of how he should be performing in the playoffs every night.
Another reason why the Pacers are not a lock to win Game 4: It will be difficult to replicate their 8-of-14 shooting performance from three-point land. One cannot expect Indiana to shoot that well from downtown for a second consecutive game.
In the end, however, the MVP will be the difference in Game 4 to save Miami's season. James is due for a monster playoff performance, and the Heat is not ready to be put on the brink of elimination this early in the postseason.
A clutch LeBron playoff moment may occur as often as a Charlotte Bobcats victory, but the self-proclaimed King is due for one of those moments to give the Heat new life against the Pacers.
