Can Miami Heat Be Beat If LeBron James and Dwyane Wade Play Like Studs?

After beating the Indiana Pacers in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, the question for the Miami Heat was one of sustainability.

Sure, they could win without Chris Bosh, so long as LeBron James (40 points, 18 rebounds and nine assists) and Dwyane Wade (30 points, nine rebounds and six assists) played like Batman and...well, Also Batman.

But would Miami's two superstars be able to sustain such a torrid pace from game to game? Would they have the intensity, energy and laser-sharp focus needed to bring that sort of effort to the court every night in pursuit of an NBA title?

Now, after demolishing the Pacers in Miami, 115-83, the script has flipped heading into Game 6. Now, it's: Can anyone beat the Heat when LeBron and Wade play to their full capacity?

So far, the answer would seem to be a resounding "NO!"

As well it should be. After all, LeBron didn't become a three-time MVP, and Wade an NBA Finals MVP, by way of pure luck and guile. 

Nor was that how they came to dominate the Pacers in Game 5. James had himself another field day against Indy's "tough-guy" defense, scorching Danny Granger et al. for 30 points (on 12-of-19 shooting), 10 rebounds and eight assists. According to ESPN's Tom Haberstroh, that made LeBron the first player in 25 years to post such a stat line in back-to-back playoff games.

"

LeBron is the only player in last 25 years to put up at least 30-10-8 in consecutive playoff games. His 2nd time, too.

— Tom Haberstroh (@tomhaberstroh) May 22, 2012"

Wade was no slouch either. All he did was score 28 points (on 10-of-17 shooting), pull down three rebounds, drop a pair of dimes, pick up two steals and block a shot in just 33 minutes.

Of course, Miami's team defense deserves a hefty helping of credit for the latest destruction of Indiana. The Heat dominated the bigger and supposedly stronger Pacers on the boards, 49-35, and held them to 33.7 percent shooting from the field.

Then again, defense has been Miami's calling card since Pat Riley assembled the Heatles on South Beach in the summer of 2010. The Heat ranked second in the NBA in field-goal percentage defense and third in rebounding margin last season, and fifth and sixth in those respective categories this season.

So, really, great defense is nothing new for Miami. If anything, a suffocating effort of this sort should be more the norm than the exception for the Heat.

As for LeBron and Dwyane...well, it's tough to expect any two players to perform as well as they have in each of Miami's three wins in this series, during which they've combined for 63 points per game.

On the other hand, James and Wade are two of the best players on the planet. As such, these are the sorts of feats they're expected to perform on the hardwood, night in and night out.

Whether that's "realistic" or not is a largely irrelevant point to consider. These two possess a wealth of talent and ability that allows them to circumvent the laws to which mere mortals remain subject with awe-inspiring ease.

Like they did on more than one occasion in the third quarter alone on Tuesday night:

And if "King James" and "Flash" continue to play like superheroes, like Batman and Also Batman, then the question won't be "will they survive a second-round series against the upstart Pacers?"

Rather, it'll be "can anyone stop the Heat from burning up the path to the Larry O'Brien Trophy?"

Follow @Josh_E_Martin.