NBA Playoffs: Dwyane Wade and LeBron James Clicking at Right Time for Miami

When the Miami Heat lost Chris Bosh to that abdominal strain in Game 1, weren't the Heat supposed to look weaker with only two-thirds of the Big Three intact?

Well, I suppose it's a Big Three when Shane Battier, of all people, is making three-pointers like he's playing at Duke.

But don't ask that question around LeBron James and Dwyane Wade because their play in the last two games have the South Beach Militia looking better than ever, as Miami took a 3-2 series lead over the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday night with a 115-83 win.

After Game 4, when LeBron and Wade combined for 70 points in a must-win situation, Miami's dynamic duo combined for only 58 points on 22-for-36 shooting—you know they're that good when you say "only 58 points"—and James once again posted a double-double with 30 points and 10 rebounds.

Wade has rebounded in fantastic fashion from his Game 3 meltdown with head coach Erik Spoelstra in the last two games, putting up 30 in Game 4 and 28 points on Tuesday. It looks like that trip to visit his old college coach Tom Crean is paying dividends for the former NBA Finals MVP.

This is exactly what Heat fans have been wanting to see in the playoffs. Everyone knows what Wade can bring to the table on a nightly basis, but when James is bringing the house down with these absurd stat lines that resembles his old play in Cleveland, the Heat are a tough team to bring down.

And they couldn't have picked a better time to produce back-to-back historic playoff performances.

After Bosh went down, Spoelstra had a tough time finding a lineup that would be best suited for not only providing the lack of offense that would be missed from Bosh, but to combat the size and athleticism of the young Pacers.

However, it's become rather clear as to what the game plan is: Give the ball to LeBron and Wade, and get out of the way.

On both sides of the ball, it's hard to find two players who are better at what they do than James and D-Wade. When they get out in transition and drive to the basket, there aren't many players in the league who can duplicate what they do. 

It doesn't hurt when they combine for 128 points in the last two games, either.

Now, as the Heat look ahead to Game 6 with the high possibility of missing Bosh yet again, Miami has all momentum heading back to Indiana, and Wade and James have the Pacers' wing players running on fumes.

If Miami can't somehow close out the Pacers in Game 6, there's a good chance Bosh will be back for Game 7. But think of the message the Heat can send to their opponent in the Eastern Conference Finals if they can close out Indiana without Bosh, and have him available for Game 1 against either Philadelphia or Boston.

And what kind of message do you think it would send to the rest of the remaining teams in the playoffs if Wade and James are playing at the rate they're playing at right now?

My guess would be a pretty big one. Things are starting to sizzle in South Beach, and at the right time.