Heat vs. Pacers: Miami Loses Haslem, Will Lean on Wade, LeBron to End Series

Physical.

That word has been repeated enough to make you nauseous, throughout this series.

The Indiana Pacers as an organization are emphatic about making a physical statement. The general manager and legend Larry Bird called his Pacers ”S-O-F-T”, referring to their play in Game 4.

From the GM all the way down the totem pole to Lance Stephenson, who gestured the choking signs at LeBron James during a technical foul free throw during Game 3—obviously, the man who assembled the players on the team does not think they are soft. Bird’s comments seemed to be a way of motivating his team to come out at home in Game 6 and bring the intensity it lacked in Game 5.

After having made such a dramatic and, at times, over-the-line level of physicality in Game 5, the Heat have broken the will of the Pacers. Every game Danny Granger made a point to confront Dwyane Wade or James at least once, attempting to make the Heat respect the third-seeded Pacers. Neither James or Wade were seeing a point to it when asked after practice this week what they thought about Granger’s in-game antics. Without question, the Pacers have been targeting their toughness at Wade and James. Hard fouls and instigating non-basketball plays seemed to have pushed the Heat to retaliate for the style of play the Pacers wished to play.

The Indiana Pacers picked a fight and in Game 5, and the Miami Heat finished it.

Udonis Haslem’s suspension for Game 6 is a big hit to the Miami Heat’s front line. Haslem seemed to have found his shooting stroke that was absent the entire season and thus far in the post season. More importantly, it means three of Miami’s big men are not going to be playing, leaving just Joel Anthony and Ronny Turiaf to guard Roy Hibbert and help Shane Battier slow down David West.

One of the many telling stats of this series is the rebounding battle. In all five games the team that outrebounded its opponent left the court with a game in its back pocket. The clear advantage seems to be with the Pacers at home with a brittle Heat roster coming to compete. The situation may have to call on LeBron James to have a third consecutive statistical anomaly, along with the accent of a 30-point game from Wade.

Tonight the game within a game will be watching the battle of the boards, as Anthony and Turiaf need a huge defensive game for the Heat to close out the series in Indianapolis and really finish this fight.

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