Eastern Conference Finals 2013: Biggest Key for Pacers and Heat in Game 5

The Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers are knotted up at two games apiece in the 2013 Eastern Conference Finals, and the winner of Game 5 will have a huge leg up to win the series.

Other than a Heat blowout in Game 3, the contests between these two teams have been as closely contested as possible. All three of the other games have been decided by seven points or fewer, and the first two games were won by a total of five points.

No doubt Game 5 will prove to be another close battle: The longer this series goes, the more familiar these two teams will become with each other's tendencies.

Winning the contest will take clutch shooting, relentless defense, impeccable game planning and excellent execution. Every aspect of the game is magnified under the pressure that comes from playing in the postseason, but there is one key both teams must utilize in order to win this pivotal upcoming contest.

Miami Heat: Chris Bosh Must Play Stronger Down Low

Dwayne Wade is playing like a shadow of himself as he deals with a painful knee injury. With one third of Miami's Big Three ailing, it's up to the other two players to step up.

LeBron James has been doing his utmost to carry his team. He's averaging 28 points, seven rebounds, 5.3 assists, one steal and 1.8 blocks per game, and he's been dealing with nearly constant double- and triple-team coverage from Indiana.

Unfortunately, while James has been rising to the occasion and playing well, Bosh has been getting absolutely abused down low by Roy Hibbert.

As Sportscenter pointed out on Twitter, Bosh has only managed to haul in 13 total rebounds in the first four games:

Hibbert, on the other hand, is averaging 12 boards per game, and he's scoring 22.8 points per contest against Bosh (and others).

It's not hard to see which player is winning this individual matchup. If Bosh doesn't find a way to ramp up his efforts and make a bigger difference on the glass and as a defender, Miami will be done in this series.

Indiana Pacers: Run the Offense Through Hibbert

Until Bosh starts proving he can guard Hibbert, the Pacers must continue feeding Hibbert down low to set up their offense. 

As was previously mentioned, Hibbert is averaging 22.8 points per game in this series—by far his best output in this postseason. 

Even when Hibbert misses his shots, Indiana often gets a second chance to score due to the fact that Miami isn't doing a good job on the glass. As a result, Hibbert has racked up an incredible 26 offensive rebounds in four games—double the amount of Bosh's 13 total rebounds.

In total, Indiana is winning the rebounding battle over Miami by 10 every game, as noted by ESPN Stats & Info. At this point, it would be foolish to abandon what's been working so well:

Right now, Hibbert is the best offensive weapon Indiana has on its roster against Miami. He's been more effective than Paul George, George Hill and the rest of his teammates, and head coach Frank Vogel would be smart to continue feeding Hibbert until he's no longer effective down low.

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