NBA Playoffs 2013: Complete Preview and Analysis for Heat vs. Pacers Game 6

At the risk of hyperbole, ESPN Classic has shifted the entire way we talk about individual sporting events. 

Great series aren't just great series anymore. They're the "instant classics." The ones we'll be watching 30 years from now in our super-powered iCar that drives itself and hovers above ground.

Make no mistake, we'll be watching this Eastern Conference Finals in three decades. The Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers have put on the best show of this postseason; a nightly war that provides something for everyone.

There has been the X's and O's battle between Frank Vogel and Erik Spoelstra, one so good that it could satiate the appetite of any NBA nerd. LeBron James' nightly assault on the NBA record book has been marvelous for the mainstream fan simply looking to catch their favorite star. Roy Hibbert's bruising play down on the low block is a throwback to those fans depressed about the "death" of the big man.

Even hockey fans who accidentally flipped over during an intermission almost got to see a fight between Chris Andersen and Tyler Hansbrough. And, of course, Dwyane Wade's performance has given folks at the rest home hope that people their age really can still play with LeBron James if they try hard enough. (Oh, right. Wade is only 31. Whoops.)

Jokes aside, Game 6 is appointment television. You know that, I know that. Whether it's at a bar with friends or alone in your office with a Twitter screen and a Sam Adams, anyone who's remotely interested in the NBA will be watching every second of this action. 

With that in mind, let's get a little more serious and preview Saturday night's Game 6. 

Game Information

When: Saturday, June 1 at 8:30 p.m. ET

Where: Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis

Watch: TNT

Team Previews/Questions

Pacers: Will They Make Necessary Offensive Adjustments?

Heading into Game 5, the most under-covered aspect of this series had been the Pacers' offensive brilliance. Much had been made of Roy Hibbert, his intimidation on the low block and how Indiana's defense was shaping the series, but the numbers didn't back that narrative up. Hibbert was and continues to be superb defensively; it was just his offensive contributions that proved more necessary.

Indiana scored 111.3 points per 100 possessions in the series' first four games. That number was nearly 11 points better than the Pacers' regular-season total and would have bested the Heat for the league lead, per NBA.com. 

The small sample size and Indiana's history of offensive cratering (see: Game 5 vs. New York and Game 3 vs. Atlanta) led some to believe a massive regression was coming for the Pacers.

The problem was no one knew how that regression would come forth. 

Hibbert, a 7'2" mass of size and strength, had pulverized the Heat's big men over and over down low. Chris Andersen and Chris Bosh, his two primary defenders, weren't going to eat spinach and suddenly Popeye themselves enough strength to stop Hibbert. He continually backed any and all Miami defenders down, seemingly gliding backward as if he was working against a chair. 

Even when Erik Spoelstra made adjustments—like having Miami defenders front Hibbert every chance they got—it proved fruitless.

Frank Vogel made a counter-adjustment of his own, running a series of pick-and-rolls designed merely to get the defender moving a step behind, only for the ball-handler to swing the ball to the weak side after Hibbert crashed down into the low block. 

It was a never-ending series of fruitless adjustments for Spoelstra. Well, until Game 5 that is. The Heat held Indiana to a paltry 90.2 points per 100 possessions on Thursday night, a number so low the league-worst Wizards called to give their condolences. The Heat's defense on Thursday was comparable to the first two rounds, where they rendered Milwaukee and Chicago hapless offensively.

The key difference was that this wasn't a return to the way Miami played defense before.

On principle, the Heat are the hardest-trapping team in the league. They crash hard on pick-and-rolls, trapping the ball-handler and looking to force turnovers. It was a successful strategy. Only three teams forced turnovers at a higher rate than Miami during the regular season, and that excellence only continued during the playoffs, per NBA.com.

By Game 4, though, Indiana had figured out how to break those traps—mainly by keeping most pick-and-roll plays in the hands of George Hill and Paul George, who are tall enough to pass over a trap. In turn, Indiana was able to do pretty much whatever it wanted—weak-side post-ups for Hibbert, rolls to the middle of the floor and countless other successful sets. 

So in Game 5, the Heat relaxed their trapping tendencies. Instead of crashing hard on the ball-handler, Miami bigs laid back a bit, just below the three-point line. That's a key variation, because it's more aggressive and allows for a quick return to the roll man, cutting off the passing lane while simultaneously eliminating the need for extra help. 

The result was an unmitigated success. Hibbert still got his, scoring 22 points and grabbing six rebounds. But his successes were surrounded by unmitigated failures, even when the shot went through the basket.

The result of this play below is a Paul George three-pointer. That's ultimately irrelevant. What's noticeable is how out-of-sorts Indiana looks on the possession. 

Hibbert sets up looking to make a screen for Hill on the left side before darting to where Sam Young is waiting on the other wing—standard action. But the combination of Hibbert's bad screen and Andersen's reluctance to take the bait forces a jumbled possession with Hibbert posting up at around 20 feet.

This was an adjustment illustrated throughout the game, often leading to bad shots late in the shot clock and more contested looks for Hibbert. 

There are a couple ways Indiana can adjust, both of which had flashes show up in Game 5. The first is quite simple: Vogel can have his ball-handler "reject" Hibbert's screen, taking the ball to the weak side of the possession and hoping to create dribble penetration. Miami has grown so accustomed to this pet action that it's easy for the defender to cheat, as Dwyane Wade does just enough here to have George blow by him.

The other "answer" provides perhaps my favorite play of Game 5. It's not something Indiana can run on every possession, but George's false flash to the wing followed by a quick cut was particularly inspired.

If Vogel can implement a couple other wrinkles to go along with the ones he's already shown, the Pacers offense should recover. Perhaps they won't score at a league-best rate, but no one could have expected that to continue anyway. 

Heat: What Trick Will LeBron Pull Out of the Bag Next?

If LeBron James had any doubters left coming into this series, he has most certainly vanquished them by now.

James, despite Chris Bosh and  Dwyane Wade struggling to make consistent impact, has been an impenetrable force of excellence in every game. He's hit a game-winning shot, recorded a triple-double, been a partner in undoubtedly the funniest double-flop in NBA history and played his keister off on both ends of the court.

It's been nothing short of marvelous to watch. LeBron, with the entire basketball world laser-focused on his every move, has continuously proven he's unstoppable, breaking out nearly every piece of his ever-growing arsenal in the process.

Early in the series—especially Game 1—LeBron went into Cleveland mode. He was a facilitator out of the pick-and-roll, running through a never-ending series of high screens and getting to the rim. Birdman can attribute almost his entire 16-point effort to last-second feeds from James as he went barreling toward the rim.

Then came LeBron shape-shifting into a dominant force on the low block. His pulverization of George in Game 3 became something of legend, as media types and other players fell over themselves lauding James. Adding the post game was always seen as something of a final puzzle piece for LeBron, and seeing him use the refined moves to destroy a defender as good as George was inspiring.

Indiana countered in Game 4, doubling James hard on the block and trying to keep Hibbert as close to the play as possible. Hibbert has been the one thing James hasn't quite been able to navigate this series. Everyone has already made that point with a million stats, but whatever. It bears noting just how good of a LeBron deterrent Hibbert has been.

Otherwise? Indiana has been listless, as James' assemblage of skills continues to reign supreme. 

On Thursday, James broke out a new one and became the most talented catch-and-shoot player in NBA history. Spoelstra, instead of having his best player attack the rim as a ball-handler, used him as a screener for a ton of pick-and-rolls and pick-and-pops. That was especially the case in James' unbelievable third quarter, where he went 4-for-4 shooting out of pick-and-roll sets, whether as a screener or ball-handler.

For the most part, these are shots that the Pacers would love LeBron to take. Of his 26 shots on Thursday night, just five came from the restricted area. Nineteen were from either the midrange or beyond the arc, where he took zero from the coveted corner. 

The difference was he made the shots and looked fully comfortable doing so. There's a difference between shooting passive jumpers and aggressive ones. LeBron in the 2011 NBA Finals was shooting scared prayers and hoping they went in.

LeBron in the 2013 Eastern Conference Finals is just showing off another piece in the puzzle.

LeBron still attacked out of the pick-and-roll as a ball-handler, went down on the low block and ran those beautiful curl screens where he comes across the elbow with an unstoppable amount of steam. That was all there. It's always there. 

That's the point. And Indiana knows it's merely hoping for an "off" night of 25-5-5.

What's interesting, at least from a psychological sense, is that LeBron has to know by now that he's on his own. Wade has turned in less than 14 points per game in these playoffs, transforming into something of an Andre Iguodala—without the athleticism and defensive skills.

And Chris Bosh has just been abysmal. The only time a big should be averaging only one more rebound per game than three-point shot taken is if his name is Matt Bonner. Brook Lopez looks at that defensive rebounding effort and thinks it's abhorrent.

With Shane Battier and Ray Allen also you-know-whatting the bed from beyond the arc, you have to wonder whether LeBron spends his nights trying to remember Sasha Pavlovic's number. Mario Chalmers, surprisingly enough, has been James' best second banana in this series. He got to the rim well in Game 5, showing off a nifty hesitation dribble that looks like it came straight out of Mike Conley game tape. 

As Russell Westbrook's injury proved this postseason, it's awfully hard to win without an elite second banana. And yet here LeBron is, on the precipice of leading Miami to its third straight NBA Finals appearance.

The bag of tricks will again be out on Saturday night. I can't wait to find out what he chooses.  

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