The last time the Miami Heat faced the Indiana Pacers in the playoffs was 2004. At the time the Pacers were an Eastern Conference powerhouse team that was looking to go to the NBA Finals. The Miami Heat were in their third year of a rebuilding period which saw the end of the Mourning era in Miami and Pat Riley giving the coaching reins to rookie coach Stan Van Gundy. It was in the first round of the 2004 playoffs where rookie Dwyane Wade showed his proficiency for coming up big in playoff games as he helped the Heat vanquish the New Orleans Hornets in seven games. The Heat would not be able to beat Indiana but they did take them to six games showing the team was on the verge of greatness. This season the Pacers find themselves in the same position as that 2004 Heat team as they face a Heat juggernaut looking to win the title in 2012. The Pacers show signs that they can stretch this series beyond four games with an overtime loss to Miami at the AAA that was won on a clutch miracle shot by D-Wade. They also won a game in Indiana that saw the Heat regress to a sloppy turnover happy ballclub which goes to show that the Pacers are no slouch and will capitalize on mistakes as well as any of the other playoff teams in the second round. In all fairness it was an ABA throwback night between the Pacers and Floridians which historically saw the Pacers win in the second round of the 1969 ABA playoffs 4 games to 1 over Miami. In fact between the Floridians and Heat they are a combined 55-77 (.416 win %) against the Pacers with a 3-8 playoff record (now at 7-10).

= home = away

Game 1 summary - The Heat started off this game extremely sloppy and the Pacers showed that they would not let pass up many of their chances. Miami would lose Chris Bosh but his loss sparked the Heat's motivation and the team rallied back into the game. Indiana would lead the first half but the two teams would trade scores and end up tied at the end of the third. The Miami Heat however got Indiana into foul trouble and capitalized on their chances by pushing in transition and playing tough defense which left the Pacers scrambling to find a set of plays to beat the Heat. The Heat prevailed but the Pacers showed why they are a more formidable opponent and that the series will get tough. By the way no flopping was found by me in the game. More from our friends at soon to be Hot Hot Hoops ->[link]

Game 2 summary- During the course of Game 1 the Heat lost one of the Big 3 in Chris Bosh for an indefinite amount of time. Bosh is an important piece to the puzzle and is, in my opinion, the most important piece for a team lacking in size. The Indiana Pacers saw this as an opportunity to show the Heat what they're made of and they did so after the first half of the game. The first half was low scoring and both teams were playing bad. The second half was just as tightly contested except that the Pacers outscored the Heat in the third quarter and forced Miami to play desperation basketball. Miami was eventually able to tie the game thanks to a better effort by the bench, Wade, and LeBron. Unfortunately key free throws did in the Miami Heat as Wade and James missed crucial points with under two minutes left that could have changed the complexion of the game. Indiana forced LeBron to play without rest and poor shot choices by Wade and lack of confidence by the others to take shots did not help the matter. I knew the Pacers would give the Heat a fight and now have forced the Heat to win on the road in what is sure to be an enthusiastic Indiana crowd. More from our friends at soon to be Hot Hot Hoops -> [link]

Game 3 summary- I stopped watching this game with 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter. LeBron just cannot handle carrying a team anymore after so many years of doing so in Cleveland. The Heat long time superstar Dwyane Wade was absolutely lost and got into a feud with Coach Eric Spoelstra. Mario Chalmers surprisingly stepped up to keep the team in it and help James but the lack of decent performance by Shane Battier and the rest of the team is jarring. Chris Bosh seems to be the glue that kept the team together and now without him this Heat team is looking at saving their season rather than waltzing to the NBA Finals as so many thought they would do. More from our friends at soon to be Hot Hot Hoops -> [link]

Game 4 summary- The Miami Heat played their first must-win game of the playoffs. So many questions needed to be answered. Can LeBron break through the pressure? Can Dwyane Wade return to his old self? Could the team receive help from anyone other than those two guys? Well in the first half of this game it was all that clear if the Heat's problems from Game 3 were being resolved as Indy once again gained momentum and capitalized on Heat mistakes and a disinterested Wade to finish the half with an eight point lead. The Pacers began to get arrogant and cocky with players like Granger trying to intimidate D-Wade. You do NOT want to make Wade angry. Come the second half Wade and LeBron took the game over accounting for a massive thirty point quarter. Indiana would not let this get to them and that was to be expected as the Heat and Pacers exchanged back and forth points until Udonis Haslem was elbowed in the face causing him to bleed. Well you do NOT want to make U angry because he, Wade, and LeBron, along with a now desperate Pacer team, put the game away. Absolutely brilliant and showed that the Heat can be better as a three-man team then the Pacers with an entire NBA roster. I especially commend Mike Miller who played with injuries knowing the team could not win this game with the likes of Eddy Curry as the only healthy player left to scratch. More from our friends at soon to be Hot Hot Hoops -> [link]

Game 5 summary- The thing that happens when a playoff series goes more than five games is that a hatred for the other opponent and their fans sets in. I had never felt any hate towards the Pacers or people of Indiana until this series. Danny Granger's behavior towards LeBron James and Dwyane Wade had gotten downright unnecessarily cocksure as he tried to intimidate two of the best players in the game of basketball. The Heat and their fans make it known that they will not make it easy for anybody in Pacers yellow to enjoy themselves in Miami. Granger was public enemy number one and the Heat began the game with a fire that had not been seen since Game 1. Plays were executed, threes were falling, and defense was being played. The Pacers are no slouch of a team as they made the game interesting once again in the first half yet the Heat no longer had to overcome a deficit going into the third and kicked it into high gear with everyone on the team serving their roles and running on all cylinders. The Pacers now played desperate basketball and karma finally came back to bite Danny Granger as he had to leave the game with an ankle injury. The Heat would continue pushing and breaking the Pacers and sent messages to Tyler Hansbrough and (don't know the first name cause he doesn't matter) Stephenson with flagrant fouls to the head by Udonis Haslem and Dexter Pittman. Magic Johnson said that the Pacers had awoken a sleeping giant from their attitude towards the Heat between Game 3 and 4. He was right. To sum it up. Pacers were CORNHOLED! More from our friends at soon to be Hot Hot Hoops -> [link]

Game 6 summary- The Indiana Pacers gained respect from anyone that appreciates the game of basketball in this series. They played good team basketball, got physical, and exposed Heat weaknesses. This series was a blessing in disguise for Miami. Why? Cause now they are battle tested in physical half court basketball and Wade and LeBron know they can find a way around key players missing from the roster. The game was truly a nail-biter until the final five minutes of play when the Heat began to beat the Pacers by attacking the rim and hitting free throws. I can also let go of my hatred for Indiana because the fans finally showed up to see them and the Pacers will be more formidable next season. Also this was the first time a Miami team defeated the Pacers in a playoff series. More from our friends at soon to be Hot Hot Hoops -> [link]

Next Possible Opponent: Philadelphia or Boston