by Kent Sterling With the Indiana Pacers playing passive basketball on both ends of the floor in last night’s win-or-die Game Five, the Miami Heat enjoyed a 50-43 with 5:48 remaining in the third quarter. Then, Lance Stephenson awakened. Not sure the cause, but the first sign of life was a Stephenson foul on Dwyane […]
by Kent Sterling When LeBron James is inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, all recorded traces of the Pacers Game Five win tonight over his Heat will be destroyed as a favor to his legacy. Seven points, two rebounds, four assists, and five fouls do not comprise the line the Heat needed from the […]
by Kent Sterling This one was over shortly after it started. Chris Bosh scored early and often, and the Heat’s defense had intensity the Pacers were unable to match at either end. Last year, it appeared throughout the Eastern Conference Finals that the Pacers were the better team. Not so much in 2014. Not sure […]
by Kent Sterling The Pacers 42-38 halftime lead might have been the most precarious in basketball history. At the downtown Indianapolis Kilroy’s, no Pacers fan felt confident, and no Heat fan was unsure they would find a way to win. For some strange reason, I can’t believe it’s a purposeful strategic decision, the Heat begin […]
by Kent Sterling The potential for the Pacers to suffer a down is high tomorrow night. The Heat didn’t win back-to-back championships by not knowing how to respond to adversity. Paul George and the Pacers should expect a much more frenetic defensive effort from the Heat tomorrow night. Yesterday, the Heat embarrassed themselves by going […]
by Kent Sterling The Game One performance of the Miami Heat is not going to be repeated. Lethargic, slow, indifferent, imprecise – the Heat were all of that and less. Champions don’t back up a miserable effort with another one very often. As much as fans would like to believe that this relatively easy win […]
by Kent Sterling The Indiana Pacers route to the 2014 Eastern Conference Finals was a lot like the Griswold Family’s trek to Walley World in “National Lampoon’s Vacation.” Twists and turns were everywhere. Nothing went as planned despite a lot of work on the itinerary. But the joy in reaching the long anticipated destination is […]
by Bert Beiswanger The NBA Playoffs don’t officially start tonight but don’t be fooled, the basketball schedule makers are bluffing. The outcome of tonight’s game between the Indiana Pacers and Miami Heat may have as much to do with which team wins the Eastern Conference as any game in the playoffs. When LeBron James says […]
by Kent Sterling A tweaked ankle is not going to keep LeBron James from playing tonight against Paul George and the Indiana Pacers. James is the best basketball player on the planet, and as good as anyone who has ever played the game. He’s also incredibly durable, having missed only ten games in 11 seasons. […]
by Kent Sterling The Indiana Pacers started slowly which wasn’t a surprise, but against the two-time defending champion Miami Heat, holes shouldn’t be dug too deep. Early it appeared that the Heat were intent on schooling the darlings of the NBA, and if that was the case, the Pacers learned very quickly, applied the knowledge, […]
