MIAMI — Indiana Pacers forward Paul George may no longer be an emerging star. He might just be a star right now. Did you see that powerful one-handed dunk at the end of the third quarter?
And don't forget the big man. Roy Hibbert is bringing back the NBA center position for these playoffs.
George had 22 points and six assists and Hibbert added 29 points and 10 rebounds as the Pacers defeated the Miami Heat 97-93 on Friday and tied the Eastern Conference finals at 1-1.
"Again, we have a great deal of confidence that we can beat this basketball team" Pacers coach Frank Vogel said before Game 2.
BOX SCORE: Pacers 97, Heat 93
SCHEDULE: East, West finals times, TV info
The Pacers maintained the confidence even after a crushing Game 1 overtime loss and now go home for the next two games of what is shaping up as an excellent, competitive, down-to-the-final-minute series.
"That was a heck of a basketball game, wasn't it?" Vogel said before answering a question at his post-game news conference.
He later added, "It was one of the best basketball games I've ever been a part of."
Game 3 is Sunday in Indianapolis (8:30 p.m. ET, TNT).
"You have to win on the road to become a champion," Heat guard Dwyane Wade said. "We will regroup and learn from what we did."
The Pacers overcame an amazing performance from Heat MVP LeBron James, who had 36 points, including 21 in the second half, and eight rebounds, three assists and three steals.
But he had two detrimental turnovers in the final minute of the game. He threw the ball away with 42.9 seconds left and the Pacers up 95-93, costing Miami a chance to tie, and he did the same with 8.3 seconds left.
"It happens," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "They made two good defensive plays with deflections. I would run that again, if I had the opportunity again. So would LJ. You have to give them credit for active hands.
"We had more opportunities than those two, even in transition and a couple of the turnovers and a couple of looks that we took weren't necessarily our best options."
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James bemoaned his late-game mistakes. "Can't happen in that situation. especially being down two in a big game," he said. "Very disappointing, of course, for me. ... I am very disappointed in my judgment and my plays down the stretch."
The Pacers also erased an 88-84 deficit in the final 5:25, outscoring the Heat 13-5. Miami made just one of its final seven shots and missed all four three pointers it took.
"We just have to be little more efficient going down the stretch," Spoelstra said.
Hibbert made two baskets and Pacers point guard George Hill, who struggled in Game 1 but had 18 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals on Friday, made four free throws in the final 48.9 seconds.
"I'm not a big guy dwelling on the past," Hill said. "There was nothing I could do after Game 1. Only thing I can do is focus on Game 2. I went to the hotel, had a good meal, relaxed, stayed off my feet and tried to prepare my brain for Game 2."
An already fantastic series is laced with intrigue. The Pacers have not lost at home in the playoffs this season (6-0) and beat the Heat both times at home this season. Miami had the best road record in the league this season and are 4-0 in the playoffs.
In last season's conference semifinals, the Pacers also won Game 2 in Miami and took Game 3 in Indianapolis for a 2-1 series lead. Miami won the next three games, even without forward Chris Boshm, who was out with a strained abdominal.
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How much have the Pacers grown since then? How much resolve do the Heat have?
"Our backs are against the wall, and this is what we need right now," Bosh said. "Playoffs are about adversity."
The Pacers share the same belief as their coach.
"Our confidence hasn't wavered, hasn't changed," Pacers forward David West said. We know they are a great team. They are the best team in the NBA. It's going to be a fight for us to win every single game."
The Pacers had Miami's respect, and now, James essentially welcomed George to the club. George punctuated Indiana's final possession of the third quarter with a vicious dunk on Miami's Chris Andersen. But with just seconds left in the quarter, James made a three-pointer. As players headed to the bench for the break between quarters, James got George's attention and extended his hand, an All-Star and future Hall of Famer acknowledging the future.
"We're just two guys trying to do what it takes to help our team win," James said. "He's really good. He's going to be a great one. His maturity and his game have definitely risen in just one year because of the opportunity Frank Vogel has given him."
Miami's bench and its three-point shooters struggled for the second consecutive game. Guards Ray Allen and Norris Cole and forward Shane Battier were a combined 3 of 14, and the Heat were 7 of 22 on three-pointers.
Indiana had the best three-point defense (32.7%) in the league this season and has held Miami, which was second in the regular season from on threes at 39.6%, to 30% through two games. Battier is 12 of 52 on threes in the playoffs and 0 of 6 against the Pacers, and Ray Allen is 3 of 13 from the field against Indiana.
"We have to figure out a way to get our shooters into the game more instead of trying to get them the ball and make them take a tough one late in the game," James said. "We know they've been there for us all year. We're going to continue to have confidence in them. We know it'll help us out a lot.
A problem for Miami in Game 1 continued into the first quarter of Game 2: turnovers. Miami had 20 in Game 1 and six in the first quarter of Game 2.
"There was a lack of concentration and a lack of fundamentals," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said prior to Game 2. "We've only turned the ball over like that six times this season, and our results weren't good. If we want to keep on burning our hand, we'll throw the ball over the place without showing real concentration."
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Indiana scored eight points off Heat turnovers, made 11 of 18 shots and took a 28-22 lead into the second quarter.
Miami also struggled with Indiana's big men on both ends — Hibbert had 10 points and forward David West six in the first quarter. Chris Bosh had seven points and one rebounds in the first half.
James kept it closer with 12 points in the quarter. But Miami continued to struggle with its shot in the first half — just 15-for-35 (42.9%) — against an outstanding Pacers defense.
Allen's shooting touch had disappeared — just an uncharacteristic 1-for-10 shooting and 3-for-6 through the first six quarters of the series. Spoelstra maintained he is content with Battier and Allen firing shots.
"When our guys are not shooting it, that's an issue," he said at Friday morning's shootaround. "It's not a requirement for our three-point shooters to make threes, and it never has been. That's (a) major misconception. It's a requirement that they shoot their threes. We can go long stretches with guys going 2-for-10, but I like the 10 as long as they're getting that, that means we're getting to our game.
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Indiana's frustration with officiating cost them points in the second quarter. Pacers reserve Sam Young received a technical after arguing a foul call on him, and Indiana assistant Brian Shaw was called for a technical — both by referee Scott Foster — with 10:13 left in the second quarter.
Reserve forward Tyler Hansbrough was hit with a silly technical for pushing Wade in the back of the head with 7:59 left in the second quarter.
"To tell you the truth," Hibbert said, "I embrace that, just seeing us getting techs and still being up and still fighting, and Coach Shaw getting a tech. I relish that stuff. We like physical play. We don't complain. We're not going to back down. They could be the champs, but we're coming for them."
Once the Pacers stopped worrying about the officiating, they went to work and built a 53-40 lead with 1:25 left in the second quarter.
However, Miami made it 53-47 by halftime. Searching for outside shooting, Spoelstra put in Mike Miller, who made a three-pointer at the second-quarter buzzer. It came on an amazing assist from James, who was in the air, coming down, when he fired a one-handed, cross-court pass to Miller.
Miami rattled off a quick 11-2 run early in the third quarter and tied score at 60-60. But Pacers coach Vogel has been savvy with his timeouts, refusing to let the Heat take off on one of their game-changing runs. Indiana had a 76-74 lead at the start of the fourth quarter, just as it led at the end of the third quarter in Game 1.
This time, Indiana finished the job.
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