By JOSEPH GOODMAN
jgoodman@MiamiHerald.com
INDIANAPOLIS --
No matter what, the Heat will have to return to Indianapolis.
After the way Game 4 on Tuesday played out, winning another game in this
town is going to be a tall order.
After stealing back home-court advantage on Sunday, the Heat’s advantage in the Eastern Conference finals took a hit with a 99-92 loss at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The best-of-7 series is now tied at 2-2. The Heat and Pacers will play Game 5 on Thursday at AmericanAirlines Arena.
LeBron James fouled out with 56 seconds left of a close game and Dwyane Wade was called for traveling in the final minute. Focus and mistake-free basketball was the key to the Heat’s victory in Game 3. In Game 4, Miami seemed to sabotage itself with the game on the line.
Lance Stephenson’s layup rattled around the rim and dropped with 61 seconds to play and James let out a howl of disgust. One possession earlier, James knocked down a three-pointer to cut the Pacers’ lead to 94-92. It ended a 9-0 run by the Indiana, which began with 4:55 left in the game and ended with 90 seconds to play.
Stephenson’s bucket put the Pacers back ahead by four points and James felt the game slipping away.
His frustration boiled over on the offensive end and he picked up his sixth foul with 56 seconds left. Stunned, James walked off the court and leaned against press row near the Heat’s bench before placing both hands over his head in a show of bewilderment.
“That’s how the game goes sometimes,” James said.
James’ night was done but the game wasn’t over. It took a critical mistake by the Heat’s other star, Wade, to call it a night and guarantee a Game 6 on June 1.
Trailing 96-92 with 26.9 seconds left, Wade was called for traveling before a shot attempt. From there, the Pacers iced the game with a pair of free throws by guard George Hill.
Defining moment
James finished with 24 points, six rebounds and five assists. Wade had 16 points and six assists. Ray Allen had 11 points off the bench. The Heat was 8 of 23 from three-point range (34.8 percent) and shot 39 percent overall. Chris Bosh had just seven points and two rebounds on a night in which he injured his knee during the first half and his ankle in the second.
The game’s defining possession began with 1:52 to play when two offensive rebounds by the Pacers allowed Roy Hibbert to score a layup with 1:30 play. He drew a foul in the act of shooting and made his and-one free throw to give Indiana a 94-89 lead.
“They got us there in the fourth,” Heat coach Spoelstra said. “We got what we wanted, a fourth-quarter, 89-86 going down the stretch, and they made bigger plays.”
Said Bosh: “We had them right where we wanted them but every time we would get a stop, especially in the fourth quarter, we didn’t come up with the rebound. They got too many offensive rebounds. It was there for us. We had a chance but didn’t capitalize.”
Stephenson tied the game at 89-89 with an 18-footer and the Pacers took the lead on a layup by Hibbert with 2:42 to play. The final six minutes delivered some of the best moments of the series.
• James’ steal on an inbounds pass from Paul George, which led to a three-point play by Wade on a fast break.
• George’s three-point play against James moments later.
After stealing back home-court advantage on Sunday, the Heat’s advantage in the Eastern Conference finals took a hit with a 99-92 loss at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The best-of-7 series is now tied at 2-2. The Heat and Pacers will play Game 5 on Thursday at AmericanAirlines Arena.
LeBron James fouled out with 56 seconds left of a close game and Dwyane Wade was called for traveling in the final minute. Focus and mistake-free basketball was the key to the Heat’s victory in Game 3. In Game 4, Miami seemed to sabotage itself with the game on the line.
Lance Stephenson’s layup rattled around the rim and dropped with 61 seconds to play and James let out a howl of disgust. One possession earlier, James knocked down a three-pointer to cut the Pacers’ lead to 94-92. It ended a 9-0 run by the Indiana, which began with 4:55 left in the game and ended with 90 seconds to play.
Stephenson’s bucket put the Pacers back ahead by four points and James felt the game slipping away.
His frustration boiled over on the offensive end and he picked up his sixth foul with 56 seconds left. Stunned, James walked off the court and leaned against press row near the Heat’s bench before placing both hands over his head in a show of bewilderment.
“That’s how the game goes sometimes,” James said.
James’ night was done but the game wasn’t over. It took a critical mistake by the Heat’s other star, Wade, to call it a night and guarantee a Game 6 on June 1.
Trailing 96-92 with 26.9 seconds left, Wade was called for traveling before a shot attempt. From there, the Pacers iced the game with a pair of free throws by guard George Hill.
Defining moment
James finished with 24 points, six rebounds and five assists. Wade had 16 points and six assists. Ray Allen had 11 points off the bench. The Heat was 8 of 23 from three-point range (34.8 percent) and shot 39 percent overall. Chris Bosh had just seven points and two rebounds on a night in which he injured his knee during the first half and his ankle in the second.
The game’s defining possession began with 1:52 to play when two offensive rebounds by the Pacers allowed Roy Hibbert to score a layup with 1:30 play. He drew a foul in the act of shooting and made his and-one free throw to give Indiana a 94-89 lead.
“They got us there in the fourth,” Heat coach Spoelstra said. “We got what we wanted, a fourth-quarter, 89-86 going down the stretch, and they made bigger plays.”
Said Bosh: “We had them right where we wanted them but every time we would get a stop, especially in the fourth quarter, we didn’t come up with the rebound. They got too many offensive rebounds. It was there for us. We had a chance but didn’t capitalize.”
Stephenson tied the game at 89-89 with an 18-footer and the Pacers took the lead on a layup by Hibbert with 2:42 to play. The final six minutes delivered some of the best moments of the series.
• James’ steal on an inbounds pass from Paul George, which led to a three-point play by Wade on a fast break.
• George’s three-point play against James moments later.
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