NBA Playoffs 2012/13

Mouzone

opr wrote: »

Some awful calls for both sides tonight.

Opr

Agreed, just think the Heat will consider themselves hard done by there.

Dublin Red Devil

What about a Spurs vs Pacers Final ?. I don't think anyone would have predicted that at the start of the season.

Ruck Inspector

Dublin Red Devil wrote: »

What about a Spurs vs Pacers Final ?. I don't think anyone would have predicted that at the start of the season.

Spurs win in 5.

leggo

Dublin Red Devil wrote: »

What about a Spurs vs Pacers Final ?. I don't think anyone would have predicted that at the start of the season.

I'd wait until you guys have home-court advantage at least before making any Finals plans.

Dublin Red Devil

Roy Hibbert
Blue collar , Gold Swagger.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lzwNZyJd60

padraig_f

Thoughts on last night's game...

- Very exciting game, could've gone either way.

- Great maturity from the Pacers to bounce back after the game-3 blitz. And also, with about 6 minutes to go, when the Heat had gone on an 11-2 run to tie the score, I thought they were going to take over, but the Pacer kept their heads.

- I loved the intensity the Spurs came out with in game 4 to finish off the series, Miami didn't come out with that same intensity last night. They picked things up in the 2nd half, but the first half in particular was slack.

- I'm enjoying watching a washed-up looking Wade.

- I said I thought Hibbert was the Pacers' biggest defensive influence, but when they can get him the ball within 8 or so feet of the basket, he's their best offensive weapon too. I know it's not always easy to get him the ball there, but they have to try and go to that move as much as they can.

- I did think the Pacers got the majority of the calls. As much as I was rooting for them, I was a bit disappointed Lebron fouled out at the end. I don't think it changed the result, the Pacers were up 4 at that point, and just needed one stop or make to win.

- The Pacers have given themselves a chance again, the Heat now need to win another game either in Indiana, or a game 7.

recyclebin

Just after watching Pacers game. Happy with the win. 3 of the 4 games in this series could have gone either way.

Paully D

Tonight's game should be good. Plenty of niggle between both teams in the press over the last couple of days too which will spice it up a bit.

Bookies have Heat as 7.5 point favourites.

I see LeBron, West and Stephenson were fined $5,000 for flopping, $10,000 less than Belinelli was fined for doing a ''big balls'' gesture :rolleyes:

BQQ

Paully D wrote: »

I see LeBron, West and Stephenson were fined $5,000 for flopping

Didn't Frank Vogel say recently "we(pacers) don't flop".
I guess West and Stephenson didn't get the memo :rolleyes:

padraig_f

Two things on my mind for tonight's game:
- How the refs call it. Both teams have weak benches and any kind foul-trouble will be costly, also points are at a premium, so getting to the line will be big. Whatever chance the Pacers have of getting breaking even on the calls in game 5, it would be even harder in a game 7, so their best chance will be winning games 5 and 6.

- Lebron's mental strength (or potentially lack thereof). Despite getting over the championship hump last year, I still think Lebron can be mentally fragile. I was just reminded of it in game 4 when Lance Stephenson was winding him up (amusingly blowing on him at the free-throw line), and it seemed to be getting under his skin (you could see flashes of it at other times as well, e.g. when the Bulls ended the win-streak and he was complaining about 'non-basketball plays'). People might disagree with me here, but the Heat have been put under very little pressure this season. It's easy to look composed when your team is cruising along. For one of the few times this season, they're under pressure now, and sometimes it's only then that the cracks show.

jamaamaj

James gonna go big tonight and show why he's the MVP. Don't get me wrong the pacers have been great, but IMO, the next two games are the (king) james show, and with the help of Bosh, Wade and the rest, Heat are gonna show why there are champs.
Good luck betting folks, i'm wade overs tonight.

ps. great thread folks.

GoldFour4

Have a feeling tonights game is gonna be rougher then the rest of the series by a long shot. Could see lots of whistles.

This is the big one. Miami wins and the pressure is off, they can have a shot at beating the Pacers in game 6 knowing that if they fail they have game 7 at home. For the Pacers, lose and they can't lose again.

Miami by 4

Paully D

3 blown lay-ups by the Pacers now halfway through the first quarter. I have a gut feeling those 6 points may come back to haunt them at the end.

GoldFour4

Great few minutes there. Anderson and Hansbrough get caught up with Anderson picking up a flagrant 1, anderson proceeds to block the crap out of Tyler at the other end of the court, crowd goes wild.

darced

This post has been deleted.

Paully D

malistheman wrote: »

Great few minutes there. Anderson and Hansbrough get caught up with Anderson picking up a flagrant 1, anderson proceeds to block the crap out of Tyler at the other end of the court, crowd goes wild.

Anderson should have been ejected, and the charge into Hansbrough in the lead up to the shove was ridiculous. Nazr Muhammad was ejected for doing less.

PerrinV2

Hansbrough shud have hit the ground like Lebron :pac:

NufcNavan

Birdman should have been tossed.

NBA looking after its stars again. It's sickening.

GoldFour4

Paully D wrote: »

Anderson should have been ejected, and the charge into Hansbrough in the lead up to the shove was ridiculous. Nazr Muhammad was ejected for doing less.

If Tyler had gone to the ground then Andersen was a gonner. Trying to square up to bird man lessened the effect of the push.

NufcNavan

I think people are forgetting about the initial unprovoked shove to the ground.

I mean, I really can't believe he wasn't tossed.

Paully D

Pacers up 4 at the half. They should be up by at least 10. I can't help but feel they needed to capatilise more on their opportunities, so many silly turnovers and missed lay-ups for example.

Miami should be able to adjust a bit at half time and play a bit better in the second half. I still think they'll win this one, although I hope I'm wrong!

Nuri Sahin

So many funny things in this game so far. From Birdman not being thrown out, to the wide open layups being missed, to Wade and Stephenson playing like absolute scrubs and the fact there's only been eight, yes eight free throws!

Dublin Red Devil

Lovely little spin move there by James

Dublin Red Devil

West and Haslam doing their best Mayweather face-off

Paully D

Pacers doing everything they can to throw this game away.

Dublin Red Devil

Sh1t this isn't looking good

Mouzone

What a third quarter by James. Really took the game by the scruff of the neck.

Carcharodon

Pacers looked like they just ran out of steam and LeBron kicked into another gear.
Pacers will find it very very hard to win 2 in a row.
Hilbert has been very impressive, bodes well for the future of the franchise.

Paully D

The series is over now, Miami won't lose two in a row.

padraig_f

The Pacers need to deal with the fronting and doubling of Hibbert better in game 6. I think that was a tweak for the Heat in game 5, doubling Hibbert more aggressively, and they had such success with it, they'll surely do it again tonight.

The counter to fronting and doubling the big guys is the wing players hitting their outside shots, fronting the man gives the defender bad rebounding position, and doubling leaves other players open. The outside shooting wasn't good enough from the Pacers in game 5, Paul George made some pull-up 3s, but no-one else on the team made a 3.

You don't need to make the outside shot your primary offense, but you need to make enough to keep the defense honest, and space the floor a bit for West and Hibbert. The game-within-the-game is the Pacers trying to get Hibbert and West the ball (in position), and the Heat try to deny that, pretty interesting to watch.

There was a similar battle in the WCF....one of the reasons the Spurs won in 4 and the Heat are still playing game 6 is that the Spurs had the fronting/doubling of the big guys down from game 1, whereas the Heat have kind of adjusted to it as the series has gone on. My fear for tonight's game is that, like the Grizzlies, the Pacers don't have an outside threat counter to this (bit of a personnel thing, they're lacking some 3-point shooting). Hopefully Stephenson and co. can step up from their game 5 performances, and give us a game 7.