Game 3 is now in the books, and the Miami Heat took a 2-1 lead. The Pacers started out this game well, by holding the Heat to 14 points in the first and 24 in the second, totaling to 38 at the half; it was their season low for first half scoring. But after the half, this was Miami's game. The 2-time defending champions turned on a switch in the second half by scoring 61 points. Indiana, on the other hand, may have became a bit complacent, and they stayed constant the whole game by scoring 42 in the first half and 45 in the 2nd half. They never shook up their game plan at any time in the game, and couldn't stop the gushing blood that Miami caused in the 2nd half.
Heat:
LeBron led all scoring for the night with 26 points, while Dwyane Wade had 23 points, and off the bench the future Hall-of-Famer Ray Allen attained 16 points by going 4-4 from behind the arc. Late in the 4th the Heat consistently gave him the ball and unfortunately for the Pacers, he couldn't miss. The whole Heat team went from pedestrian play to lights-out in the 2nd half and took over this game. They are now up 2-1 in the series.
Pacers:
Let's start with the only player that had a double double on the night: Lance Stephenson had 10 points and 11 rebounds. Paul George led the Pacers with 17 points on the day, and finally someone produced off the bench for the Pacers: Luis Scola had 8 points all coming in the 1st half. The Pacers had a bevy of troubles down low. Although Roy Hibbert contributed a good bit on the offensive end, his defense was mediocre at best. David West had a whopping 5 turnovers. The little things for the Pacers were the reasons why they were not the winners of this game. After losing Game 3, Game 4 is now a must win game for Indiana.
Prediction For The Rest Of The Series:
Game 4: Pacers Win
Game 5: Pacers Win
Game 6: Heat Win
Game 7: Pacers Win
Game 4 is Monday May 26th at 8:30 Eastern Time