June 5, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Boston Celtics small forward Mickael Pietrus (28) battles Miami Heat small forward LeBron James (6) and shooting guard Dwyane Wade (3) for the ball as point guard Rajon Rondo (9) and power forward Brandon Bass (30) are also in on the play during the second half in game five of the Eastern Conference finals of the 2012 NBA playoffs at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-US PRESSWIRE

The Miami HEAT are on the brink of elimination from the 2012 NBA Playoffs. Dropping game 5 at home, Miami is 2-3 down in the series, and will face what is possibly the toughest uphill battle since the big 3 was assembled.

Boston Celtics managed to rally and make game 5 a closely contested game, and then, as per usual, outplayed Miami in the clutch. Paul Pierce’s go-ahead 3 pointer at the end of the game was like a knife piercing (no pun intended) through the heart of all HEAT players and fans. No matter how hard Miami played, Boston always seemed to come up with the momentum shifting plays. Take, for example, the play when Wade came up with an amazing block, but Rondo managed to tap the loose ball to Pietrus in the corner, who drilled the three point shot. Boston came up in the clutch, and Miami didn’t.

Keys to the game

June 5, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat small forward LeBron James (6) is guarded by Boston Celtics power forward Kevin Garnett (5) as Celtics small forward Paul Pierce (34) and Heat point guard Mario Chalmers (15) trail the play during the second half in game five of the Eastern Conference finals of the 2012 NBA playoffs at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-US PRESSWIRE

It’s simple at this point – win or go home. Play desperate, play hard and play as a team, or succumb to the pressure and face nationwide criticism, scrutiny and embarrassment.

It is important to understand the importance of this game, and the implications a game 6 loss would mean to the Miami Heat organisation. If Miami lose the Western Conference Finals, they would be taking a step back from a year ago. All excuses and circumstances would be rendered irrelevant. An exit against Boston would put Erik Spoelstra’s job in jeopardy, and the split of the big 3 might become a possibility. Even if the big 3 remains intact, Miami would obviously march into the next season as title contenders, but after failing to make the distance twice, you wonder if a minor role player shake up would be enough.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. If Miami goes on to win the next two games, and proceed to the finals, all of this would be forgotten. Going to Boston and pulling out a win will not be an easy feat, but this is the time for Miami to prove themselves. It is a golden opportunity to show the world that they are best when they face adversity and their backs are against a wall.

June 5, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat power forward Chris Bosh (1) looks on before entering into the game during the second half in game five of the Eastern Conference finals against the Boston Celtics of the 2012 NBA playoffs at American Airlines Arena. Boston won 94-90. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

Chris Bosh made a comeback in game 5, and was effective. Despite some rust he put up 9 points and 7 boards in 14 minutes of play and looked quite solid. I get that he is coming off a tough injury, but I cannot for the life of me understand why Spoelstra didn’t play him in the 4th quarter. Coach Spo claimed he didn’t feel it would be fair to Bosh. Joel Anthony didn’t play a single minute. Ronny Turiaf likewise. Kevin Garnett went on a rampage going for 26 points on 11-20 shooting, and Boston won the game despite Rondo, Allen and Pierce combining for 26% shooting from the field on 43 shots. Spoelstra’s rotations have quite literally changed game to game, and you cannot expect any kind of consistency without the rotations being pretty much solid. Since Bosh played limited minutes, there was no one who could match up with Garnett. Doc Rivers on the other hand has made good adjustments throughout the series, and outcoached Erik Spoelstra on pretty much all fronts.

Chris Bosh will have to play big minutes. I don’t care if he is still rusty and recovering, he will need to play at least 30 minutes if Miami is going to have any chance to go to Boston and force a game 7.

June 5, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat shooting guard Dwyane Wade (left) and small forward LeBron James (right) during the first half in game five of the Eastern Conference finals against the Boston Celtics of the 2012 NBA playoffs at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

It’s not as much about x’s and o’s at this point. It’s about effort, determination and willpower. If Game 6 turns out to be a close one, James will have to step up to the moment. No more driving into the teeth of the defense and throwing a terrible pass to Udonis Haslem on the last play of regulation. No more shrinking away from the big moment. It’s time for LeBron to step up and show everyone why he is the best player in the game. It’s time for Dwyane Wade to once again put his killer-instinct on display and come up with big shots.

May 22, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat small forward LeBron James (6) dunks the ball past Indiana Pacers small forward Danny Granger (33) in the third quarter during game 5 of the 2012 NBA eastern conference semi-finals at the American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

The series will tonight shift to Indianapolis, as Miami will try to close out the series. Winning two straight games, Miami find themselves up 3-2 in the series. The Indiana crowd has been amazing so far, and heading into a hostile environment the Heat will be in for a tough game.

May 22, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat power forward Udonis Haslem (40) fouls Indiana Pacers power forward Tyler Hansbrough (50) in the second quarter during game 5 of the 2012 NBA eastern conference semi-finals at the American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

Game 5 was one that the Pacers would rather forget. Miami dominated on all fronts, which resulted in a 32 point (115-83) blowout. It was an ugly game in terms of hard fouls, as the game got seemingly out of control. Udonis Haslem committed a very tough foul on Tyler Hansbrough. Looking at the replay you could clearly see that Haslem wasn’t going for the ball, intending to foul Hansbrough as hard as possible. Udonis will serve a one game suspension, and will not play in game 6. Another Heat player that will serve a suspension, starting with game 6, is Dexter Pittman. In the last few minutes of the game Pittman elbowed Lance Stephenson, and is suspended for 3 games. Lance Stephenson made the choke sign on the sidelines, in game 3, as LeBron James missed a technical free throw. You can only assume that Dexter Pittman wanted to protect James as he fouled Stephenson, but it was an unnecessary and dangerous foul nonetheless.

Keys to the game

So not only will the Heat have to deal with the absence of Chris Bosh, but Dexter Pittman and Udonis Haslem will also be out. For what is an already slim frontcourt of Miami, this certainly doesn’t help. Dexter Pittman hasn’t really played a lot in the playoffs, and it is clear he isn’t ready for the big stage yet. Udonis Haslem, on the other hand, will be sorely missed this game. Following up on his big 14 point performance in game 4, UD scored 10 on 5-6 shooting in game 5, and also grabbed 6 rebounds. The beauty of Haslem is the fact that he almost always provides efficient minutes, whether it is with a little extra edge on offense, crashing the boards, or just making hustle plays in general.

With a banged up Mike Miller, we may very well see LeBron James and Dwyane Wade play 44-46 minutes in the game. Joel Anthony and especially Ronny Turiaf will likely play major minutes in this one. Will the guys run out of gas, or can they sustain through the additional pressure?

Shane Battier came out flaming hot in game 5. Having shot terribly from behind the arc in the series, Battier started the game with two three pointers, adding a third early in the first quarter. He will need to continue putting pressure on the Pacers’ defense by knocking down threes.

Miami have dominated the glass in the last 2 games, out rebounding the Pacers by 49-35 in game 5. Without Haslem, Indiana should have an advantage on the boards tonight. This puts even more pressure on LeBron James to continue rebounding, and picking up the slack.

May 22, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat small forward LeBron James (6) and Dwyane Wade (3) during the second quarter of game 5 of the 2012 NBA eastern conference semi-finals against the Indiana Pacers at the American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

Wade and James combined for 58 points in game 5, perhaps not as impressive as the 70 point outing in game 4, but still an amazing performance. Can the super duo continue scoring at will and breaking down the Pacers’ defense?

May 22, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Indiana Pacers president Larry Bird in the stands during game 5 of the 2012 NBA eastern conference semi-finals at the American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESS WIRE

As for Indiana, they will certainly be fueled by their home crowd, and look to make things right after the embarrassing defeat on the road. Larry Bird called his team soft after the loss, so the team will undoubtedly be determined to prove otherwise. Roy Hibbert and David West have to get involved in the offense more, and dominate the paint and the glass, while trying to stay out of foul trouble.

The key for both teams will be starting out strong. Indiana will want to get the ball into the post and get West and Hibbert going early and often. Their height advantage has not been exploited enough thus far in the series. On the other side, it will be key for Miami to involve Shane Battier and Mario Chalmers in the offense early, to take some pressure of the big 2.