In a game that felt like old times, the Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers were in the national spotlight once again.
But like many times the Heat visited Bankers Life Fieldhouse in the regular season, the Heat let one slip away, falling in Indianapolis for the eighth consecutive time. The win evens the Pacers record at 3-3, while the loss drops the Heat to 3-3.
After taking a thirteen point lead early in the game, the Pacers stormed back to tie the game going into the half. From there, the game was the usual dog fight between these two teams. Indiana held on, even after two backdoor lobs to Tyler Johnson (6 points and 2 assists, in under 19 minutes) out of inbounds sets narrowed the deficit to one after Pacer free throws. A third inbound set went awry, as Justise Winslow passed the ball to Dwyane Wade for a tough fallaway three as time was expiring that would have tied the game.
Paul George led all scorers with 36 points (14 for 27 shooting) and 12 rebounds. He looked every bit the MVP candidate that he was poised to be before breaking his leg last summer, as he was making shots from all over. While it’s still questionable what exactly the Pacers do well in the early part of the season, George’s performance is a reminder that they have a top-10 player that teams have to game-plan for.
“Demolition Man” enthusiast George Hill chipped in 12 points, while Jordan Hill had a double-double, going for 10 points and 10 rebounds. Monta Ellis led all players with 8 assists.
Things that pleased me: Chris Bosh led the Heat with 21 points (7 of 16 shooting), while grabbing 11 rebounds. His aggression on the glass has been a welcome sight, as he had be relegated to the role of a shooter and forced to play further from the basket in previous years. His three-point shooting still hasn’t come around – 1 for 5 against the Pacers – however he still is enough of a threat from the outside that defenses have to pay attention to.
On a day when Heat Twitter was coming down on Josh McRoberts, he proceeded to have his best game of the season, finishing with 8 points and 5 assists, helping ignite an 18-1 run that helped put the Heat up as many as thirteen early in the second quarter. His ability to see the floor gives the Heat a tremendous weapon, both on the perimeter and in the post, that all the motion offense around him plays to his strengths. And he even pulled the trigger from three – a night after he wasn’t willing to take open shots – making 2 of 3 from beyond the arc.
Speaking of having their best game, Winslow continues to make a name for himself, finishing with a career high 13 points, while grabbing 8 rebounds. He seems like a ten-year veteran at times, as he continues to be more assertive as he gets comfortable with the NBA speed. He always seems to be moving on offense, allowing guys like McRoberts a chance to get him the ball on the go. All while being given the assignment of defending George. And while George was still able to have a big game, Winslow made him work to get free looks. The Pacers threw multiple screeners at Winslow to help George get a fraction of space. The fact that Coach Erik Spoelstra trusts a 19-year old with that assignment speaks volumes of Winslow’s potential.
Goran Dragic and Luol Deng combined to go for 20 points, on 9 for 18 shooting.
Things that annoyed me: Wade scored 20-plus points in the Heat’s first five games, but he just didn’t have it on Friday night. Problem was nobody told him that. While Wade started 4 for 8 from the field, everything fell apart in the second half, as he missed all seven shots he took – including four from downtown. He finished with just 9 points.
Much like last season, the Heat were in control of a game early on, but failed to put a team away. Up thirteen with seven and half minutes remaining in the second quarter, the Pacers went on a 20-7 run to wipe the lead away in six minutes of game time. This coincided with Miami’s first unit being brought back into the game, as the Pacers were able to force them in shooting 3 for 10 over that stretch and got themselves back in the game. The Heat’s starters are still a work in progress as a collective unit.
Things that perplexed me: Hassan Whiteside remains a fascinating sociological study that one just can’t look away from. After finishing the first half with 6 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 blocks, Whiteside only mustered 2 points and 5 rebounds in the second half. What was particularly frustrating was that his defense seemed to suffer, as he was making little effort in turning away some drives by George, while failing to box out Jordan Hill on key rebounds late in the game. The common thread? Whiteside only had three shots in the second half. He actually went almost seven and a half minutes into the third quarter before he touched the ball on offense – he threw up a jump shot when he finally got the ball, which was similar to a child pouting until he got a toy, then promptly throwing it out a window.
I’m not saying Whiteside should be the centerpiece of the Heat’s offense. But when the offense was as effective as a clogged toilet in the third quarter, maybe passing the ball to the seven-foot center who is making 72% of his shots might be a good idea. Get some easy looks to help things move. Now the effect of not getting him involved on offense means that apparently Whiteside doesn’t engage on the defensive end. That is a very dangerous mixture. There has to be a middle ground that Coach Spoelstra has to find, as Whiteside’s mood swings can prove costly at the worst times.
Scale of 1 to 10, how bad did I want to throw a lamp because of Mario Chalmers?: 2. After sitting out Thursday’s game in Minnesota, Chalmers checked into the game with four minutes left in the first quarter, promptly picking up a steal and a foul in his first 30 seconds. Pretty sure that was the most Mario Chalmers sequence of his career. While he didn’t do a whole lot that came up in the box score – 2 points, 1 assist, 1 rebound, 1 steal – he was a part of the second unit that sparked the Heat’s 18-1 run to help build the thirteen point lead in the second quarter. His +21 led all Heat players.
What we’ve learned: The blueprint for a juggernaut is in Coach Spoelstra’s hands; it’s just a matter of execution that is holding the Heat back. For the second consecutive night, the Heat blitzed an opponent on the road and seemed like they were in complete control. Unfortunately, Miami couldn’t hold on against the Pacers. The second night of a back-to-back certainly didn’t help, nor did an MVP performance from George.
Miami was also missing a spark plug off the bench, as Gerald Green missed his second straight game with an unknown illness. Not having a legitimate three-point threat also hampered the Heat, as at times the paint seemed crowded with defenders. Poor shooting nights from Wade, plus whatever issues got into Whiteside, are also things that are more exceptions than the rule.
The Heat return home for Sunday’s game against the Toronto Raptors.