Another night, another third round game. I was hoping for a better effort and maybe even a win. And I think I got it!
Game 2: Miami vs. Indiana.
It might not have been an aesthetically pleasing game, but Miami pulled it out. Games that end in the 80's rarely are, I guess.
LeBron and Wade did their usual thing; LeBron was especially good in the fourth quarter as he keyed the run that ended it. I'm not sure how they went up 86-78 to 87-83, but hey, they won.
Now they avoid going back to Miami down 0-2 and have regained home-court for the time being. I think they'll win both games in Miami without too much difficulty, but that will be predicated on how head coach Erik Spoelstra adjusts to Stephenson.
Let's face it, Lance Stephenson damn near won the game for the Pacers by himself. He wasn't getting a whole lot of help from his teammates, although that is a bit deceiving, I suppose, since they were all in double figures again.
And by all, I mean the starting five. Their bench is not good. About as bad as Portland's, really.
Stephenson controlled the game for the first three quarters. Then LeBron took over in the fourth. My guess is that Miami will look to lessen Stephenson's impact throughout Game 3. Whatever they've done on Paul George has been just right.
Speaking of Paul George, he claimed to have blacked out during the game. Obviously, this is a situation that should be monitored and treated with extreme care. It might also end up affecting the tenor of the rest of the series, depending on whether or not he misses any time. I doubt very much that he'll miss even a quarter from such a thing, but I'm not a doctor and to be honest, it never hurts to be too careful.
If there's an under-the-radar performance to be looked at, I'd single out Norris Cole, who was incredibly efficient, scoring 11 points on a mere four shots. He also had two assists and a steal in 27 minutes. Not exactly huge minutes there, but he's clearly playing better at this point than Mario Chalmers. Something to keep an eye on, at least.
The series is tied 1-1. Game 3 is Saturday.
Seriously, three days off, to go from Indiana to Florida? Okay, then.
Later today, Game 2 in San Antonio.
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