Heat erupt back to the Eastern Conference Finals

Merely seven days ago, things looked bleak for the Miami Heat. They were trailing in their best of seven series with the Indiana Pacers 2-1, and were without Chris Bosh for the remainder of the series. The Pacers had all of the momentum. Dwayne Wade was playing poorly, mustering only 5 points in Game 3. Something had to change or this team was going to be headed home early. My, how quickly things changed.

The Heat overcame a 10 point deficit in the 2nd half behind monster performances from Dwayne Wade and Lebron James, who combined for 70 points on the night. The series was tied and back in the hands of the Heat. 

Game 5 was a bloodbath. Headlined by three flagrant fouls, most overlooked the brilliant showing by the Heat in a 32 point victory, taking a commanding hold on the series. Once again, Lebron James and Dwayne Wade stepped up big when their team needed them most combining for 58 points on the night. The Heat were now just one win away from a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals. 

Indeed, Game 6 was going to be tough on the road, especially without Bosh (injured) or Haslem (due to suspension). The Pacers were off to a hot start, leading 10-2 shortly into the game. Indiana's intentions in this game were clear early: pound the ball inside. Eleven out of their first twelve field goals came in the paint giving them a 28-21 lead after the first quarter. The Heat rallied in the second quarter behind 20 points from Dwayne Wade alone and were trailing by only two headed into halftime. 

The second half belonged to the Heat, just as it had all series long. Dwayne Wade continued his outstanding performance answering almost every basket the Pacers were able to score. Wade was in one of the zones last night that are hard to explain. He hit multiple running floaters that made an ocean sunset seem dull. Wade finished the game with 41 points to lead the Heat. James chimed in with a mere 28, just as he always seems to do. 

In my mind, THIS was the Miami Heat that I have wanted to see for almost two years now. Dwayne Wade and Lebron James playing together and simply running this team. There are few teams in the NBA that can beat the Heat when James and Wade are playing in this sort of fashion. In the final three games of this series, they combined for 187 points. 187! What a performance these two put on in a span of six days. Almost reminds me of a few guys named Jordan and Pippen. 

If the Heat want to take home the hardware in June, they need to continue letting James and Wade run the show. They are at their best when James and Wade do most of their scoring, especially with Bosh out indefinitely. I have a feeling Erik Spoelstra will take a look at the last three games of the Pacers series and realize that he just needs to get out of the way and let them play. As long as these two superstars continue their hot streak, the Miami Heat will be a tough out the remainder of the playoffs.

--GM