FINAL: Thanks for tuning in to VAVEL's coverage of game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals
4th 0:00: Final: 107-96 Pacers win!
4th 1:40 left: The Heat still have a chance at this game. They need to stop fouling on defense,however, if they want to keep that chance
4th 2:00 left: with 2 minutes left in the game the Pacers lead the Heat by 12
4th 2:43 left: David West with the slam! Pacer lead is back to 16
4th 4:05 left: LeBron James fouled on the three point attempt! a chance at a 4 point play!
4th 4:33 left: score update 100-84 Pacers lead
4th 6:06 left: Paul George with the three!
4th 6:30 left: Miami heat gaining momentum
4th 7:08 left: Chris Anderson with the tip in! He has 14 points now
4th 8:30 left: score update 89-78 Pacers lead
4th 9:22 left: extremely confused. Watson was awarded 3 costless throws
4th 9:22 left: call upgraded to flagrant foul
4th 9:22 left: Technical foul called on Mario Chalmers (contact after the whistle)
4th 10:12 left: Paul George with the and-one!
4th 10:43 left: The Pacers lead has now been cut to 9 points. They have been unable to capitalize in the post
4th 11:37 left: Paul George is still in the game despite their large lead
4th 12:00 left: 4th quarter is now underway
3rd 0:00 left: score update 83-70 Pacers lead
3rd 2:01 left: Roy Hibbert has now shot more costless throws than the whole heat team
3rd 2:06 left: score update 79-62 Pacers lead
3rd 2:56 left: The Heat bench is not doing their part. The only way the heat can win this series is by outscoring the Pacers bench
3rd 3:10 left: Something is up with the Heat this game. They havent played this badly in recent memory, let alone in the playoffs
3rd 3:10 left: Pacers call timeout. Their lead is now 13
3rd 4:13 left: Roy Hibbert with the tip in! Miami doesnt seem to have an answer for him right now
3rd 4:46 left: The Heat defense is still struggling. score update: 72-56 Pacers lead
3rd 5:43 left: This quarter has been all pacers! Lance Stephenson hits a three on one end, and on the defensive end Wade commits an offensive foul!
3rd 6:47 left: The Pacers take a 17 point lead. The Heat defense is falling apart
3rd 7:34 left: score update 67-52 Pacers lead. Its their biggest lead of the night. Miami cant find their shot, if the game continues like this Miami is headed for a loss
3rd 8:44 left: Heat have now cleaned up their game. Their shooting is still very bad
3rd 9:46 left: Score update: 61-59 Pacers
3rd 10:29 left: Game is starting to get chippy. Looks like frustration is setting in for Miami
3rd 11:27 left: Score update 57-45 Pacers
3rd 11:49 left: Paul George fouled on three point jumper by LeBron James
3rd 12:00: 3rd quarter is underway
HALFTIME: for the Heat, LeBron and Wade have played extremely well. Both have 13 points. The struggle for the Heat has been everyone else. Nobody else on the Heat is shooting well. Look for Ray Allen to play more in the second half
HALFTIME: CJ Watson has 7 points off of the bench for the Pacers
HALFTIME: George Hill has also been huge for the Pacers in the first half. He has 11 points on 3/4 three point shooting
HALFTIME: Lance Stephenson has played incredibly for the Pacers in this game. He has 12 points 4 assists and 3 rebounds
HALFTIME: quarter ends with the pacers leading the heat 55-45. Heat have been unable to gain momentum in this game
2nd 0:37: The Pacers have the crowd on their feet! Pacers are gaining momentum! they now have a 10 point lead
2nd 1:33 left: Hibbert with the and-one! Heat arent gaining any momentum in this game
2nd 2:00 left: score update: 50-45 Pacers lead
2nd 3:30 left: Eric Spoelstra told his team during the timeout " everyone needs to do their own jobs" it looks as if the heat will be going to
LeBron for the remainder of the half
2nd 3:41: Heat are forced to call timeout. Pacers lead by 9. The Heat still have not picked up their three point shooting. They are 22% from deep
2nd 4:28: Pacers are elevating their game now. Score: 48-41.
2nd 5:41 left: Roy Hibbert was not injured. He is back on the floor
2nd 6:15 left: The Heat have picked up their game, but the Pacers arent letting up. score: 43-37 Pacers
2nd 7:00 left: Lance Stephenson hits a jumper! he has 8 points and 3 assists
2nd 8:00 left: The Heat are closing the gap! score: 41-35 Pacers
2nd 9:15 left: Roy Hibbert has gone back to the Pacers locker room. Update coming soon
2nd 9:15 left: Score Update: 38-31 Pacers lead
2nd 10:41 left: CJ Watson hits yet another three for the Pacers! they are on fire from down town!
2nd 11:29 left: The Heat commit another turnover leading to a Scola Dunk on the fast break
1st 0:00 left: The heat are shooting just 28% from three. they need to pick up their shooting fast.
1st 0:00 left: The Pacers are shooting an incredible 61% from the field and 83% from three
1st 0:00: Score update: 30-24 Pacers lead
1st 1:00 left: Score update; 28-21 Pacers lead
1st 2:26 left: Mario Chalmers has picked up two early fouls
1st 2:26 left: The Miami Heat cant seen to hit anything outside of 13 feet right now
1st 3:00 left: Mario Chalmers with the alley oop to LeBron James! Pacers lead cut to 5
1st 3:55 left: LeBron James with the and-one!
1st 4:07 left: Just as the Heat start to gain momentum, George Hill hits a three!
1st 4:44 left: score update: 20-14 Pacers lead
1st 5:34 left: The Pacers are absolutely dominating this game! another George three!
1st 6:15 left: The absence of Evan Turner may actually help the Pacers. Ever since acquiring him they have struggled
1st 6:15 left: score update: 17-10 Pacers lead
1st 6:36 left: The Heat's offensive struggles continue with another turnover leading to a George 3
1st 7:00 left: score update: Pacers lead 14-9
1st 8:33 left: The Heat are continuing their terrible offensive play. If they want to come close to winning this game they will have to stop the turnovers
1st 9:00 left: score update: 10-4 Pacers lead
1st 9:29 left: Hibbert is already showing his inside presence in this game
1st 10:16 left: Wade scores the Heats first points of the game
1st 10:34 left: The Pacers are off to an early 7-0 lead
1st 11:07 left: The Heat are off to a messy start. This is how the Pacers like to play their games
1st 11:38 left: George Hill hits a three to score the first points of the game
1st 12:00 left: Heat win the tip off
3:31: Mark Jackson is also back on the ESPN team for the Easter Conference Finals
3:28: Vogel's strategy may have to change in this game. The Heat are an extremely capable three-point shooting team. The Heat also seem to be practicing solely outside shots and mid range jumpers.
3:25: Frank Vogel wants his team to stop the Heat from taking easy two's. He told his team to contest all two's as well as to keep them off of the three point line
3:24: Shane Battier will start tonight for the Heat
3:22: Just in: Evan Turner will not play tonight for the Pacers as a result of strep throat
3:10: Kevin Love has requested a trade from the Timberwolves, stating that if he is not traded, he will enter costless agency. His top targets are the Knicks and the Lakers
3:09: The Pacers fans are now raining boo's on the Miami Heat as they take the court
3:04: The Thunder announced a few days ago that power forward Serge Ibaka will not play for the remainder of the post season. It shouldnt affect them as much against the Spurs however, because there wont be as much post-up game
3:03: Other news: The Bankers life fieldhouse will be a yellow out tonight
2:56: It will be interesting to see if Greg Oden will have any impact on this series. Both teams signed injured centers to rival each other in the post, however Bynum has not worked out well for the Pacers at all.
2:54: The Heat will have to win tonights game by using their mid range game as well as shooting the three point shot
2:46: Remember, last time the Pacers played the Heat Stephenson was ejected for taunting Dwayne Wade after a shot
2:43: There is alot of bad blood between these two teams, I fully expect to see some scuffles, if not full blown brawls
2:42: Just in: the NBA will move to a centralized replay center beginning next season
2:40: If Stephenson's plan works, the Heat could be in huge trouble during this series. Spoelstra may have to rethink Wade's minutes after these comments
2:00: More comments from Stephenson: "...Tell coach to run 'floppy,' make him running aorund, make his knee flare up or something"
2:00: Stephenson's comments on Wade: "D-Wade I think his knee is kind of messed up so i got to be extra agressive and make him run... make his knee flare up"
2:00: The Pacers Lance Stephenson has made some comments on agrravating Dwayne Wade's knee during the game. His exact comments coming soon
2:00: When it comes time for tipoff, the whole of the NBA fan base will be watching. This series has been anticipated throughout the whole year. The Miami Heat will be looking to 3-peat, and Paul George will be looking to be crowned King.
2:00: Lance Stephenson also had an interview where he stated: “I think we like being the underdogs. We like when everybody is talking about us. I think it makes our game a little bit better. It makes us want to go out and play harder, so I like being an underdog and everybody talking about us and trying to bring us down but we stay together as a unit, stay poised in the locker room. It just makes us stronger.” This interview shows how important the mood of the fans is to the Pacers in this series.
2:00: LeBron James told the press in an interview that: “Two best teams in the Eastern Conference. It’s that simple. I mean both teams defend at a high level, both teams share the ball, both teams get into the paint, both teams have a desire to win, so that’s why it’s been equal.”
2:00: This first game of the series is extremely pivotal. If the Heat can steal a game in Indiana, they take home court advantage. Having home court will be a huge factor in this series, as both teams thrive at home. The Pacers, however will struggle more than the Heat without home court.
2:00: The Pacers will have to stop the big 3’s scoring during this series to stand a chance. The Pacers are the best defensive team in the league, but they have to be ready to guard against a small lineup. On the offensive end, the Pacers will need Paul George, Roy Hibbert, and David West to score 15-20 apiece. Stephenson will need to score around 10 points, and the rest of the Pacers team will have to chip in as well. The matchup that they are most likely to gravitate toward will be the Hibbert-Anderson matchup. Anderson is a much smaller center than Hibbert (as are most players), and will have to bring a lot of energy to the table.
2:00: To beat the Pacers in this series, the Heat will have to follow the blueprint that the Atlanta Hawks set out in the first round. Playing small-ball is the key to success against the Pacers. This is why Bosh poses an interesting dilemma. Bosh will be able to spread the Pacer defense on the offensive end, but on the defensive end he is most likely going to be dominated by David West and Roy Hibbert.
The Heat will have to win this game (and series) with their offense. The Heat are an extremely capable offensive team, but they are playing against the best defensive team in the league. The Heat will have to score off of the bench, as well as having the big 3 score 20 apiece. Chalmers will have to spread the ball around, and become an absolute pass-first point guard. Chris “Birdman” Anderson will have to play a solid defensive series as well.
2:00: LeBron James is the heart and soul of the Heat team. James has played excellently, as usual, in the playoffs. He is averaging 30PPG. James has also been excellent at getting to the costless throw line. He has attempted 98 (3rd most) and has made 79 of them (3rd most). James’ offense speaks for itself, but he will have a huge task on the defensive end, in guarding Paul George. James’ defense will likely determine the outcome of this playoff series.
2:00: Chris Bosh will have to be a factor in this series. Bosh can take advantage of the Pacers size, and stretch the floor. The Heat will likely play Bosh for almost the entirety of close games. Bosh, however, will also have to contribute on the defensive end. This is where Pacers’ big men Hibbert, West, and Mahimni will have the advantage.
2:00: Dwayne Wade has picked up his game for the Heat in the playoffs as well. Wade’s focus in this series is to be an effective scorer, while staying healthy. The Heat will have to take some pressure off of Wade in this series to save him in case of a finals appearance.
2:00: Lance Stephenson has also played very well in the playoffs this year. Stephenson will have to deal with the Miami Heat’s speed during the matchup, which will prove to be challenging. The Pacers need him to play as an all-around player, just like he played in the regular season.
2:00: Paul George has been huge in the playoffs for the Pacers. He is averaging 22 points per game in the playoffs, which is slightly lower than was expected from him, especially when the small forwards defending him were not on-par with him. George will have to maintain his scoring, while stopping LeBron James on the defensive end, who is averaging 30 PPG in the playoffs.
2:00: Roy Hibbert has struggled in the playoffs so far. In the first round, he had multiple 0 rebound 0 point games. The Pacers first round troubles can almost solely be attributed to his struggles. Even though Hibbert struggled in the first round, Pacers head coach Frank Vogel kept him in the starting lineup. Hibbert responded by picking up his play in the second round. Hibbert will have to be a factor in this playoff series.
2:00: The Pacers and the Heat met last year in the Eastern Conference Finals, where the Heat were predicted to prevail in a 5 or 6 game series. Instead, the Heat struggled and took 7 games to move on to the finals, where they would go on to win the NBA championship.
2:00: The Indiana Pacers struggled against the Atlanta Hawks in the first round, prevailing in 7 games. In the second round they met the Washington Wizards, whom they disposed of in 6 games.
2:00: The Miami Heat swept the Charlotte Bobcats in the first round of the playoffs. They moved on to play the Brooklyn Nets in the second round, whom they beat in a short 5 game series.
2:00: Welcome to Indiana Pacers vs Miami Heat for game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals in Indianapolis Indiana.