Column: Pacers have chance to shock the world

Three short years ago, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh appeared on stage during a celebration of the newly formed “Big Three” in downtown Miami.

It was there James declared his new team — the Miami Heat — would win “not one, not two, not three, not four,” and so on in a proposed streak of NBA championships that would theoretically push the franchise into the most rarified air in the history of the league.

The trio won its first championship last season, defeating the Indiana Pacers 4-2 in the Eastern Conference semifinals, along the way.

Yet it was during that series that the Heat first appeared truly vulnerable, rather than as the “invincible” bunch the team seemed to have become — the Pacers held a 2-1 series advantage before dropping three consecutive decisions.

It was at the conclusion of that three-game losing streak when the Pacers had a fire lit beneath them. They knew they could not only compete with the Heat but also throw a wrench into their reign of dominance.

After cruising through the first two rounds of the playoffs, the Heat met a Pacers team riding high after upsetting the favored New York Knicks in six games.

Despite the perceived upset in the previous round, the critics weren’t buying the hype, predicting the Heat needing only five, or six games to advance to the NBA Finals for the third consecutive season.

But after the Pacers’ 99-92 triumph in Game 4 on Tuesday evening, the series entered a 2-2 deadlock heading back to Miami.

But the Heat are simply toying with the Pacers, right?

They’ll stop fooling around and finish this series in six games, right?

While that scenario may very well play out, you’d be foolish to count the Pacers out, especially considering the declining health and contributions from James’ partners in crime, Bosh and Wade.

The two combined for just 23 points and six rebounds in Game 4, which is, undoubtedly, a fatal shortcoming for a team with its back against the wall and everything to lose.

Let’s assume both Bosh and Wade remain at their current physical status in Game 5.
If the Pacers continue to effectively keep James out of the lane and force the Heat to settle for jump shots, I will be adamant about the Pacers’ chances of pulling off what would be considered the most shocking upset in recent NBA playoffs history.

However, the Pacers can’t allow themselves to be content. A true hunger must exist for the team to knock off the defending NBA champions, and that begins on the glass.
The Pacers outrebounded the Heat 49-30 in Game 4 while also dominating the lane offensively, pouring in 50 points in the paint to the Heat’s 32. Indiana also must take care of the ball, which has been, perhaps, the team’s most glaring weakness.

But most importantly, Indiana head coach Frank Vogel must preach to his team to play to its identity: playing lockdown defense and crashing the boards relentlessly. If that’s executed consistently, fans will be treated to an unexpected trip to the NBA finals to meet the San Antonio Spurs.

And James, Wade and Bosh will be delayed in their declaration of multiple
championships.

­— ckillore@indiana.edu