Pacers and George Hill got it done.
It is one thing to lose at home to the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference semifinals. It’s another thing to lose with LeBron James and Dwyane Wade failing in the waning moments.
But that’s exactly what happened. And the Indiana Pacers were the benefactors with a 78-75 victory that tied the series at 1-1.
James, who had 28 points, nine rebounds and five assists, missed two foul shots with 54.3 seconds left and Miami down by a point. He had missed another free throw earlier. And with 16 seconds to go and the Pacers in front by two, Wade missed a driving layup.
And finally, down by three in the last seconds of the game, neither Wade nor James took the last shot. It was a contested bomb by Mario Chalmers that clanked off the rim that sealed Indiana’s triumph that secured it the home court advantage.
Forward David West led the way with 16 points and 10 rebounds and guard George Hill added 15.
Playing without injured forward Chris Bosh (abdominal strain), who is out for the series, the Heat received little help from anyone other than James and Wade. No other Miami player scored more than five points.
The Heat have until Thursday’s Game 3 in Indianapolis to figure it out.
