CHICAGO -- Despite the absence of their resident star, Danny Granger, whose bad knees limited him to all but five games this season, the Indiana Pacers are having a remarkable season.
On the shoulders of 7-foot-2 Roy Hibbert and 6-foot-8 All-Star Paul George, the Pacers captured the Central Division title with a 49-32 slate. They caged the Atlanta Hawks in the opening round of these playoffs, 4-2, and grounded the New York Knicks also in six games in Round 2.
But after five games against the Miami Heat in the ongoing Eastern Conference Finals, the Pacers are one game away from elimination, trailing this hard-fought best-of-seven series, 3-2.
The latest blow was inflicted last night at the AmericanAirlines Arena where the Heat stormed to a 90-79 triumph after struggling against the bigger and more physical Pacers, who took a 44-40 halftime bubble.
As expected, LeBron James, the King, had a royal performance with 30 points, eight rebounds and six assists. James outscored the Pacers in the decisive third quarter, 16-13. The four-time MVP also had four rebounds and four assists in that crucial stretch.
And by the time the Pacers regrouped and
gathered their poise, they were down deep, trailing 70-57 entering the fourth quarter.
Hibbert and George acquitted themselves well in Game 5. Hibbert had 22 points and six rebounds while George stuffed the stats box with 27 points, 11 rebounds and five assists. David West also turned in a solid 17 markers and eight boards. But Indiana's guard play was painfully disappointing as George Hill and Lance Stephenson combined only for five points on 2-for-11 shooting.
Game 6 resumes Saturday night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, where the resilient Pacers are 7-1 in these playoffs.
Question is: Can the Pacers force a Game 7 now that the Heat are seeing blood in the water? (JZ)
Photo: The Indiana Pacers try to extend their season in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals Saturday night at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
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