Four games into the NBA's Eastern Conference Finals, both the Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers look like formidable units, clearly capable of taking down the San Antonio Spurs in the championship round.
San Antonio swept Memphis in the West finals and as they utilize their time off awaiting the winner of the Eastern finale, Miami and Indiana continue to trade blows each time they take the floor as their match-up continues to get more and more entertaining with each passing game.
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When and Where to Watch Game 5
As the series returns to South Beach, each teams knows how crucial the upcoming showdown is since the winner will be one victory away from advancing to the 2013 NBA Finals.
Tip time for Game 5 is set for 8:30pm, EDT on Thursday, May 30th. Television coverage will be provided by the TNT network.
Game 4 Recap
After being completely dominated by the Heat in Game 3, Indiana hung tough with the defending champions in game 4, closing Miami out down the stretch to even the series at 2 games apiece.
Miami shot below 40% from the floor in the Game 4 loss and were hammered in the rebounding department, losing the battle of the boards 49-30. Interior play for the Pacers was far superior to that of Miami once again as Roy Hibbert and David West combined for 37 points and 24 rebounds, creating a tandem Miami simply does not have an answer for.
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Heat big men Chris Bosh and Udonis Haslem continue to struggle mightily against the Indiana big men and in Tuesday night's 99-92 loss, the duo had one of their worst performances this season.
In over 47 minutes of combined action, Haslem and Bosh totaled 13 points on 4-of-11 shooting while only grabbing 5 rebounds. As they continue to struggle on a nightly basis with the physicality of Indiana, Miami's head coach knows his team needs to put their recent struggles behind them and focus on retaking the series lead Thursday night.
"We have a great locker room of Alpha competitors," Erik Spoelstra said to NBA reporters. "And so they take this very seriously. We're playing against a worthy opponent and if we don't play well, they beat us. If they don't play well and we impose our identity, we beat them. That's what this is all about. So let's lace 'em up and let's get ready for Game 5."
Wrap-Up
While LeBron James led the Heat with 24 points in Game 4, the Indiana defense has done a solid job collectively in limiting the explosiveness of the 2013 League MVP, not allowing him to dominate each contest like he's done multiple times during this season.
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The rise of scorer Lance Stephenson has also aided Indiana in their quest to return to the NBA Finals. Stephenson scored 20 points on 9-of-15 shooting in the last Pacers victory and if he is able to continue his strong play along with Hibbert, West and George Hill, Indiana is more than capable of advancing to their first Final since they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2000.
As they enter the crucial game 5 in Miami, Pacers head coach Frank Vogel knows his team will have to win at least one more game at the American Airlines Arena before they can prepare for the Finals.
"We have to win a game in Miami. It's either Game 5 or Game 7," Vogel said to the Miami Herald. "When you only have two chances to get one win, it's a very important game."
With control of the Eastern Conference Finals on the line, be sure to catch the Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers meet for Game 5 in what is expected to be another physical contest.
Tip time on Thursday, May 30th is set for 8:30pm, EDT with coverage available through the TNT television network.
WATCH HIGHLIGHTS From Indiana's 99-92 Game 4 Victory Over Miami:
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