The Miami Heat finished the regular season with the best record in the league at 66-16. Rolling through the competition on a nightly basis, Miami dominated the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the NBA Playoffs and then promptly disposed of the Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
As they entered the Conference Finals against the Indiana Pacers, the Heat knew Indiana held the potential to give them trouble on a game-by-game basis. Trouble is exactly what Miami had to overcome in game 1 of the series, taking the opening game thanks to more heroics from the best player in the sport.
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Trailing 102-101 with 2.2 seconds remaining, Miami had the ball and needed a quick score to take the early advantage in the series. Off a strong inbounds pass, LeBron James elected to drive to the basket and not take a pull-up jump shot. His strategy worked as the league MVP calmly went down the lane, laid the ball through the hoop and gave Miami and 1-0 lead in the 2013 Eastern Conference Finals.
Game 2 Date, Time and Television Coverage
Looking to take a 2-0 series lead, the Heat will host Indiana for game 2 of the Conference Finals on Friday, May 24th. Tip time is set for 8:30pm, EDT with coverage available through the TNT television network.
Series Breakdown
The Pacers looked great throughout their 6-game series victory over the New York Knicks and heading into the Conference Finals where'd they face a Miami squad they beat twice during the regular season, Indiana felt good about their chances to compete with the defending NBA champions.
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Falling in the series opener thanks to a strong buzzer beating deuce from LeBron James, Indiana still has the confidence they can win this series, even if it means drastically improving certain aspects of their team game.
"Our belief in our ability to beat this team has strengthened after Game 1," Pacers head coach Frank Vogel said to NBA.com reporters. "Our familiarity in the playoffs, in the playoff series grows with each day, grows with each game, and there's a lot of things we can definitely do better."
Trailing by a game heading into their second-straight tilt in Miami, Indiana should have a positive feeling about their defense. Although LeBron James finished the opener with 30 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, the Pacers didn't allow him any easy looks throughout the contest until James hit the game-winner.
The Pacers did a tremendous job in defending the three as well, holding Miami to just 5 of 18 from beyond the arc while limiting sharp-shooter Ray Allen to just 4 points on 1-of-8 shooting in 22 minutes.
Indiana also received big time performances from rising stars Paul George and Roy Hibbert. The duo combined for 46 in the loss but seemed to find consistency - especially on the interior - where Indiana has a definite size advantage.
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While the Heat know they have the capability to advance to another NBA Final, LeBron James is fully aware that his squad needs to improve moving forward.
"We're excited about the win," James said to ESPN reporters. "But we have to get better going into Game 2."
Getting better means making a larger effort towards limiting the production of Hibbert and George moving forward, as Miami saw how dominant the pair was in their previous series against the Knicks.
As they aim to take one step closer to a Finals berth, be sure to catch Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals as the Miami Heat host the Indiana Pacers on Friday, May 24th. Tip time is set for 8:30pm, EDT with television coverage available through the TNT network.
WATCH HIGHLIGHTS From Miami's Thrilling Game 1 Victory Over Indiana:
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