Maybe I should respond, since you are trying to put your own STUPID words into my mouth. Lebron doesn't suck at all. He's the most talented player in the NBA by far, a hall-of-famer, and a top 10 player of all time. If the Pacers were to win the series at all, it would be the biggest upset since the Nuggets beat the Sonics in 1994 and Dikembe rolled on the floor in celebration. Nobody is predicting a Pacer sweep. That would be a moronic prediction. As Paul George said on the court after game 6 vs. the Knicks, it will take double that effort, every night, to win games in the next round vs. the Heat. There's no way the Pacers (or their fans) do not fully appreciate the Heat. We also appreciate out size advantage and also the age of Allen, Battier, and Haslem. we understand our unique ability to man up 1-on-1 and never double team. The Heat's entire offense is built to exploit those double teams that the Pacers plan NOT to use. Lebron could go crazy. If he does, then great for him. Contain the others and it may still be a contest. Then at the other end Battier has to guard David West in the post, and Bosh has to guard Hibbert. A gimpy Wade has to guard Lance Stevenson, which sound like a joke, right, but now you realize that it isn't. Lance is in essence a rookie but he has the speed, strength, and athleticism to make a gimpy Wade have some issues. It will take a lot to even push this series to 6 or 7 games, let alone to secure a Pacers series win. Games 3, 4, and 6 (if applicable) will be hard for the Heat to win, though. Thus a lot rides on the Pacers getting a win in game 1 or game 2. If the series starts out 2-0 Heat, I'll go all Dennis Green on you and yell "Crown their a$$es." But if it starts out 1-1, I am saying you had better watch out because the Heat will be getting a bit more than most "experts" expect.
Didn't dey beat Indiana last year minus Chris Bosh and PLUS a Danny Granger? Seem like last year they had a better chance and they still lost
The Pacers had a badly injured Granger on the court, for sure, and they had a version of Paul George who was a 5th option on offense and was not yet a defensive stopper, and they had no Lance Stevenson at all, who was not even in the rotation, and they had a worn down David West coming off his first season after ACL reconstruction, and they had a version of Roy Hibbert that lacked the ability to play 30 minutes without fouling out. So they aren't as similar as you think, at first glance
THE ONLY way i see Indiana winning the series, is solid one on one D on LeBron, while defending the rest of the team. The exact formula the Bulls pulled in game one. They will have to defend the rest of the team, while hoping to contain LeBron. But they don't have the fire power to respond when LeBron turns it on.
Where would a Pacers series victory place in the pantheon of sports upsets? Would it be more shocking than... Giants over the Patriots in the 2007 Super Bowl? Villanova over Georgetown in 1985? NC State over Houston Phi-Slamma Jamma in 1983? Buster Douglas over Mike Tyson? Milan over Muncie Central in 1954 (the true story behind the movie "Hoosiers")? The boy named David arming his slingshot and targeting the Philistine... I'm hearing that people seem to think it would be in that level of surprise. I have a harder time seeing the David and Goliath aspect to that extent, but I can appreciate that the Pacers ought to be the huge underdog. But I would not advise you to bet the retirement fund on the Heat (particularly since I understand that to make $100 on a Heat win in Vegas you have to put up like $700). I wouldn't advise you to bet on the Pacers either, to be honest, but I don't see a Heat sweep or a 5 game series. If the Heat sweep the Pacers or win in 5, I am happy to add to my signature until the playoff next year the line "I was being a Pacers homer to even have the idiotic thought that the series with the Heat would be close. I should have never doubted the mighty Heat!"
I don't think Pacers beating the Heat would be an upset by any means. Unless it was done in 4 games with George and Hibbert being out, the majority of the series. It would have been an upset if the Bucks beat the Heat in 4-7. Or even if the Bulls beat the Heat in 4-7. But the Heat will be tested by the first team they've encountered in the playoffs who plays just as solid defense (if not better) than the Bulls, and who also generate more offense than the Bulls.
pacertom is about to show the world he's on 'what's' level. the obnoxious homer is strong in this one.
Frank Vogel responded to the stupid made-up "controversy" about alleged "disrespect" for the Heat: "Sorry sports world, the words 'just another team' never came out of my mouth. Great respect for LBJ and the champs. Looking forward to a great series" http://www.nba.com/pacers/news/coach-vogel-responds-lebron-james
Agreed. Send out that big white boy Plumlee to take out Wade's knee. Put DJ Augustine on Bosh to distract him. We must not allow the darkness to win again.
People discounting LeBron's clutchness because it was a layup. Really? The fact that he converted a difficult situation into an easy layup means a lot more than jacking up a 30 foot fadeaway and having it luckily go in.
that layup was nasty clutch. Although I get more emotional when a buzzer beater 3 go in, but that layup was very skillful. And he made it look SO. DAMN. EASY. Sends a message (Pacer, I can do that anytime i want)
If Vogel wasn't an idiot and kept Hibbert in, I'm sure the results would've been very different and people would be bemoaning the fluke of a Pacers win.
If Spoelstra hadn't been an idiot and fouled the Pacers in 2 point range so George doesn't get off his 29 footer at the end of regulation... if Ray Allen, one of the greatest FT shooters of all time doesn't clank 1 out of 2 that would have iced the game in regulation.... if Wade doesn't make a bonehead touch foul on George's second 30 foot prayer.... But of course none of this stuff actually happened. What happened was that the best player in the league did what he did best and it was enough to give the Heat a win.
Lots of ifs to go around, though, in any coin-flip game with 18 ties and 17 lead changes, IIRC. If some Pacer gets to the loose ball following Hibbert's block, instead of it rattling around and getting to Lebron before launching a 3 to beat the shot clock If David West, a 79% FT shooter, doesn't miss both free throws in OT (a 79% FT shooter missing 2 shots is a lower probability than a 90% FT shooter missing one) If Bosh doesn't get away with a push in Hibbert's back for a key bucket and one late in the game If Lance Stevenson doesn't give up on attacking the basket due to Heat flops, like the one just before halftime, negating a key bucket and one, then maybe he isn't jacking up perimeter bricks the rest of the night If the Pacers bench players are wearing their warmups over their jersies, maybe Paul George doesn't throw the ball away in the direction of a benched Sam Young there in OT If the Pacers don't call that last timeout, when they took Hibbert out of the game after initially having him on the court when they set up the play the first time If the refs don't buy the flop by Lebron where DJ Augustin barely brushes the guy and he flies to the ground like a cannon just shot him, then hits 2 FTs If Hill and Stevenson don't go 4-19 with 7 TOs ----------- See, there are lots of scenarios that can tip it either way. It was a 50-50 game. I think that the Pacers are good enough to make every game in the series played in Miami a 50-50 game. Then they just need to win one of them and then show that they can take it up a notch at home. Or maybe the venue doesn't matter at all and all 7 games are 50-50 games. Just win 4 or them. 1-0 isn't the end of the world unless you truly buy into the fact they the Heat are a virtually unbeatable juggernaut and that any time another team comes even close, they have to win. I don't buy that, though. My eyes didn't tell me that last night. The Pacers can hang with them and can even beat them.
