The Heat came out cold after being down by 15 early in the first quarter. They could have easily lost momentum, instead they found a way to go up two games to one over the Pacers to earn themselves another victory.
LeBron James scored 26 points, Dwyane Wade added 23, and Ray Allen contributed 16 points to defeat the Pacers 99-87 in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals. The big kid on the court, Ray Allen, calling the court his playground, gave the Heat the extra kick they needed in the fourth to take out the Pacers. Allen scored 13 of his 16 points while shooting 4-4 of his famous 3-pointers from his favorite spots on the court. Teammate LeBron James was electrified after witnessing Allen making such huge plays to take on the win.
“He’s got it going, and we just want to continue to find him,” James said. “I was able to find him for the majority of the shots he had in the fourth, and when you got a hot hand, you just keep going to it.”
Miami gained their first lead in the third quarter after making 21 of their 31 shots. James made a phenomenal dunk with 7:36 remaining in the third to put Miami up 52-51. The biggest lead of the night also came from James after hitting a 3-pointer with 1:21 remaining in the third putting Miami up 67-63. Shortly, after that shot James was escorted towards the locker room after cramping up. Trainer Mike Mancias stretched him out, then sent him on his way back out to the court to help his team win. While James was gone, his wingman Dwyane Wade connected on a 3-pointer with 1.4 seconds remaining for a 74-67 lead going into the fourth. To open the fourth quarter, Wade drilled another 3-point shot to put the lead up to ten.
“I can shoot the 3 ball. I just decide not to,” Wade added.
Indiana led 19-5 early in the first quarter and 37-22 midway through the second. The Heat struggled with turnovers and bad passes. Luis Scola came off the bench scoring eight points in less than three minutes. The game looked like it belonged to the Pacers until the Heat showed how hot they could really get on the court. With that being said, they were on fire.
In the second half Indiana scored 45 points. James, Wade and Allen together combined for 47.
“When they made a run,” Lance Stephenson said, “we never responded.”
It might have felt that way for the Pacers, but the reality of the game was that Miami played pure Heat basketball.
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