Don’t call it a comeback.

For those of you who may have just tuned in for the closing stages of the fourth quarter, the Miami Heat started the game on a 95-92 run, a lead that the Pacers (shockingly) couldn’t surmount in the final five minutes.

In a game that would decide the season series between the Heat and the Pacers (huge for a potential tiebreaker in April, you know), Miami opened up a 41-17 first quarter lead primarily off the strength of Dwyane Wade’s 22 points in the first period. Through the second quarter, however, the bench began to play a key role. At halftime, only four Heat players had scored points. Despite their early woes, the Pacers trailed by just four.

Miami emerged from the locker room, knocking down two quick early buckets that seemed to reassert its dominance. The Pacers still hung tough, however, and when Danny Granger knocked down a three with 8:33 remaining in the third quarter, it was a new game.

Over the next 17 minutes of game time, the lead was never more than a possession either way until Danny Granger missed an open, potentially game-tying three followed by LeBron putting back a miss by former Pacer great (along the same lines as Scott Haskins and Damon Bailey) Erick Dampier to stretch the Heat lead by five with just over three minutes to go.

Giving Miami a two-possession cushion with less than three minutes to go is about as advisable as going to a gentleman’s club with Stephen Jackson. The rest of the game was a formality.

Still, wasn’t what transpired in the first quarter when Miami opened up a 24-point lead in a hurry kind of what we anticipated? Didn’t a lot of basketball fans foresee Miami dominating like the Heat did in the first quarter every single night ever since “taking my talents to South Beach” entered our lexicon in July?

Of course, some of the things that Miami did in this game were beyond even the most outlandish expectations (like Jeff Van Gundy’s 74-win projection). Some of these occurrences included the following: Wade’s ninety-foot pass to LeBron with Manning-like precision, his roof-scraping arc of a shot over Paul George and Chris Bosh’s coast-to-coast drive that included a behind-the-back dribble move that made him look more like Penny Hardaway circa 1995 and less like one of the league’s most overhyped players.

Clearly, there is absolutely no combination of players that Indiana has at its disposal to counter LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. Basketball, however, is never played on paper. In reality, the answer (equally shocking) was Tyler Hansbrough, Dahntay Jones, AJ Price, Paul George and Jeff Foster. In fact, the Pacers were +9 in the 17 minutes that Price played but -16 in the 31 minutes played by Darren’s Collison, who didn’t hit his first field goal until the final minute when game was over.

In such a crazy and erratic game, it’s hard to learn anything for certain, but the following is a list of things we do know…

• Tyler Hansbrough just plays hard.
• Miami’s exploitable weakness is its depth. When you have Juwan Howard (who is so old that he used to give Frank Vogel swirlies in high school) on your bench AND one of your starting guards plays 26 minutes and scores two points, that’s probably not good.
• Chris Bosh’s game is about as versatile as a folding chair, and he plays defense about as well as one too.

Recently, there has been talk that perhaps the Pacers are a bad match-up for Miami and that perhaps the Heat would rather have a different opponent in the first round. Clearly, the Heat have the better team and would be a prohibitive favorite in a seven-game series. In a couple of victories this season, however, Miami needed two Herculean efforts (Wade’s 41 and 12 tonight and LeBron’s 14-13-8 a week ago) to turn the Pacers back.

As Lloyd Christmas said in Dumb & Dumber … so you’re telling me there’s a chance!?!?

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Wade walked first though.

(More on the actual game shortly.)

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To enter, just submit your name and email in the comments below along with your prediction for the final score of tonight’s game. (The tickets are electronic so I will email them to the winners around 4:00 pm EST today.)

What do you think? Can the Pacers knock of LeBron and the Heat?

UPDATE: The contest has concluded. Thanks to everyone who entered, and congrats to Derek Deckman and Tom Hales.

Hopefully, we’ll have more tickets to give away for some games after the All-Star break, so be sure to check back on days when the Pacers are playing in Conseco.

LeBron isn’t sure who will win tonight either.

* StubHub is not affiliated with the NBA.

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Occasionally, however, I gaze too intently at my own navel and miss something that the vast majority of NBA fans with functioning IQ above room temperature would consider – you know – important.  I did this last night by totally glossing over the performance turned in by LeBron James last night.

It seems almost enough to quote the stat line – 41 points, 13 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 steals, and a TS% of .714 – but it isn’t.  That overlooks the fact that he took Darren Collison as his defensive assignment in the fourth, cutting off the head of the Pacer attack.

It also overlooks the fact that in the 4 1/2 minutes at the end of the first three quarters that I highlighted as the death blows in this game, James scored 13 of Miami’s 26 points and assisted on 6 more.

It’s easy to “hate” LeBron.  There are a lot of reasons (or, at least, rationalizations) for it, and I’ll be the first to say that the way he handled his “Decision” this summer (not the decision itself) was a stunning display of douche-baggery.

But the man can play basketball like few others I’ve ever seen.

All of us who watch the NBA are fans in one form or another, and I wouldn’t presume to tell anyone who to like or not like.  However, I can tell you that I spent the ’80′s hating Magic, the ’90′s hating Michael, and a good chunk of this decade hating Kobe.  Looking back now, that really cost me the opportunity to watch a lot of good basketball, and I kinda regret it.

So, boo him if you like – I’m sure I will next Tuesday – but do yourself the favor to at least watch the guy as much as you can.  You won’t believe how fast it will go by.

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After a tough loss last night that featured a really boneheaded play by Mike Dunleavy, Jr. the Pacers head to Cleveland to face the surprisingly decent Cavs. You might have heard that they no longer have LeBron James. But this year, instead of one guy who averages some 30 points per game, they have seven guys who average more than 9 a night.

Trust me, Jim O’Brien prefers it this way — especially considering the Cleveland incarnation with King James bested the Pacers eight out of the last ten times they played.

But it does mean that everyone has to buckle down and align themselves with the team defensive plan. Indy also needs to watch out for three-point shooters as Boobie Gibson, Antwan Jamison, Anthony Parker and Jawad Williams are all shooting 40% or better from behind the arc. They can probably let Mo Williams fire away though — he’s a disgusting 4/24 (16.7%) from deep this season. Gross.

UPDATE: Mo and Andy Varejao were both late scratches. Excellent. Then again … No Bogut for Milwuake; Milwaukee wins. No Yao and Brooks for Houston; Houston wins. Cut it out, pattern.

Not much else to say. A very winnable road game against a division rival that could bring the Pacers back to .500 for the year. All they have to do is go win it.

Pacers vs. Cavaliers – By the Numbers

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“I watch all the teams and what they did for LeBron, and [the Heat] still have to go through the Lakers with Kobe Bryant out there, who’s been my favorite player for a long time,’’ said Pacers president Larry Bird. “And I don’t think whatever they do in the East is really going to concern him that much.’’

Honestly, I would probably be similarly surprised to hear he had a favorite food or TV show.

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But he really did play in the NBA and suited up Pacers for a few games after the Brawl when the suspension-decimated team was just looking for any mannequin with a pulse to drape a jersey around and send out on the court. I can’t give a very insightful scouting report of the guy, honestly, but he always struck me as someone best described as a really homeless man’s Keith Van Horn with the coordination of Shawn Bradley.

Maybe a look at his most memorable performances with the Pacers will jog your memory?

No? Well, OK then.

The only reason I bring it up is because I saw this player profile update on the wonderful Sham Sports the other day, and it reminded me of his existence. It also featured video of Britton dunking on LeBron’s face during LeBron’s first-ever professional game. (Presuming, ya know, you don’t count those games at St. Mary’s … or Nike camp … or ABCD … or AAU.)

All things considered, dunking on the best player since MJ isn’t exactly a bad apex. I mean, the highlight of my basketball career was beating Omar Cook in a game of ping pong, so I shouldn’t really be throwing stones from glass houses.

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On paper, the Pacers are not supposed to beat the Cavs. But last night, inside my TV set, they almost did. And they probably should have.

Once again a winnable game was lost, primary because an inept offense could not score when the team needed points. Down 91-88 with 5:40 to play, Indiana spent most of the final minutes missing difficult shots and failing to convert open jumpers. Unlike other dry spells the team has gone through this season, the ball did move around the perimeter freely and there was penetration into the lane. It just didn’t result in points.

LeBron, meanwhile, spent the late minutes rediscovering the spark that allowed him to start off the game shooting 8/8 and putting up 20 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds in the first half. (He finished with 40 points on 13/25 with 9 boards, 7 assists and just 2 turnovers.) Despite LeBron’s best efforts, however, the defense gave the team a chance to win.

As has become the norm, the highlight of the late minutes came on the defensive end, when Danny Granger thwarted a sure bucket from JJ Hickson. LeBron destroyed the entire team defense with dribble penetration fromthe perimeter and got into the middle of the paint, where multiple defenders were forced to merge into his path to prevent a sure dunk. LeBron stopped short and found a wide-open, cutting JJ Hickson for what appeared to be an uncontested dunk. Not to Danny. He raised up and swatted the athletic big man’s flush attempt and the Pacers looked charged to capitalize on the momentum and crowd energy of Granger’s big block with some points.

They didn’t.

Instead, an Anthony Parker baseline jumper on the Cavs next possession would soon extend Indy’s deficit, and although a Troy Muphy jumper would allow the Pacers to, well, keep pace, a stunning, spinning drive by LeBron would extend the Cleveland lead to six. (He may have traveled by dragging the foot on his sweeping spin move, but they for some reason never showed a replay.)

Despite falling down even further, another nice defensive play by Granger — this time, he impressively ripped the ball directly out of LeBron’s giant hands — would continue to keep the Pacers hopes alive. But, again, a big defensive play wasn’t even enough to get Danny’s — or anyone else’s — scoring going. Usually, it isn’t uncommon to see a struggling shooter make a defensive play and translate that momentum into points. Didn’t happen.

Danny’s good D continued soon after as he forced LeBron into another tough fadeaway from the elbow area, but when he received the ball on a kick out towards the end of the next possession down, Granger chose to pump-fake, take a dribble left, and pull-up for the long two-pointer instead of just shooting the three right after the catch, which is a much more efficient shot statistically and one that he looked like he could have released without too much difficulty. Perhaps, ironically, it was a decision that looked all too much like the decision-making that has characterized Brandon Rush’s offensive struggles throughout much of the the year — this, on a night where Brandon Rush was one of the offense’s highlights, scoring 16 points on 10 shots and even putting up 3 assists while generally looking comfortable and making good passes around the perimeter.

With the Cavs up six and only a minute to go, it would be up to the defense to keep any chances that the Pacers had remaining alive. And Dahntay Jones looked up to the task. LeBron commanded the ball back on the other end, dribbling above the top of the key in front on Dahntay, who had been taking the lion-share of a tandem look against LeBron all night along with Granger and looked to relish this final challenge. He stayed low in his stance and dug in, waiting for the best player in the world to take it to him.

Instead, LeBron dribbled until the shot clock got low and quickly rose up for a 26-foot, straitaway jumper. Nothing but twine. Cleveland up 7 with 0:52 to play. Ball game.

The outcome was the one that Pacers fans should have expected. A middling-at-best squad isn’t supposed to beat a championship contender, even on its home floor and probably particularly when their head coach gets sent to the showers midway through the first quarter after picking up two technical fouls for sticking up for his point guard. But even though the Cavs defense is good and even though LeBron did some unstoppable LeBron stuff late, Danny made not just a couple of big defensive plays late that should have led to more points. But the offense just was not capable of getting buckets late, which is a shame, because during a 15-0 third quarter run and through a first quarter where the team put up 38 points on 682% shooting (15/22 shooting), the offense looked potent. It looked well-oiled. It looked explosive.

Then the team scored 13 fourth quarter points. On 22% shooting. (4/18 from the field)

With Murphy back, Rush proving that he hasn’t completely flatlined, Dahntay looking more and more like his production might be more than a fluke and Roy Hibbert unlikely to put up too many more complete no-shows like he did last night (4 points on 2/4 shooting, 2 boards, 0 blocks in 16 foul-riddled minutes), there is hope that better scoring days are ahead.

Based upon the first ten games of the season, honestly, it is starting to feel unlikely that the team will ever become truly reliably offensive unit. But if the defense can continue to be as close to as good as it has been early, and the offense can continue improving towards becoming at least a middle-of-the-pack NBA squad, then this .500 record can definitely hold.

Until then, let’s just chalk this one up to an elite team beating one that surely isn’t.

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Glossary: Offensive Rating | Defensive Rating | eFG% | Pace

The Cavs started off the season with back-to-back losses to the Celtics and the Raptors and it was immediately “EVERYBODY PANIC” time throughout the Mistake on the Lake. But they have gone 8-2 in the their next ten games and had a five-game winning streak before disappointed their fans with a loss to the poor-performing Wizards on Wednesday.

Gee, that sounds familiar.

The Pacers will look to shut down LeBron who has been rebounding a little less this season than normal but has otherwise doing all the stuff that makes him arguable a better SF than even the guy running the Pacers and is shooting an impressive 51.6% from the floor while doing so, which includes an impressive-for-him 36.4% shooting from three. Don’t fool yourself though — Pacers fans want LeBron shooting threes tonight. Early. And often.

They do not, however, want to let Mo Williams get good looks behind the arc. He is hitting an ungodly 48.2% from three this year so far, which includes nights of 5/8 4/5 and 5/7. But as anyone who watched Mo in the playoffs last year knows, he can also hurt his teams chances if he starts missing early — cause you know he won’t stop shooting treys. If ya need the evidence, look no further than his 1/7 and 1/5 three-point-shooting nights so far this year.

In other good news, Shaq aint playing. The big fella isn’t the same Diesel who destroyed the souls of Indy fans in the 2000 Finals, no, but given Roy Hibbert’s recent impressive performances, the Hoosier faithful should be happy to see that Doc Hibbert will only have to contend with Big Z and JJ Hickson on the block tonight rather than bang with the Big Bulldozerociously or whatever his Cleveland nickname is.

Other than that, not a ton to look for tonight. The Cavs don’t have a great roster; they’re just hard to beat. If that makes sense. Those who are wondering how Tyler’s career might turn out should watch Anderson Varejao closely. We haven’t seen all that much of Andy’s offense during his NBA tenure — partly because LeBron has always shouldered the load — but he has some interior moves and, like Bro Hands, relies on quickness, hustle, positioning and smarts in addition to some finesse to succeed.

As for the Pacers, a win tonight would be huge. Little could be better after losing to one of the worst teams in the league than beating one of the best teams in the league the next time out. I’m not going to hold my breath for a win nor get too upset if they lose, but more than anything it would be nice to see TJ Ford, Earl Watson and Bradon Rush make a few jumpshots.

I mean, I’m not asking for much here guys. Just give me, like, a 4/9 or something. And, please, oh please, do not put up another 2/10. I’ve seen waaay too much of that line lately.

Say cheese, Conseco. You’re on the King’s Candid Camera.

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