Indiana destroyed Miami on the boards with a 52-36 advantage. The lack of size is starting to cost the Heat in this series.
Nobody on the Heat could guard Pacers center Roy Hibbert. He had the game of his career with 19 points, 18 rebounds, and five blocks. Hibbert is starting to become a dominant force on defense, forcing Miami to kick out to the perimeter instead of driving inside.
David West, George Hill, and Danny Granger also were huge cogs in the victory. The starters for the Pacers combined to score 79 points on the night. I'm seeing this getting out of hand if the Pacers can pull off a victory again on Sunday in Game 4.
It seemed like Miami was playing like a deer in the headlights with that atmosphere of the Pacers fan Thursday night in Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
It looked like it would be a close game heading toward the second half, but the Pacers outscored the Heat 51-32 in those two quarters.
The atmosphere at the Fieldhouse was electric. You could here the fans yelling at LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, "He's a flopper," through the television. It was even louder in person. It seems like the fans have finally bought in to this Pacers team. It feels like the Reggie Miller days for the fans.
It seemed like flashbacks of the LeBron-led Cleveland Cavaliers that game. He had a horrible second half performance and the Heat were actually led in scoring by point guard Mario Chalmers.
Wade is also starting to show his age throughout this series so far. He has shot only 18-of-58 from the field, which is 31-percent. Yikes. If Wade can't get on track soon, then Miami will probably lose this series. Against this gritty Pacers squad, LeBron can't be the only one getting involved.
The duo of Wade and James combined to shoot 12-of-35 from the field last night. Indiana was just harassing the duo on defense. They didn't let them get any open shots. They got right up in their faces while they tried to get a shot off.
Also, star forward Danny Granger got in the face of James again last night. Granger pulled on James' jersey and LeBron threw a mini elbow and Granger took offense to it. I think this rivalry might boil over before this series is over. Who else thinks Granger is getting under the MVP's skin?
I never thought Indiana could possibly put Miami on the brink heading into Sunday. I thought Miami would win this series in six games, but it could be the other way around for Indy.
We'll see if Indiana can take a commanding 3-1 lead Sunday in Game 4. If they can, you can say bye-bye to the Heat.
Evan Sidery is a beat writer for FootBasket. He is a fan of the Colts and Pacers. You can see more about him by following him on Twitter.
