Pacers in Trouble

The Indiana Pacers were in good hands late during the fourth quarter with the possibility of going up 2-0 in the Eastern Conference Finals Tuesday night.

Late the fourth quarter, the Pacers had the game and the lead in their hands till Dwyane Wade and LeBron James went on fourth quarter rally which brought the Miami Heat back to even up the series at one a piece. 

Now, the Pacers are heading back to south beach with a strong possibility to lose home court advantage, and with speculations surrounding their all-star forward Paul George could miss Game 3; the Pacers could be in a trouble.

If the Heat are able to win Saturday night game’s, they would have a 2-1 series lead and take home court advantage from the Pacers which would be a devastating blow for the top seeded Pacers. 

All season, the Pacers have preached that having home court advantage is the missing ingredient to finally beat the two-time defending champs, and it is easy to see why.

Ever since the Heat’s Big Three era, they have been nothing but spectacular on their home floor. Since the 2011 playoffs, the Heat has assembled an impressing 35-6 home record, and the chances of a team beating the Heat after they have taken home court advantage away from their opponents is little to none. 

This is not a good sign for the Pacers.

If the Pacers want to continue to have home court in their favor, then game 3 is a must win. However, they may have to do it without their star Paul George. 

Paul George goes after a ball from LeBron James.

During the fourth quarter of game 2, George suffered a concussion after Dwyane Wade’s knee collided with the back of George’s head while scrambling for a loose ball midway through the fourth quarter.

In an interview after the game according to ESPN, George stated that he blacked out momentarily and for four to five minutes his vision was blurry.

The Pacers have two more days before their game Saturday night, which is good news for George and his Pacers. However, depending on the level of his concussion, this type of injury can take more than a few days (in some cases weeks) to fully recover.

If the Pacers are forced to play game 3 and possibly game 4 in Miami without their leading scorer Paul George, it very likely that the Heat will go back to Bankers Life Fieldhouse with a 3-1 lead. 

As of now the status of Paul George is unclear whether he would miss game 3, but what is clear, whatever team pulls out the victory will have a one game lead in the series, and move a step closer to the NBA Finals.