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The Miami Heat are in an unfamiliar situation. The clear favorites to win the title heading into the 2013-14 NBA season, they now just might be the underdogs as they go on the road, down 1-0 to the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Despite the one game hole and Indiana holding the East’s top seed, though, you won’t catch the Heat making excuses or backing down. Instead, Lebron James and co. will simply look to make adjustments.
”My approach is the same every game,” James said, “[I have to] try to put pressure on the defense, try to get to the free-throw line to help us win. I got to the rim, I got my shots going, but I’ve got to do a little more, too.”
James had no trouble scoring on the Pacers in game one. It was the rest of his teammates that found it to be a little difficult, while the Pacers owned the inside of the paint.
That’s going to be the key to game two, as the Heat try to avoid an uncharacteristic 2-0 hole in Indiana. Can they slow down Roy Hibbert and David West, while also executing at a high level on offense?
The reality is, they simply have to. The Heat are better than the game one tape showed, while this Heat roster as it as it currently constructed have never lost a playoff series that they started down, 1-0.
Miami is one of the best teams in the league at adjusting and polishing up their execution. With their backs against the wall in a crucial game two, they’ll have to lean on history and do just that, yet again.
Whether the Heat win this series in the end remains to be determined, but it’s foolish to bet against King James this early. Look for him to raise his level of play on defense and get his teammates involved more in the scoring. If he can do that, the Heat should even things up at one game a piece.
Pick: Heat 108, Pacers 99
