LeBron brings the heat to take Game 5
The NBA Eastern Conference finals are underway and Game 5 of the best-of-seven series finished Thursday night with the Miami Heat taking the win 90-79 against the Indiana Pacers. The defending champions are now 3-2 and just one win away from winning the Eastern Conference and getting one step closer to the trophy. The Indiana Pacers need to take a win on their home court in Game 6 in order to force the series to a Game 7.
The first half of the game wasn’t looking very good for Miami as the Pacers were up by 4 points at halftime, but LeBron James inspired his team and went on to have an amazing third quarter; scoring more points than the entire Pacers team. The Heat managed to come back and then some while simply dominating the Pacers with 30-13 and getting a nice safety lead for the final quarter.
The MVP brought the heat and scored 16 points while getting 7 out of 10 shots in the quarter. Udonis Haslem made sure that James had all the support he needed to completely turn the game around and got another 10 points without missing one shot. After the game, the Miami coach, Erik Spoelstra, told the reporters that LeBron was just making it look easy and showing his greatness. It is easy to see why he won the MVP title four times throughout his career.
The fourth quarter saw Indiana gain back some ground as the team started with a nice 5-0 run but this was not to last. After James got some rest, he went back in the same gear we saw during the third quarter and made sure that Miami would win the game by a comfortable margin. When it was all said and done, James had 30 points and 8 rebounds while the top scorer from Indiana, Paul George, had 27 points and 11 rebounds.
On other NBA conference, the L.A. Lakers lost the series against San Antonio 4-0. When Lakers lost Kobe in the game against the Warriors, the team suffered a big hit and without their star player to lead the troops on the court, the Spurs quickly took control of the series.
Game 6 Preview
Game 6 will be played in Indiana this Saturday and the winner will go up against the Western Conference winner, the San Antonio Spurs. This can be the third consecutive time in which Miami Heat makes to the NBA finals but they still need to take one more game from the Pacers to get there.
The one thing that is certain is that it will be an epic game. Those that plan on staying in this Saturday and watch the NBA Eastern Conference finals will most likely not regret it. The Pacers will have the home court advantage and if they manage to keep the Heat under control like they did in the first half of Game 5, they might just even out the series and go to Game 7.
On the other hand, if LeBron James maintains his great performance and makes sure the rest of the team follows, Miami is likely to look as strong as it did in the third quarter. According to the top online sportsbooks, the Heat is favorite to win with a -2 point spread so gamblers can easily place their wager and win some money online.
The Over/Under bets for the game totals are at 182 points. Being 10/13 favorites as guests, the Miami Heat are certainly looking good going into Game 6, but the odds are close enough to guarantee that the game will be one to watch. Both teams will give everything they have on the court.
