Post-Game Grades: Pacers cool down Heat in OT, clinch playoff spot
By Kagan Kiesel
After a not-so-great first quarter, a few insane blocks, and a Victor Oladipo slip in the last seconds of the fourth quarter, the Indiana Pacers were able to defeat the Miami Heat to clinch a playoff spot in front of a sold-out Indy crowd.
What. A. Fun. Game. In front of a sell-out Bankers Life Fieldhouse crowd, the Indiana Pacers (despite needing an extra five minutes) were able to take down a hard fighting Miami Heat team. As a result of this victory, the Pacers have become (*takes deep breath*) THE FIFTH TEAM TO CLINCH AN EASTERN CONFERENCE PLAYOFF SPOT.
113. 100. 107. 110. Final
If you just watched the first quarter of this contest, you would’ve figured Indiana was going to be in for a long night. Heat guard Tyler Johnson came out swinging early, as he went 4 for 4 on 3-pointers in the first. Despite the Pacers forcing six Miami turnovers, and Victor Oladipo recording his 57th straight game with a steal (Pacers franchise record), Indy found themselves down by nine going into the second quarter.
Now the second quarter is where things swung the home team’s way. The Pacers finished second quarter only down by one point, allowing only one Heat 3-pointer, and swatting 2 shots, including this monster block on Goran Dragic:
The second half can be described by one phrase: back and forth. The Pacers ups and downs included: wildly out-rebounding the Heat 27-16, turning the ball over 13 times, Myles Turner missing every jump shot he took, and this block by Thaddeus Young. Despite these, the Pacers were granted with one more shot with the game tied at 96. The result? An unfortunate shot, off an unfortunate slip by Victor Oladipo which sent the game into overtime.
Overtime was all Indiana’s. The Pacer’s out-rebounded, out-shot, out-blocked, out-scored, out-everthinged Miami to clinch a crucial victory in Indiana, and to send the team that was once believed to MAYBE get 35 wins, to the NBA playoffs. Also, in case you still had any doubts as to whose city this is…
The Good: The Pacers bounced back from a rough first quarter, and ended up having a better shooting percentage, and had nine more rebounds than Miami, despite not having key-rebounder Domas Sabonis available tonight.
The Bad: The shot selection left a little to be desired at some points, but that’s something Indy can definitely improve BEFORE THEY GET TO THE PLAYOFFS (WOOHOO).
MVP: Thad Young. 22 points, nine rebounds, 5 steals, 3 blocks, and a whole lot of hustle coming from the veteran.
LVP: Sabonis’s left ankle. Tough situation going forward, but luckily Trevor Booker has slid into the team nicely.
X-Factor: This article is about four months old, but it still rings true. KP is your X-Factor.
B. Glad to have DC back. He facilitated the ball well, and hit some nice 3’s tonight.. PG. Indiana Pacers. DARREN COLLISON
Indiana Pacers. VICTOR OLADIPO. B+. Oladipo’s shooting struggles continue, as he went 8-21 tonight. However, he was crucial in some great Pacers ball movement, and showed up when it mattered most.. SG
Indiana Pacers. BOJAN BOGDANOVIC. A-. Bojan continues his impressive form, as he dropped 18 points, and also scooped up 8 rebounds.. SF
PF. Indiana Pacers. THADDEUS YOUNG. A+. Monster game for Thaddeus. 22 points, nine rebounds, 5 steals, 3 blocks. Young did his thing out there.
MYLES TURNER. B-. Turner was horrible from a shooting stand point tonight. He went 1 for 8, but he also grabbed 8 boards and had 4 dimes, so he was still contributing positively in other ways tonight.. C. Indiana Pacers
LANCE STEPHENSON. B. In almost 22 minutes, Stephenson had eight points, two steals, and a block. Lance also had a +8 +/- ratio, which was the second best on the team.. SG. Indiana Pacers
PG. Indiana Pacers. CORY JOSEPH. B. Coming off the bench, CoJo was able to swoop up ten rebounds, and nine points. I really wish he could’ve gotten that double-double, but none-the-less a good night for Joseph.
B+. GR3 is still operating on limited minutes, but he’s looking good in the time he sees the floor. He had eight points and 4 rebounds, and shot 100% from the field.. SG. Indiana Pacers. GLENN ROBINSON III
TREVOR BOOKER. B. Booker is sliding into this Pacers nicely, as he had six points and six rebounds in almost 22 minutes tonight. With Sabonis re-aggravating his left ankle, Booker should expect to see more minutes for a few games, so hopefully his production only goes up from here.. F. Indiana Pacers
Next: A look inside Victor Oladipo's recent regression
The Indiana Pacers take on a weakened Golden State Warriors lineup on March 27th, at 10:30 pm.