INDIANAPOLIS —
Trailing in a playoff series for the first time since the 2011 NBA Finals, the Heat used its off day Friday to rest its growing list of hurting players.

Miami canceled a scheduled practice at Bankers Life Fieldhouse and instead reviewed film and had a meeting at the team’s hotel. Media availability with the team also was canceled amid a national perception that the Heat is on the brink of a postseason meltdown. Miami will practice Saturday before returning to action Sunday for a critical Game 4 against the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

“It’s a must-win, honestly, for us,” LeBron James said. “If we come here and split and go back home, we feel good about ourselves.”

As the Heat knows firsthand, the momentum of a playoff series can change quickly. On the brink of taking a commanding 3-1 lead against the Dallas Mavericks in the 2011 Finals, the Heat faltered in Game 4.

For Miami, the roles are now reversed.

Still trying to adjust to the loss of Chris Bosh, the Heat couldn’t overcome a poor shooting night by Dwyane Wade in Game 3 and managed just 12 points in the third quarter. Wade finished the game with five points on 2-of-13 shooting, the Heat shot 4 of 20 from three-point range and the Pacers won the rebounding battle 52-36.

“We’ve got to make sure we come out of halftime with a little more sense of urgency,” said Udonis Haslem, who had three rebounds in less than eight minutes of action in Game 3. “Third quarters have been rough on us pretty much all year.”

Priority No. 1 for the Heat on Sunday will be reestablishing Wade offensively. In Game 3, he failed to score in the first half for the first time in 95 career postseason games.

“We’re not going to win a ballgame with Chris Bosh out and me scoring five points, so I put the onus on myself,” Wade said. “There’s frustration in that.

“Obviously, you want to give your team a chance to win.”

Bosh was lost to the series in Game 1 because of an abdominal strain. In Game 3, it was Wade who appeared to be breaking down physically. Wade wouldn’t reveal any specific injury, but he missed 15 games this season with various leg and hand injuries.

“He’s a little banged up right now but he’ll be fine,” James said. “This is the playoffs. He’ll use these next couple of days to rest his body.”

And also calm his nerves.

Wade’s frustrations boiled over in Game 3 during a timeout in the third quarter. After a heated exchange with coach Erik Spoelstra, Wade walked out of the Heat’s huddle and needed to be subdued by Haslem and veteran Juwan Howard. The discord added and extra level of a panic to Thursday’s collapse.

“We all want to win,” Haslem said. “We got a lot of alpha males in this locker room, so we encourage each other and get on each other’s cases when need be. But it’s all constructive criticism.”

After the game, Spoelstra downplayed the incident and called it “the least of our concerns.”

“Dwyane and I have been together a long time,” Spoelstra said. “We’ve been together through basically everything. That, really, is nothing. That’s the least of our concerns. That type of fire — that’s good. That’s the least of our concerns. Our concern is getting ready for Sunday.”

Adding to the Heat’s injury woes, point guard Mario Chalmers needed an X-ray on his wrist Thursday night after taking a hard fall during Game 3. Results revealed no structural damage, according to Chalmers.

“We have a lot of banged-up guys,” Spoelstra said. “You can see some of the players running up and down and sometimes they’re staggering, but we’re fine.”

It’s time for the 10 or so true Miami Heat fans to start getting worried — really worried.

Thursday night’s throttling at the hands of the Indiana Pacers showcased all of the issues that Heat fans have secretly worried about, especially since Chris Bosh suffered an abdominal strain.

Miami has now lost two in a row without Bosh and look lost offensively against a staunch Pacers defense. The Heat couldn’t get anything going against the Pacers on Thursday night, especially Dwyane Wade, and lost 94-75 to an Indiana team that had its way with them all night.

Roy Hibbert basically set up camp in the paint and put together an impressive double-double of 19 points and 18 rebounds with no one on the Heat squad capable of stopping the 7-footer. Talented small forward Danny Granger added 17 points of his own as the collective frustration of members of the Heat was palpable.

Wade, one of the team’s biggest stars, was so frustrated by his five point, five turnover performance on a 2 for 13 shooting night that he was seen lashing out at coach Erik Spolestra during one of the team’s timeouts.

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“Get out of my f— face,” Wade told Spolestra, according to The Miami Herald.

It was a sign of a team ready to implode and raised some serious questions as to whether the Heat are truly a championship-caliber team. It’s too soon to declare the Heat dead in this series – Miami has plenty of talent to come back from a 2-1 hole – but the team might need to undergo some serious changes in order to survive and advance past the Heat.

The Heat have struggled at times in the regular season with a half-court set offense, as the team prefers to run and gun to capitalize on its superior athleticism. But it hasn’t worked against the Pacers and instead they’ve been forced to play in the half-court offense and have been unable to get good, open looks at the basket.

James and Wade have both struggled mightily since Bosh went down with an injury as the Pacers have one less scorer to worry about and can instead zero in on the talented duo. James managed 22 points on Thursday, but on 10 for 22 from the field and with four turnovers.

But for once it wasn’t James that is getting the lion share of the blame for a Heat loss – that rests squarely on the shoulders of the popular Wade. He played poorly, but worse was the encounter with Spolestra. He challenged his coach’s authority on a nationally televised game and that’s a big deal, no matter how much Spolestra tries to spin it.

“That happens,” Spoelstra said. “Anybody that has been part of a team or has been a coach or been a player, you have no idea how often things like that happen. That was during a very emotional part of the game. We were getting our butt kicked. Those exchanges happen all the time during the course of an NBA season.

Those exchanges do happen during the course of a season, but those types of outbursts during high-pressure situations in the playoffs are not a good sign.

Perhaps Wade can channel the fire to lead the Heat to a comeback in this series on the way to the team’s first title with the vaunted “Big 3.”

But it’s looking more and more likely that the Heat will flame out of the playoffs again with all of their flaws exposed on Thursday night.

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The Indiana Pacers put on one of their most impressive performances of the year against the Miami Heat on May 17, taking a 2-1 lead in Eastern Conference semifinals with their 94-75 victory.

The Heat actually got off to a solid start against the Pacers, but they weren’t able to keep it up as the game progressed. The Pacers fought their way back in the second quarter, and they lit the Heat up in the second half, walking away with the 19 point victory.

After slowing down in the first two games of the series, Mario Chalmers stepped his game up in Game 3, leading Miami’s offense with his 25 points. LeBron James was Miami’s second highest scorer, finishing with 22 points and 7 rebounds.

Dwyane Wade had a hard time knocking down shots against the Pacers, converting on only 2 of his 13 field goal attempts. He finished the game with 5 points – a career low in the postseason. Wade exchanged some heated words with Miami coach Erik Spoelstra as the game spiraled out of control, prompting some to question the team’s morale.

“That happens,” Spoelstra told reporters about the altercation. “Anybody that has been part of a team or has been a coach or been a player, you have no idea how often things like that happen. That was during a very emotional part of the game. We were getting our butt kicked. Those exchanges happen all the time during the course of an NBA season.”

Spoelstra does deserve some of the blame for Miami’s Game 3 loss, considering the fact he allowed Indiana’s defense to alter their offense, turning them into a jump shooting team. Miami’s players also did a poor job of boxing-out their opponents, getting outrebounded by 16.

When most basketball fans think of the Heat’s “big three,” Chris Bosh is often seen as the third wheel. However, Bosh’s presence on the floor is certainly missed by the Heat, and regaining control of the series without him won’t be easy.

With Game 4 set for May 20, the Heat will have a couple of days to figure out what adjustments they need to make against the Pacers. The Heat will obviously need Wade to play a lot better on Sunday, and they’ll also need a lot more hustle from the entire team.

David is a Miami Heat fan that has followed the team for 16 years. Follow him on twitter @davidkingwriter and check out his blog.

Sources:

Associated Press, “Roy Hibbert scores 19 and adds 18 boards as Pacers pound Heat”

Player and game information from ESPN.com

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Miami Heat’s Defense Stifles Bulls

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Indiana Pacers Even Out Series Against Miami Heat

Things didn’t go as planned in the Miami Heat’s last outing, and they’ll try to get back on track when they visit the Indiana Pacers on May 17.

The Heat will have their work cut out for them though, considering the fact they struggled on the road during the second half of the 2011/12 NBA season, and they’re 1-1 away from the American Airlines Arena in the postseason.

With Chris Bosh not expected back in the lineup anytime soon, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James will have to step it up a notch, but they’ll also need some help from the role players.

“It’s going to be fun,” LeBron said about Miami’s upcoming contest. “It’s what the playoffs are all about. At the end of the day, you’ve got to try to win on somebody else’s floor. And we look forward to going up there.”

After putting up decent numbers in the Heat’s first round series against the New York Knicks, Miami’s role players have failed to show up in their last two outings. Mario Chalmers in particular has slowed down against the Pacers. With Bosh likely out for the remainder of the series against the Pacers, Chalmers will need to become the third member of the “big three,” and put up appropriate numbers.

While it isn’t quite time for the Heat to start panicking, there is no question Game 3 is a must win situation for them. They’ve already lost home-court advantage, and falling behind in the series is simply not an option.

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra will definitely need to find a way to motivate Miami’s supporting cast, as they’ll need to find a way to keep the series from spiraling out of control.

“You’ve got a 2 seed playing against a 3 seed,” Spoelstra told reporters. “That’s historically one of the more competitive battles over the years. And that’s the way it should be. … Nothing is going to come easy for either team. You look at it; both teams are shooting under 40 percent.”

David is a Miami Heat fan that has followed the team for 16 years. Follow him on twitter @davidkingwriter and check out his blog.

Sources:

Tim Reynolds, “Heat-Pacers Preview”

Player and game information from ESPN.com

More from the Yahoo! Contributor Network:

Miami Heat’s Defense Stifles Bulls

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Miami Heat Improve to 2-0 Against Knicks

Miami Heat Send New York Knicks Home

Indiana Pacers Even Out Series Against Miami Heat

The Indiana Pacers shocked the Miami Heat on May 15, walking away with 78-75 win at the American Airlines Arena. With the win, the Pacers now have home court advantage for the remainder of the series, a position the Heat certainly didn’t want to find themselves in.

The Heat played well during the first half of Game 2, but they couldn’t keep it up in the third quarter, allowing the Pacers to outscore them by 14 points. They tried to dig themselves out of the hole in the final quarter, but they fell short in the end, allowing the Pacers to even out the series.

“Welcome to the playoffs, for us,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters after the game. “That’s how we’re viewing it. This series has started. They won on our home court. Now we have to collect ourselves, gather ourselves and get ready for Game 3. That’s all that matters right now.”

LeBron James led Miami’s offense against the Pacers in Game 2, finishing with 28 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 steals. LeBron did have a chance to give Miami the lead in the final minute of the game, but he wasn’t able to convert on a pair of free throws.

“The game is not lost or won with two free throws,” LeBron told reporters. “But I definitely want to come through for my teammates. So I’ll get an opportunity again. I know I’ll be at the line again in that situation. Just go up and make ‘em.”

Dwyane Wade also played well on Tuesday, adding 24 points and 6 rebounds to the scoreboard.

Chris Bosh -who is possibly out for the remainder of the series against the Pacers due to an abdominal strain – was definitely missed by the Heat, as they weren’t able to get their role players going on the offensive end. For the second straight game, Miami’s role players failed to show up, with no one besides LeBron and Wade finishing with over 5 points. With the series about to relocate to Indiana, Spoelstra needs to find a way to get them going.

Given how poorly Miami played on the road in the second half of the 2011/12 NBA season, they’ll need their role players to step it up a notch, if they want to advance to the Eastern Conference finals.

David is a Miami Heat fan that has followed the team for 16 years. Follow him on twitter @davidkingwriter and check out his blog.

Sources:

Associated Press, “Pacers hold off Heat down stretch, knot series 1-1″

Player and game information from ESPN.com

More from the Yahoo! Contributor Network:

Miami Heat’s Defense Stifles Bulls

Washington Wizards Derail Miami Heat

Miami Heat Look for Redemption Against Celtics

Miami Heat Improve to 2-0 Against Knicks

Miami Heat Send New York Knicks Home

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Miami Heat forward LeBron James holds up his NBA MVP trophy before the start of Game 1 in an NBA basketball Eastern Conference semifinal playoff series against the Indiana Pacers, Sunday, April 13, 2012, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

MIAMI – LeBron James got his trophy, and then he and Dwyane Wade made sure the Miami Heat got a win in Game 1.

James scored 32 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in his first game as a three-time MVP, Wade finished with 29 despite struggling from the floor, and the Heat beat the Indiana Pacers 95-86 to open their Eastern Conference semifinal series on Sunday.

Chris Bosh scored 13 points for Miami, but left late in the first half with a lower abdominal injury and did not return, with the Heat saying he was scheduled for an MRI to determine the extent of the problem. The Heat outscored Indiana 25-16 in the fourth, with Wade and James combining for 22 of those points.

Wade and James outscored Indiana 42-38 in the second half.

“It’s a battle and we know, regardless of being at home, being away, who we’re playing, what round, it’s tough to win in the playoffs and you have to fight for every single possession,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “And that’s what it was.”

David West and Roy Hibbert each scored 17 points and combined for 23 rebounds for the Pacers, who got 10 points each from Darren Collison and George Hill.

“I thought we were just on our heels a little too much,” West said.

Game 2 is Tuesday in Miami.

The Heat never led by more than two until 9:20 remained in the game, when a layup by James gave Miami a 76-72 edge. Wade added another basket about 30 seconds later, and the margin eventually reached eight when James made two free throws with 7:52 left.

Back came Indiana, which got within 86-85 on a 3-pointer by Hill with 4:51 left after Miami went cold again. But one big flurry — capped by a dunk from James in transition and Wade coming from behind to block a shot by Paul George at the rim about a half-minute later — gave the Heat some breathing room.

Wade and James scored 20 straight Miami points in the fourth, a string ended by a free throw from Joel Anthony with 1:05 left. After Hibbert missed a jumper on the next Indiana possession, James connected with 31.8 seconds left for a 95-86 Miami lead, and it was soon over.

“Definitely not our best game,” Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. “We didn’t shoot it very well. … It came down to execution in the fourth quarter and you’ve got to give credit to Miami’s defence.”

Wade shot only 8 for 23 from the field, and the Heat missed all six of their attempts from 3-point range — a first in team playoff history. But the Heat held a 45-38 rebounding edge, and allowed Indiana to make only 11 of 37 shots after halftime.

Danny Granger shot 1 for 10 for Indiana, scoring only seven points.

“I don’t know if he’s going to have a huge offensive series,” Vogel said. “When you have to guard the MVP for 38 minutes, it takes a lot out of your offensive game.”

Commissioner David Stern was on hand to present James with his MVP trophy in a pregame ceremony that was capped by the Heat star telling fans how “electricity” was going to be important throughout the playoffs.

One team came out electrified — and it wasn’t Miami.

The Pacers trailed for only 56 seconds in the first half, never down by more than a basket. Indiana opened the game with an 11-4 run, held Miami to 37 per cent shooting in the first two quarters, and rode the strength of a 19-6 edge in bench scoring to take a 48-42 lead going into halftime — surviving some foul trouble as well.

Of the 10 players Vogel used in the first half, seven had at least two fouls, and Hill had three.

But by then, Miami had a bigger problem to address.

The Heat announced during halftime that Bosh would not return because of a lower abdominal injury. Bosh shot 6-for-11 in the first half, the last three of his points coming with 1:06 remaining after a dunk while getting fouled by Hibbert. Bosh remained down for a few moments, then got up slowly and made his free throw.

While going back down to the defensive end, Bosh started limping and grabbing at his midsection. He eventually fell to his knees in pain, and was replaced by Ronny Turiaf with 43.6 seconds left. Bosh was grimacing as he headed to the Heat locker room for evaluation, as his wife covered an anguished look on her face while watching from courtside.

“It’s unfortunate Chris went down,” Wade said. “But we told him, ‘Be healthy. We got ‘em.”

Even with Bosh out, things started going Miami’s way in the third quarter. The Heat held the Pacers to 31 per cent shooting in the period, and Anthony’s dunk off an assist from Wade tied the game heading to the fourth at 70-all. And the foul trouble compounded for Indiana early in the third, when Hill ran over Mario Chalmers with 8:26 left.

Hill was trying to get to the Pacers’ bench area to call timeout. Chalmers got in front of him near midcourt, held his ground and referee Scott Foster called Hill for the charge — his fifth foul, as Vogel argued otherwise. Vogel was fined $15,000 by the NBA on Saturday for comments he made last week about how he believes the Heat flop too much in efforts to get calls from referees.

“He was just manipulating the refereeing or trying to,” Stern said in a televised interview during the game. “I would have fined him much more than our office did. But I tell you what, I think it’s a legitimate concern. Some years ago, I told the competition committee that we were going to start fining people for flopping and then suspending. … It’s not a legitimate play in my judgment.”

NOTES: Wade is appearing in his 18th playoff series with Miami, one more than Alonzo Mourning for the most in Heat franchise history. … The fans in Miami booed when a foul was given to George in the fourth quarter — his fifth — and not assessed to Hibbert. Had the foul been on Hibbert, it would have been his sixth personal. George fouled out about 2 minutes later. … It was Miami’s 13th straight post-season win at home against East opponents.

MIAMI (AP) – LeBron James got his trophy, and then he and Dwyane Wade made sure the Miami Heat got a win in Game 1.

James scored 32 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in his first game as a three-time MVP, Wade finished with 29 despite struggling from the floor, and the Heat beat the Indiana Pacers 95-86 to open their Eastern Conference semifinal series on Sunday.

Chris Bosh scored 13 points for Miami, but left late in the first half with a lower abdominal injury and did not return. The Heat outscored Indiana 25-16 in the fourth, with Wade and James combining for 22 of those points.

David West and Roy Hibbert each scored 17 points and combined for 23 rebounds for the Pacers, who got 10 points each from Darren Collison and George Hill.

Game 2 is Tuesday in Miami.

The Heat never led by more than two until 9:20 remained in the game, when a layup by James gave Miami a 76-72 edge. Wade added another basket about 30 seconds later, and the margin eventually reached eight when James made two free throws with 7:52 left.

Back came Indiana, which got within 86-85 on a 3-pointer by Hill with 4:51 left after Miami went cold again. But one big flurry – capped by a dunk from James in transition and Wade coming from behind to block a shot by Paul George at the rim about a half-minute later – gave the Heat some breathing room.

Wade and James scored 20 straight Miami points in the fourth, a string ended by a free throw from Joel Anthony with 1:05 left. After Hibbert missed a jumper on the next Indiana possession, James connected with 31.8 seconds left for a 95-86 Miami lead, and it was soon over.

Wade shot only 8 for 23 from the field, and the Heat missed all six of their attempts from 3-point range – a first in team playoff history. But the Heat held a 45-38 rebounding edge, and allowed Indiana to make only 11 of 31 shots after halftime.

Danny Granger shot 1 for 10 for Indiana, scoring only seven points.

Commissioner David Stern was on hand to present James with his MVP trophy in a pregame ceremony that was capped by the Heat star telling fans how “electricity” was going to be important throughout the playoffs.

One team came out electrified – and it wasn’t Miami.

The Pacers trailed for only 56 seconds in the first half, never down by more than a basket. Indiana opened the game with an 11-4 run, held Miami to 37 percent shooting in the first two quarters, and rode the strength of a 19-6 edge in bench scoring to take a 48-42 lead going into halftime – surviving some foul trouble as well.

Of the 10 players Indiana coach Frank Vogel used in the first half, seven had at least two fouls, and Hill had three.

But by then, Miami had a bigger problem to address.

The Heat announced during halftime that Bosh would not return because of a lower abdominal injury. Bosh shot 6-for-11 in the first half, the last three of his points coming with 1:06 remaining after a dunk while getting fouled by Hibbert. Bosh remained down for a few moments, then got up slowly and made his free throw.

While going back down to the defensive end, Bosh started limping and grabbing at his midsection. He eventually fell to his knees in pain, and was replaced by Ronny Turiaf with 43.6 seconds left. Bosh was grimacing as he headed to the Heat locker room for evaluation, as his wife covered an anguished look on her face while watching from courtside.

Even with Bosh out, things started going Miami’s way in the third quarter. The Heat held the Pacers to 31 percent shooting in the period, and Anthony’s dunk off an assist from Wade tied the game heading to the fourth at 70-all. And the foul trouble compounded for Indiana early in the third, when Hill ran over Mario Chalmers with 8:26 left.

Hill was trying to get to the Pacers’ bench area to call timeout. Chalmers got in front of him near midcourt, held his ground and referee Scott Foster called Hill for the charge – his fifth foul, as Vogel argued otherwise. Vogel was fined $15,000 by the NBA on Saturday for comments he made last week about how he believes the Heat flop too much in efforts to get calls from referees.

“He was just manipulating the refereeing or trying to,” Stern said in a televised interview during the game. “I would have fined him much more than our office did. But I tell you what, I think it’s a legitimate concern. Some years ago, I told the competition committee that we were going to start fining people for flopping and then suspending. … It’s not a legitimate play in my judgment.”

NOTES: Wade is appearing in his 18th playoff series with Miami, one more than Alonzo Mourning for the most in Heat franchise history. … The fans in Miami booed when a foul was given to George in the fourth quarter – his fifth – and not assessed to Hibbert. Had the foul been on Hibbert, it would have been his sixth personal. George fouled out about 2 minutes later. … It was Miami’s 13th straight postseason win at home against East opponents.

(© 2012 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited.)

The Miami Heat will start off their second round postseason series against the Indiana Pacers on May 13. The Heat didn’t have any problems against the New York Knicks, sending their conference rivals home in five games. They’ll look to do the same against the Pacers, and the numbers are in their favor.

The Heat matched up nicely against the Pacers during the 2011/12 regular season, winning three of the four encounters between the two teams. Obviously, the playoffs are a completely different animal, and the Heat won’t be taking the Pacers lightly.

“They’re a much different team in the last six weeks,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters about Miami’s upcoming series. “We feel we are, too. Watching some of our film from those last two games [against Indiana], it’s not really recognizable. Our energy level at that period of time, but also how we were playing offensively – there’s a lot of different things from our standpoint.”

LeBron James will be highly motivated to play on Sunday, considering the fact he’s just collected his third regular season MVP award. While LeBron was honored to make history by becoming the ninth NBA player to win three MVP awards, he remains solely focused on the big picture.

”Heat nation, we have a bigger goal,” LeBron said after receiving his award. ”This is very overwhelming to me as an individual award. But this is not the award I want, ultimately. I want that championship. That’s all that matters to me.”

The Pacers got a little lucky in the first round of the playoffs, going against a Dwight Howard-less Orlando Magic. Against Miami, they’ll have three solid (four if you consider how well Mario Chalmers has been playing in the postseason) superstars to deal with, and I don’t think they’ll be able to handle the heat.

The Pacers will try their hardest against the Heat, but they’ll probably fall short in the end. They’re simply not good enough to derail Miami’s championship dreams, and I expect the series to be over in five games or less.

David is a Miami Heat fan that has followed the team for 16 years. Follow him on twitter @davidkingwriter and check out his blog.

Sources:

Associated Press, “Pacers-Heat Preview”

Associated Press, “LeBron James wins third MVP award”

Player and game information from ESPN.com

More from the Yahoo! Contributor Network:

Miami Heat’s Defense Stifles Bulls

Washington Wizards Derail Miami Heat

Miami Heat Look for Redemption Against Celtics

Miami Heat Improve to 2-0 Against Knicks

Miami Heat Send New York Knicks Home

Heat players were given a dramatic, almost militaristic framework for the job that faced them Wednesday, with allusions to displays of power and defending home turf.

“It’s about coming out with our most overwhelming effort and force of the series here in front of our home fans,” coach Erik Spoelstra told his guys.

Overwhelming. Force. These are not standard words from a coach more analytical than emotional. Clearly, Miami was looking for something definitive in this first-round playoff series Game 5 here vs. the New York Knicks — a statement game.

What they got was close enough.

It was close enough on a night when anything less would have replaced any statement with only questions.

The 106-94 elimination of the Knicks means Miami moves on as it should, moves on as it must again and again, to and through the NBA Finals, to make a success of this Year 2 of the Big 3.

“Prove it,” Spoelstra told his team. “Prove this means more to us than them.”

They did, with a statement that sounded something like, “Enough with New York, already. Next, please.”

Wednesday night was about more than winning this series, though, and advancing to face Indiana in round two. That was going to happen, let’s be honest. Of 101 teams up 3-0 in a seven-game NBA playoff (as Miami was), 101 had gone on to win the series. No exceptions. Ever. And of 186 teams that led by 3-1, 178 advanced, or 95.7 percent.

So there was no logical way the Heat was going to cast itself in ignominy by squandering such a historically decisive advantage against a physically depleted Knicks squad.

Wednesday for the Heat, to me, was more about a favored team reasserting itself and trying to solidify the perception that Miami is the championship-caliber team it believes it is.

This was about casting aside any creeping onset of doubts.

Because a Game 5 loss on the home floor sending this series back to Madison Square Garden would have blown open the doors on those doubts.

Something close to panic would have rolled across South Florida while, nationally, critics would have begun to wonder aloud — and rightly — how good this team really is. Better than last year? Championship-ready? Really?

Pre-empting noise

If it took this much effort to get past an injury-wracked, seventh-seeded first-round opponent?

That eagerly waiting noise is why Miami needed to end this now, and as resolutely as it did. This was a beat-up Knicks team missing guards Baron Davis, Jeremy Lin, and Iman Shumpert. They were down to the reanimated ghost of Mike Bibby.

Short-handed seventh seeds are not something Miami needs to be taking more than five games to erase if this truly is a team capable of reigning in June.

Even a narrow or unimpressive victory Wednesday, an escape, might have left a trail of questions and noise, what Spoelstra likes to call the “decibel level” forever surrounding this team and ready to erupt.

Wednesday jammed the mute button on all of that.

The series-clinching win was impressive because it felt so routine, Miami in rather casual control.

The Heat led after the first quarter despite neither LeBron James nor Dwyane Wade scoring a field goal. The lead was 11 by the half. And growing.

There ended up being a completeness to the result that was encouraging. The 29 points by the should-be-MVP James led a parade of 67 by the Big 3, but the bench also showed up, with Mike Miller and Shane Battier combining for 18.

Gradually over the course of the evening the Knicks and the first round were fading by degrees, replaced by the emerging, waiting Indiana Pacers and the second round that will begin with Game 1 here Sunday at 3:30 p.m.

‘in a cage’

The biggest challenge immediately ahead for Miami might be to accept that Indiana is a higher seed, a better team, and a tougher opponent than New York. Because you wouldn’t automatically think so just scanning the Pacers’ roster.

Sure, the Pacers are a balanced team, young, big, and so physical that Spoelstra half joked, “This next series could be played in a cage.”

But non-Indianans will earn extra credit if they can name any Pacer other than leading scorer Danny Granger. (Sorry, but no on Reggie Miller. He retired, remember?) The biggest name on this star-less team is still former great Larry Bird, the club’s director of basketball operations.

Then again, Indiana is a team not to be taken lightly and deserving of respect, et cetera and so forth and so on.

Around here, that means a sweep by Miami is not absolutely required and that a fifth game might be grudgingly tolerated and forgiven if necessary.

MIAMI—

It will be the Indiana Pacers next for the winner of this best-of-seven first-round NBA playoff series between the Miami Heat and New York Knicks.

  The Pacers eliminated the Orlando Magic 4-1 with Tuesday’s 105-87 victory at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

  The Heat led the Knicks 3-1 entering Wednesday’s 7 p.m. Game 5 at AmericanAirlines Arena.

   Should the Heat close out the Knicks either Wednesday night or in a Friday Game 6 in New York, then Heat-Pacers would start Sunday afternoon at AmericanAirlines Arena, with that series also to be scheduled on a 2-2-1-1-1 basis.

  The Heat went 3-1 against the Pacers during the regular season, winning 118-83 Jan. 4 at home, 105-90 Feb. 14 in Indiana, 93-91 at home March 10 and then falling 105-90 March 26 in Indiana.

    It is the first time since 2005 the Pacers have advanced to the second round, when their roster included the likes of current TNT analyst Reggie Miller and former Heat center Jermaine O’Neal.

   “We feel like this is just the beginning of a big run,” Pacers coach Frank Vogel told reporters after Tuesday’s victory. “We’re excited about where we’re at as a basketball team.”

    The Pacers were bolstered this season by the offseason acquisition of power forward David West as a free agent from the New Orleans Hornets and a trade with the San Antonio Spurs for point guard George Hill. Their starting lineup is rounded out by center Roy Hibbert, forward Danny Granger and guard Paul George, with forward Tyler Hansbrough and guards Leandro Barbosa and Darren Collison the mainstays off the bench.

   Vogel has stressed the ensemble nature of his team.

   “We know a team can beat any crew of superstars,” he said Tuesday. “Any given night it can be a different guy on our team.”

  Magic forward Glen Davis told the Indianapolis Star-News following Tuesday’s game that he could see the Pacers giving the Heat a competitive series, should the Heat advance.

  “Yeah, I think they have a chance,” he said. “If they defend, they’re athletic and long enough and have a big bench, so they have a chance.”

   Then there was the perspective of Magic coach Stan Van Gundy, the former Heat coach.

   “The next round is going to be very tough,” he said of the Pacers. “They were huge favorites in this series. They will be underdogs in the next. I have no clue how far they will go and I won’t be watching.”

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The Philadelphia 76ers are looking up at the Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat in the East, just like everyone else. Sixers fans like myself know full well that they can’t match up to the Heat, although the Bulls have been another matter. Although the Bulls actually have the best record in the East, the Sixers have beaten them once and come close to beating them twice in Philadelphia.

On Mar. 17, the Sixers actually paid a visit to Chicago and started out pretty well. But despite holding a halftime lead and not having to face Derrick Rose, the Bulls still rallied back for an 89-80 victory. As such, it capped another tough stretch in which the Sixers remembered where they stand in the Eastern power structure.

After getting blown out early by the Heat on Mar. 16, the Sixers went to visit the Bulls 24 hours later and actually started out much better. Without Rose around to torch Philadelphia, Chicago only scored 11 points in the first quarter. However, the Bulls did get 27 in the second and closed the deficit to six at halftime, setting the stage for a killer third quarter.

The Sixers have usually thrived after halftime, yet this wasn’t one of those games as the Bulls jumped to the lead for good. This time it was Philadelphia that was shut down to start a half, scoring only 15 points in the third quarter. In fact, Jrue Holiday was pretty much the only Sixer to score anything, getting a whopping 30 points while virtually everyone else was in single digits.

It was a weird night all around without Rose and with Holiday shooting a whopping 27 of the Sixers’ 79 shots. While Rose is the MVP, Chicago showed that it has a lot more weapons, whereas the usual Philadelphia balanced attack was not on display. But while Holiday carried Philadelphia, he isn’t Rose and the Sixers supporting cast is not on the level of the Bulls.

Everyone knew that Philadelphia was not close to the likes of Miami and Chicago, yet learning it again on back-to-back nights was brutal. Combined with a loss to the Indiana Pacers on Mar. 14, the Sixers have gone from winning three games in a row to losing three straight to playoff teams. These types of reality checks have become far too common for Philadelphia these days.

The Sixers may be closer to matching up with the Bulls than the Heat, yet these two leaders still have a wide lead over them – like they tower over the rest of the conference. If anyone is going to derail a Chicago-Miami conference final rematch, Philadelphia will remain one of the long shots, especially after these last two performances.

Robert Dougherty is a life-long Philadelphia resident and 76ers fan.

Other stories from this contributor

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76ers wait far too long to make an effort against Heat

Nets still can’t take Howard to Brooklyn for now

76ers pray third time is the charm over Heat

76ers have rare defensive lapses in Indiana

MIAMI—

The debate has come up repeatedly since LeBron James and Dwyane Wade became teammates.

Which player takes the last shot?

After a season and a half together, the answer is just as cloudy.

Both say it varies each game, but also are getting into the habit of looking for teammates in crucial situations. It’s happened twice in the last week, with James or Wade finding Udonis Haslem or Chris Bosh for late-game shots.

Bosh and Haslem had key buckets in the final two minutes of Wednesday’s victory against the Atlanta Hawks.

If Saturday’s game against the Indiana Pacers should come down to a last-second shot, it’s not a given James or Wade will take it.

“You think about the other night Chris Bosh shooting 2 for 13 at the time and you feel confident enough to get him the ball and him making a big shot when he’s not having a good night shooting,” Wade said.

“UD, in almost the same situation. … You’re just trying to show your teammates how much confidence you have in them, especially guys that don’t get as many opportunities as you.”

James said it depends on the situation. He’s taken several game-winning shots, but passed to Haslem in last week’s loss at the Utah Jazz.

“I mean, at times you need ‘hero ball’ if that’s what they call it,” James said.

“A lot of the big shots in big games have come from hero ball. [Michael] Jordan has made shots in what you call hero ball. He’s also made the play where he passed to John Paxson or he passed to Steve Kerr. It all depends what the game is like.”

Pittman sits

Second-year center Dexter Pittman did not practice Friday after aggravating a shoulder injury against the Hawks.

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said Pittman was sidelined for precautionary reasons and that he is expected to play against the Pacers.

“We’re just trying to make sure that it’s fully recovered,” Spoelstra said. “He’ll be able to play. We didn’t want to have a setback.”

Pittman initially sustained the injury Feb. 12 when he collided with Hawks center Erick Dampier.

Late-game execution

The Heat have continued to silence critics of their play in the closing minutes.

Last year it was a concern because they lost so many games by five points or less. Many pointed toward their inability to execute offensively down the stretch.