NBA Playoffs: Clippers Tame Grizzlies; Heat Take Game 1

After Chris Bosh’s injury in Game 1, you might have watched the Heat and Pacers Sunday and wondered why the bigger, badder Pacers weren’t dominating Miami’s big men inside. But it’s not that simple.

Ethan Strauss does a nice job explaining the problem at Hoops Speak today, and it all centers on the rule changes that legalized zone defense. It’s part of what allows Miami to be so dominant on defense (with or without Bosh), and part of why Roy Hibbert isn’t as dominant as you’d think.

</experiences vertigo reading Eric Adelson’s Game 1 recap at Yahoo!>

If LeBron has a brilliant game until the fourth, he’s a choker. If LeBron is average through three quarters and kills it in the fourth, he’s “a Ferrari stuck in traffic” who should have killed it earlier. He cannot win with these guys. Ever. He might as well concede now, retire to the Bahamas and enjoy life ... because the American sports media is never going to let him off the hook.

For more on the Pacers, head over to Indy Cornrows and SB Nation Indiana. For more on the Heat, check out Peninsula Is Mightier and SB Nation Tampa Bay.

With 11 minutes and 17 seconds left to go in the fourth quarter, Heat center Joel Anthony got an offensive rebound and a layup to put the Heat up, 72-70. That was the last time someone other than LeBron James or Dwyane Wade scored for Miami in this game.

UPDATE: Apologies, Anthony did hit one free throw with under a minute left. So, slight amendment: James and Wade scored 22 of Miami’s last 23 points.

I think it’s worth wondering why Frank Vogel closed with starter George Hill at point guard instead of backup Darren Collison. Hill got swallowed up by a Heat trap with Indiana down six, then tried a weird floater in the lane in transition with just over a minute left that air-balled. He looked the complete opposite of poised.

Meanwhile, Collison, while a bit erratic sometimes, was making far more plays off the dribble than Hill. With the Heat’s defense tightening up, Collison’s playmaking ability would have been an asset late.

Even if LeBron James was in pain after taking this shot from David West, it wasn’t where he started grabbing. West elbowed him in the chest, not the throat.

No foul was called on this play. Maybe referees are starting to listen to David Stern.

After combining for 23 first-half points, David West and Roy Hibbert have only scored four since halftime. Hibbert’s excuse is foul trouble -- he picked up his fourth early in the third quarter. West, meanwhile, isn’t finding enough space on pick and pops.

Also, Hibbert just picked up his fifth foul.

Here’s the play.

Bosh had a very strong first half, posting 13 points and five rebounds. If he cannot play for a significant period of time, Miami is in trouble.

The Indiana Pacers’ strong first quarter was kind of ruined by foul trouble. Paul George, David West and now Danny Granger all have two fouls, which has allowed Miami to get back into the game. The Pacers were 26th in the league in fewest free throws surrendered per shot attempt during the regular season. The Heat were fifth in the league offensively in that category. This is going to be a series-long problem.

Remember how we discussed the dilemma presented to the Grizzlies when Tony Allen is in the game? Now, having studied how the Clippers’ inattention to him, Allen is starting to cut to the basket, come up with loose balls and not settle for jumpers. He needs to keep doing that to stay on the floor.

Our evidence: Zach Randolph getting away with this forearm shiver (or whatever this move is) on Blake Griffin.

Maybe we should cool it on the “Blake Griffin is a flopper” meme.

So, what’s it going to take to win a battle like this?

Here’s what you need to know from the first half: