NBA playoff schedule 2013: Pacers even series with Heat

Stern was a guest on NBC Sports Radio’s “Speaking of Sports with Rob Simmelkjaer” and had this to say about Andersen’s controversial outburst, via Pro Basketball Talk:

If you haven’t seen the altercation, here’s Andersen blindsiding Hansbrough and pushing him once he was back on his feet:

Then, as the GIF below shows, Birdman walked (err, fluttered?) over to Hansbrough as the Pacer got back to his feet. Andersen’s intent? Apparently, to yell in Hansbrough’s face and eventually give him a two-handed shove to the chest that sent Psycho T reeling backwards.

A Flagrant-2 is typically reserved for totally egregious plays. But the immediate comparison that comes to mind is Nazr Mohammed’s ejection from Game 3 of Bulls vs. Heat. Andersen did literally the same thing Mohammed did. The only difference is that Hansbrough didn’t sell it and go sprawling to the ground. He fell safely into the warm embrace of Roy Hibbert.

“I took it upon myself to stop waiting and just go,” James said after the game.

When asked about what he saw in James, Haslem said it was the same look James had against Boston in the playoffs last season. “It’ s just a look of determination. It’s a look that says I’m not going to quit.” Haslem added that James’ look “says I’m going to do whatever it takes to put us in position to win the game.”

James finished the night with a game-high 30 points, eight assists and six rebounds.

The Heat continued rolling through the fourth quarter while the Pacers struggled to get back into rhythm. Indiana’s solid first half was a distant memory, as Miami dominated the second half.

The Pacers did their job and made things difficult for the defending champs, who shot just 39 percent from the field in Game 4.

At home, however, it could be a different story for Miami. The Heat went 37-4 at home during the regular season and averaged seven more points per game than they did on the road (106.4 vs. 99.4 ppg). They remained relatively stable on the defensive end, as well.

Miami has to do a better job of keeping a body on Hibbert.

Hibbert grabs the rebound while surrounded by four Heat players. The only defender in front of Hibbert is Chalmers, who has no chance at making a play against at the rim. Hibbert easily scores over Chalmers. Miami has to make an effort to box out Hibbert and make him work to grab the offensive rebound.

In Game 4, the Pacers reclaimed their identity as a defensive-minded team. They held the defending champs to just 39 percent from the field and 35 percent from the three-point line.

But don’t think for a second that it hurt the Heat’s confidence going into an all-important Game 5.

Here’s something far more stunning than the Pacers tying the Eastern Conference Finals at two on Tuesday: Indiana is doing it with offense. The Pacers boasted the league’s No. 1 defense in the regular season, but it’s not doing a whole lot to slow the Heat’s onslaught. Miami scored 1.15 points per possession in Game 4; the No. 1 offense in the league averaged 1.12 this season.

But the Pacers have managed to knot the series in spite of this because their offense is also not living up to its ranking. In this case, that’s a good thing: Indiana was No. 20 in offense this season. In the regular season, the Pacers averaged 1.04 points per possession; in the East finals, Indiana has scored 394 points in 334 possessions, or 1.17 points per possession. (Possession data is from Basketball-Reference.)

But Hill came back on the next trip down, hit a jumper and drew the foul for a three-point play, touting the MJ tongue wag in the process.

The momentum again swung in favor of Indiana as it maintained a small lead well into the fourth quarter. LeBron hit a three to pull Miami close, but he would foul out shortly afterward.

“I think our identity, our style of play is something I’ve tried to implement,” Vogel said. “They’ve embraced it and run with it. ... They love that style of play, and it’s just grown and grown since then. It’s manifested itself in mental toughness as well, not just physical toughness, as we saw in the resolve tonight.”

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Under the most extreme pressure, they continued to press their advantage down low and on the boards. To put it another way: this was the night the Pacers grew up. It’s one thing to play up to your potential and beat lesser or evenly matched teams in the lower rounds. It’s quite another to look the champs in the eye on this stage and not blink.

It’s worth pointing out that despite all that -- plus the lack of a vintage LeBron game -- the Heat still had a chance to steal a game on the road. Anyone who thinks they’re in big trouble hasn’t been paying enough attention.

James showed why he’s the reigning MVP, though, as he answered right back with a three-pointer of his own to cut it to two before Hibbert again scored on a tip that extended it to four with under one minute remaining.

The Pacers had a string of empty possessions down the stretch, and the Heat took advantage of their fourth-quarter mistakes with easy transition baskets.

Not to be outdone completely, George Hill came back on the next possession and hit a jumper and drew a foul to make a three-point play. Clearly drawing inspiration from Michael Jordan, he had this reaction:

Chris Bosh went down in the third quarter with an apparent leg injury. After colliding with

Miami looked like the more desperate team late in the half as they stifled Indiana and held them to 22 points in the second quarter.

Miami was outrebounded by a margin of 21-17, which was offset by seven Pacers turnovers against just three by the Heat.

Luckily for the Heat, he decided to abstain from trying a layup the next time down and slammed it home. A good decision this time, Dwyane.

After a 97-93 victory in Game 2 that gave them home-court advantage in the series, thePacers were riding high in the Eastern Conference Finals. However, their positive momentum was ground to a halt in Game 3, when the Heat blew them off the court in a 114-96 beating.

For more on this series, check out: Heat blog Hot Hot Hoops Pacers blog Indy Cornrows

When asked for his thoughts on the flopping, LeBron essentially shrugged, per Ken Berger of CBS Sports:

With so much on the line, the temptation to bend the rules to your advantage might just be too hard to resist. The question is how far the NBA is willing to go to actually change player behavior.

The Miami Heat reassumed juggernaut series in Game 3, thoroughly throttling the Indiana Pacers 114-96 after two remarkably even games. Now, the Pacers have a shot to notch the series at two at home -- but if they lose, they’ll find themselves just one game from elimination.

And the Heat’s various role players -- one of the best shooters in league history in Ray Allen, a two-time NBA champion with the Heat in Udonis Haslem, a universally lauded three-defense specialist in Shane Battier, a generally productive point guard in Mario Chalmers -- were cold and ineffective. The Heat won once in overtime and lost in the final minute of the second game because LeBron James is brilliant, but there were several slackers on the roster.