NBA playoffs: Heat advance to 4th straight Finals with Game 6 rout of Pacers

Vogel called James the “Michael Jordan of our era” when asked about him during the postgame press conference. James is heading to his fourth straight NBA Finals, something that Jordan did not accomplish during his career. The Heat are the first team since the late-80’s to make four straight NBA Finals appearances.

Vogel also commented on Lance Stephenson’s continued attempt to aggravate the Heat and James, saying he liked Stephenson’s “competitiveness,” but didn’t think it was a good idea to “tug on Superman’s cape.” James finished the Pacers off in a very Superman-like fashion and will have a shot at being fitted for his third NBA championship ring as a result of his outstanding play.

Yeah, you lost by 25, but at least you didn’t lose by 28, you know?

James finished the night with 25 points along with six assists and four rebounds. He attacked the Pacers’ defense early, not allowing himself to get out of rhythm or into foul trouble as he did in his last outing. James connected on eight of his 12 field goal attempts and all nine of his free-throw attempts.

Further review isn’t necessary here, but why not a different angle on Stephenson’s sneak hand-over-face attack:

To be fair, James covered Stephenson’s entire face with the palm of his hand when contesting his shot earlier in the game:

The Paul George creation story is old news by now, but it’s worth revisiting, if only because of how sharply man and myth have diverged. Search George’s name, and you find stuff about paternity suits and wild rumors that are supposedly at the heart of the Pacers’ miserable slide. It’s getting harder to tell what’s real and what’s not, which is also true in his parallel life as a rising star for the next generation.

Still just 24 years old, George’s career has already included brief stints as cult figure, budding star and potential superstar in four short seasons. Because his ascent has been so sudden and so unexpected, he has been both underrated and overrated at each stop on the spectrum.

For the Pacers, facing an elimination game in hostile territory is something they’ve already seen this postseason. In the first round, they beat Atlanta to force a Game 7 down 3-2. Against their hated rivals, the pressure will be on for the Pacers, who have been a roller coaster over the last few months of the season.

Miami is still the favorite to close the series, but keeping James out of foul trouble will be a priority. The Pacers dominated the glass in Game 5, and if James remains out of foul trouble, he will also likely be a factor in that statistic in Game 6.