The Indiana Pacers are adamantly telling everyone who will listen that they should not be considered the underdogs in their Eastern Conference Semifinals match-up against the Miami Heat, but no one seems to be listening. Vegas has the Heat as 1/5 favorites to win the Eastern Conference crown, while the Pacers are an 8/1 long shot.

The Heat have shrugged off Indiana’s brash talk ahead of Sunday’s Game 1. “I could care less, we could care less,” head coach Erik Spoelstra said Friday. LeBron James added, “There’s nothing you can say to our team that will give us extra motivation.”

When it comes down to basketball, the Pacers’ strengths are actually not all that different from the Heat’s. Like Miami, Indiana is in the top 10 in offensive and defensive efficiency (points scored and allowed per 100 possessions, respectively).

Indiana’s three-point shooting is also quite dangerous. Their 36.8 percent mark from downtown was sixth in the NBA. Miami’s rotation defense has a habit of leaving three-point shooters open in the wings, look for the Pacers to try and exploit that. Danny Granger and Paul George will test James and Dwyane Wade on defense.

And while Pacers coach Frank Vogel griped that the Heat try a bit too hard to draw fouls, Indiana gets to the free throw line a fair amount themselves. Only two other teams shot more free throws per field goal attempt than Indiana, and the Pacers shot 78 percent from the charity stripe during the regular season, third best in the NBA.

But the biggest threat to the Heat comes in the form of Indiana’s 7’2″ center Roy Hibbert. He has a significant size advantage over Chris Bosh, so Joel Anthony and Ronny Turiaf could see significant time off the bench. There are a few centers who always seem to give the Heat trouble, and Hibbert is one of them.

LeBron James will reportedly be awarded his third MVP award before Game 1. Coming off a very efficient series against the Knicks, his performance will once again be key to Miami’s chances at success. If he and Dwyane Wade can apply pressure to Indiana’s defense and avoid the temptation to settle for jump shots, Miami should have no trouble eliminating Indiana.

The schedule for the entire series is below:

Game 1: Sunday, May 13, 3:30
Game 2: Tuesday, May 15, 7:00
Game 3: Thursday, May 17, TBA
Game 4: Sunday, May 20, 3:30
Game 5 (if necessary): Tuesday, May 22, TBD
Game 6 (if necessary): Thursday, May 24, TBD
Game 7 (if necessary): Saturday, May 26, TBD 

That’s all the news for today.

CENTER: Chris Bosh is a more-talented player than Roy Hibbert, with both All-Stars this season. The question is whether Bosh is a better center. Still, even that aspect might be overstated, with Bosh likely to draw Hibbert to the perimeter. In fact, don’t be surprised with a cross-match here, with Hibbert instead defending Udonis Haslem, leaving David West on Bosh. Hibbert averaged 10.5 points and 8.3 rebounds in the four-game season series, it is doubtful a repeat of those numbers would cause much concern for the Heat. EDGE: HEAT

POWER FORWARD: David West has been the single greatest difference for the Pacers this season and the closest thing they have to a proven big-game go-to guy. For Udonis Haslem, there is negligible chance he can offset West’s scoring. What he has to do is provide enough defensively that the Heat won’t have to think about double-teams. West hardly was overwhelming against the Heat during the season series, but he had his moments in the first round against the Magic and must play very well for the Pacers to have a chance. EDGE: PACERS

SMALL FORWARD: Danny Granger is the type of player people tend to talk more about how good he can be than how good he is. He melted during several pressure points in the first round against the Magic and it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Pacers go with more of a defensive presence against LeBron James at times, perhaps Dahntay Jones. The question with James will be focus. He had plenty of it against long-time rival Carmelo Anthony in the first round. Can he maintain that focus against Granger or will the defense wane after two grueling weeks? EDGE: HEAT

SHOOTING GUARD: Dwyane Wade had it easy in the first round after Iman Shumpert went down for the Knicks in the series opener with a season-ending knee injury. The challenge will be more significant this series, be it against starter Paul George, or Leandro Barbosa off the bench, or even if the Pacers go small with Darren Collison and George Hill playing side by side. Wade was good enough in the opening round, but not great. This would be as good a time as any to start warming up, with George capable of offensive moments.EDGE: HEAT

POINT GUARD: Mario Chalmers was able to spend the opening round against the aged and the infirm, be it Baron Davis or Mike Bibby. Now the Pacers arrive with the playoff-proven toughness of George Hill and the pace-changing, off-the-bench presence of Darren Collison. It will be a whole new world for Chalmers, with his defense to become a significant factor. Hill had some wonderful moment in the opening round and has the ability to expose Chalmers on both ends. EDGE: HEAT

BENCH: This is where the Pacers hope to separate themselves from the Heat, able to call upon Tyler Hansbrough, Darren Collison, Leandro Barbosa, Lou Amundson and possibly Dahntay Jones. Frank Vogel splits his minutes pretty evenly among his top seven and his bench can be game-changing and pace-changing. For the Heat, Shane Battier and Mike Miller tend to be far better at home. With the Pacers’ size, don’t be surprised to see Ronny Turiaf join Joel Anthony in the Heat power rotation. EDGE: PACERS

COACHING: If nothing else, Frank Vogel is confident, perhaps even brazen. Yes it is that assuredness that has pushed his Pacers to these heights. Still, there were a few game-closing moments against the Magic in the first round that made you wonder if he has enough answers when quick decisions are needed. By contrast, Erik Spoelstra has LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, which tends to make the decisions easier. He already has shown he can drive his team deep into the playoffs. EDGE: HEAT

INTANGIBLES: The question with the Pacers is whether they have entered the just-glad-to-be-here stage. Frank Vogel insists that isn’t the case, but what else would you expect a coach to say? By contrast, Erik Spoelstra has to have considerable concern about a letdown after his team came in so hyped against the Knicks. There easily could be an early slip-up. Still, the Heat have proven to be nearly invincible on their home court, with those games never in doubt against the Knicks, and there again is homecourt advantage in this series. EDGE: HEAT

PREDICTION: It once again will come down to the Heat’s Big Three, with at least two needing to have significant series in light of the Pacers’ depth of good-if-not-great talent. And there at least has to be a fight from the Heat at point guard. As for center, we’re just not sold on Roy Hibbert. For the Heat, this essentially comes down to focus, and whether the edge can be maintained from the Knicks series. The Pacers are better than the Knicks, but not better than the Heat. PICK: Heat in six.

Gotta run!.

Don King must be the Pacers’ new director of public relations.

A less-than-exciting, second-round series for the Heat took a turn toward slightly interesting Wednesday and Thursday when the Pacers’ All-Star center and then the team’s coach tossed a few verbal jabs Miami’s way. King, the master boxing promoter, would be impressed.

First, Indiana center Roy Hibbert fired off a shot at the Heat when he set in motion the team-vs.-collection-of-superstars narrative. Then, as if that wasn’t enough pregame trash talk for one second-round series, Pacers coach Frank Vogel took it a step further when he said Thursday that the Heat’s defense is a flop machine.

“They are the biggest flopping team in the NBA,” Vogel said.

Vogel, who finished third in voting this season for the NBA’s Coach of the Year Award, is no doubt preparing league officials for what’s sure to be a physical series. For his part, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said Wednesday that he expects the series to be “played in a cage.” The Heat, which was tied for fourth in the league this season in charges drawn per game (2.3), absorbed seven offensive fouls in its first-round win over the Knicks.

Although wingmen Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Danny Granger will headline the Eastern Conference semifinals matchup, the series could hinge on the battle inside the paint. That’s where the Pacers command a height advantage with Hibbert at center and David West at power forward.

Hibbert inserted himself into the pre-series conversation shortly after the Pacers dispatched the Orlando Magic in the first round. No doubt riding high on a profound sense of accomplishment, Hibbert took a thinly veiled dig at the Heat on Wednesday. Basically, Hibbert thinks the Pacers are a from-scratch, ground-up organization whereas the Heat’s success was built overnight.

“We didn’t do this the easy way,” Hibbert told the Indianapolis Star. “It took time. But Larry Bird and David Morway drafted well. We got [David] West. We got George Hill, Leandro [Barbosa] and Lou [Amundson] for almost nothing. We didn’t do this by signing a couple of superstars.”

The Heat, of course, became an instant contender last season after re-signing Wade and bringing in James and Chris Bosh. This is the Pacers’ first appearance in the Eastern Conference semifinals since losing to the Pistons in 2005.

James complimented the Pacers’ “team-oriented game” Wednesday and said he expects the series “to be fun.” Compared with the Knicks, Wade said the Pacers “are a better team.”

“It will be a tougher series for us,” Wade said. “Indiana plays a lot more in the post. That’s a very good team. … Most teams try to play physical against us. We expect it to be just as physical.”

Although the Heat made quick work of the Knicks, Miami actually lost the rebounding battle in the first four games of its first-round series. Establishing a presence inside will fall to Bosh and the Heat’s collection of marginal centers. They didn’t play a role against the Knicks, but centers Ronny Turiaf and Dexter Pittman could be called into service against the Pacers.

“We know what they bring,” Bosh said. “They can shoot the ball, they have guys that can really play inside and they have great rebounders. We just have to play our game and make sure we control the boards the best we can.”

ETC.

The Heat released a statement Thursday apologizing for an “inappropriate choice of words” used by Heat public-address announcer Michael Baiamonte during Game 5 against the Knicks.

When announcing Stoudemire had fouled out of the game, Baiamonte said he had been “extinguished from the game.” Stoudemire lacerated his left hand after Game 2 in Miami when he smashed his hand through the glass panel of a fire-extinguisher housing in the visitor’s locker room of AmericanAirlines Arena.

“This is not who we are as an organization or who [Baiamonte] is as an announcer,” the Heat said in the release.

What are your opinions.

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 105-85 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.”

iwinderman@tribune.com. Follow him at twitter.com/iraheatbeat

Running low on time today, i’ll be back tomorrow hopefully with some more news.

AP PHOTO
Orlando’s Hedo Turkoglu, left, and Indiana’s Roy Hibbert fight for the ball during Tuesday’s playoff game in Indianapolis.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Danny Granger scored 25 points to help the Indiana Pacers defeat the Orlando Magic 105-87 on Tuesday night and clinch their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series 4-1.

It was Indiana’s first series win since 2005 and its first clincher on its home court since the first round of the 2000 playoffs. The Pacers will play Miami or New York in the second round.

Darren Collison scored 15 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter and George Hill added 15 points for the Pacers, who trailed by two at the end of the third quarter but outscored the Magic 36-16 in the final 12 minutes.

Jameer Nelson led Orlando with 27 points and made 5 of 8 3-pointers. Glen Davis, a thorn in Indiana’s side throughout the series, scored 15 but made just 6 of 17 shots. The Magic made just 5 of 16 shots in the fourth quarter.

Collison made a layup and hit a 3-pointer to give the Pacers a 78-73 lead with 9:33 to play. After Nelson drained another 3, Collison came back with a layup, then Leandro Barbosa’s steal and layup pushed Indiana’s lead to 87-80 with 6:49 to play and forced an Orlando timeout. A few minutes later, Indiana’s Paul George stole an inbounds pass and found Granger under the hoop for a layup and a 91-80 lead. The Pacers dominated from there.

Indiana led by as many as 15 points in the first half, but as was the case throughout the series, it didn’t last. Orlando got hot late in the half, and a 3-pointer by Jason Richardson and a bucket

by Davis cut Indiana’s lead to 48-47. Indiana’s Roy Hibbert made a hook shot to push the lead back to three at the break.

A putback by Ryan Anderson gave Orlando a 51-50 lead early in the third quarter.

A bucket by David West and a jumper and a 3-pointer by Hill pushed Indiana’s lead to 57-51. Orlando rallied again and tied the game at 61 on a fadeaway by Davis before a three by Nelson gave Orlando a 66-64 lead. He hit another three in the closing seconds — he had 15 in the quarter — to give Orlando a 71-69 lead.

Hill added nine points in the period to keep the Pacers in the game before Collison and Granger put it away.

Notes: The teams combined for just five turnovers in the first quarter. … Indiana shot 50 percent in the first 12 minutes. … Orlando made just 1 of 7 3-pointers in the first period. … Collison’s first turnover of the series came in the closing seconds of the third quarter. He finished the series with 23 assists and one turnover in the series. … Orlando outscored Indiana 24-19 in the third quarter. Indiana had outscored the Magic 108-60 combined in the third quarter of the previous four games.

Thanks for reading! .

Photo by robnguyen01 via Flickr

Finally, mercifully, our long national nightmare is over. The Indiana Pacers closed out the Orlando Magic by a score of 105-87 to advance to the second round where, barring a historic choke job, they will take on the Miami Heat. Free at last, free at last. We are finally free from this series at last. Some quick thoughts on last night’s game:

• Darren Collison was fantastic last night. He finished 9-10 from the field while dishing out six assists and committed his only turnover of the series. In fact, per ESPN Stats and Information, Collison finished the series with an absurd 23:1 assist to turnover ratio joining John Paxson, Fat Lever, and Eddie Johnson as the only players to finish a playoff series with at least 20 assists and one turnover or fewer. I’d imagine that Collison would like to bottle up his fourth quarter performance and keep it on a shelf somewhere if he could. Collison posted 15 points on 7-7 shooting from the floor and threw in three assists for good measure to lead to Indy outscoring Orlando 36-16 in that quarter alone. Coach Frank Vogel’s decision to bring Collison off the bench has proved huge dividends thus far for Indiana, and it’s a matchup that they need to exploit when going against the likes of Mario Chalmers and Norris Cole.
• This game was won in two areas for the Pacers: in the paint and on the break. Looking at their shot performance all night below, they were hot from pretty much anywhere, but the absence of Dwight Howard was truly felt last night as Indiana finished 23-35 (65.7%) from the painted area. Meanwhile, the Pacers helped put this game away with fast break points by outscoring Orlando 18-0 in this area.

• Holding leads continues to be an issue for Indiana going forward. After blowing a 15 point lead first half lead, I seriously contemplated copy and pasting my section on blowing leads from my Game 4 recap in here. It bears reiterating; although they managed to survive against Orlando, letting the Heat back into games is a recipe for disaster. It is imperative that the Pacers learn how to close teams out and remove the drama as early as possible. Give credit to Orlando where its due for fighting back when their backs were pressed against the wall, but the fact remains that Indiana had multiple opportunities in each game throughout the series to step on the Magic’s throat and put away the game much earlier than they actually did.
• Where has this Jameer Nelson been all series? Nelson exploded for 27 points including hitting five of his eight three-point attempts in leading the Magic. Nelson was coming off three consecutive dismal shooting performances (4-13 in Game 2, 3-10 in Game 3, 4-15 in Game 4) before, in a classic too-little too late moment, busting out of his shooting slump by going 11-21 from the floor in Game 5. However, nearly all of his damage was done in quarters one through three as the Pacers bottled him up in the fourth holding him to 1-5 shooting in the period and allowing just two points, none of which came after the 7:48 mark.
• Coming into the series, I think everyone, yours truly included, figured that the Magic would catch fire for one game from three point range and bludgeon Indiana that way. After all, they had led the league in both three pointers made and attempted throughout the regular season averaging 10.2 3PM and 27.0 3PA per game, good enough for a 37.5% shooting percentage. Unfortunately for Orlando, that scenario never materialized. They finished the series shooting 34.1% from long distance while averaging 8.4 makes on 24.6 attempts per game. While they still led all playoff teams in postseason attempts and makes, they never had that one game where they went crazy from three. Indiana avoided a dagger because Orlando couldn’t hit theirs.

To paraphrase Jerry Springer, it’s now time for my final thought. Congratulations to the Pacers and their fans on their first playoff series win since 2005. For a city that saw more success out of Butler’s basketball program than its professional team over the past several seasons, it’s exciting to finally see people in the area talking Pacers basketball again. Though there were early reports in the game that there were a number of empty seats in the arena, it ended up being a sellout crowd last night indicating a major step up for a team that finished with the fifth worst home attendance (based on percent of seats filled) in the NBA this year. Although I don’t expect the Pacers to make it past Game 5 against the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, anything in this Season Without Reason is possible. For now, the Pacers and their fans should be happy knowing that, at least for now, basketball is truly back in Indiana.

Statistical Support for this story from NBA.com

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THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

INDIANAPOLIS — It was just like old times at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

Finally.

After years of losing and players finding trouble, the Indiana Pacers finally gave their fans something to really cheer about. Danny Granger scored 25 points to help the Pacers defeat the Orlando Magic 105-87 on Tuesday night and clinch their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series 4-1.

“I’m just so happy for our fans,” Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. “They’ve endured a lot those years when we struggled. To finally see us come back and have a winning team again and somebody that has a chance to do something special this year. That’s what they deserve. Pacers basketball is back.”

The Pacers will play Miami or New York in the second round. Miami leads that series 3-1, and as the final minutes ticked away, fans began chanting, “Beat the Heat.”

“It was electric,” Granger said. “The crowd was crazy. They had a lot of momentum going. They pushed us in that fourth quarter.”

It was a tough series for Orlando, which played all five games without All-Star centre Dwight Howard because of a back injury. They took the opener, then watched Indiana put together its first series win since 2005 and its first clincher on its home court since the first round of the 2000 playoffs. No player on Indiana’s roster had won a playoff series while playing for the Pacers.

“It’s an unfamiliar situation for a lot of guys, but I just thought we stayed together,” Indiana forward David West said. “They made some runs, made some shots. But ultimately, we stayed together as a team and won this game as a unit.”

Granger finally got his first series win in year seven. Perhaps fans should take it easy on him — it took Reggie Miller six years.

“Close out game, you obviously want to play your best at these moments,” Granger said. “I pride myself on that. I had big night, but I’m just glad we got the win.”

Darren Collison scored 15 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter and George Hill added 15 points for the Pacers, who trailed by two at the end of the third quarter but outscored the Magic 36-16 in the final 12 minutes.

Collison’s complete dominance of Orlando point guard Jameer Nelson in the fourth quarter turned the game. Indiana had no answers for three quarters before Collison, who had lost his starting job late in the season, entered the game and took over. Collison made all seven of his shots in the fourth quarter and had four assists. Nelson made 1 of 5 shots in the period and missed both of his 3-point tries.

“That’s a testament to the type of team we have,” West said. “We’re deep, man. We’ve got guys, that when their number’s called, they’re prepared. DC just had another gear that I don’t think anybody else on the floor had.”

In Game 4, Indiana blew a 19-point lead in the fourth quarter before pulling out a win in overtime. This time, the Pacers shot 75 per cent in the final 12 minutes.

Nelson led Orlando with 27 points and made 5 of 8 3-pointers. Glen Davis, a thorn in Indiana’s side throughout the series, scored 15 but made just 6 of 17 shots. The Magic, who made just 5 of 16 shots in the fourth quarter, didn’t want to use Howard’s absence as an excuse.

“We don’t think like that,” Orlando forward Ryan Anderson said. “We know we can win and play hard. We proved in Game 1 we can come out and play hard and win.”

Orlando surprised Indiana in Game 1, forced overtime in Game 4 and led heading into the final quarter of their season.

“We gave a tremendous effort,” Anderson said. “We really battled. We played hard. Nobody can say we didn’t. It’s just tough.”

Collison made a layup and hit a 3-pointer to give the Pacers a 78-73 lead with 9:33 to play. After Nelson drained another 3, Collison came back with a layup, then Leandro Barbosa’s steal and layup pushed Indiana’s lead to 87-80 with 6:49 to play and forced an Orlando timeout. A few minutes later, Paul George stole an inbounds pass and found Granger under the hoop for a layup and a 91-80 lead. The Pacers dominated from there.

Indiana led by as many as 15 points in the first half, but as was the case throughout the series, it didn’t last. Orlando got hot late in the half, and a 3-pointer by Jason Richardson and a bucket by Davis cut Indiana’s lead to 48-47. Indiana’s Roy Hibbert made a hook shot to push the lead back to three at the break.

Orlando tied the game at 61 on a fadeaway by Davis before a three by Nelson gave Orlando a 66-64 lead. Nelson hit another three in the closing seconds — he had 15 points in the quarter — to give Orlando a 71-69 lead. Hill added nine points in the period to keep the Pacers in the game before Collison and Granger put it away.

Now, Indiana wants more.

“Huge step for our franchise,” Vogel said. “We’re not happy with just getting that, though. We feel like this is just the beginning of a big run. We’re excited about where we’re at as a basketball team.”

Notes: The teams combined for just five turnovers in the first quarter. … Indiana shot 50 per cent in the first 12 minutes. … Orlando made just 1 of 7 3-pointers in the first period. … Collison’s first turnover of the series came in the closing seconds of the third quarter. He finished the series with 23 assists and one turnover in the series. … Orlando outscored Indiana 24-19 in the third quarter. Indiana had outscored the Magic 108-60 combined in the third quarter of the previous four games.

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