The Miami Heat’s 110-103 win over the Indiana Pacers was the type of game fans expected and analysts warned of this offseason as Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and LeBron James assembled in South Beach. Wade made his presence known from the start, scoring 21 points in the first quarter as the Heat jumped all over the Indiana Pacers.

It was, essentially, three on five. But in the first quarter, it worked like a charm. The Heat jumped out to a 41-19 lead, Wade was on fire and all was well. Wade and James even hooked up for one of the best alley-oops you’ll ever see. Yet by halftime, the Miami lead was four, and 11 Pacers had scored. It was team-ball versus the three-man show.

The “Big Three” combined for 65 of Miami’s 88 shots on the night, making 35. More than half of the Heat’s rebounds and all but three assists came from the trio, as well. The game was a display of the best and what could be considered the worst of the trio of Bosh, Wade and James.

On one hand, the first quarter performance was a thing of beauty. On the other, the three provided the only offense for Miami on the night, and struggled to put away a Pacers team they should’ve easily dispatched. Would the story have been different against the NBA’s elite — the Celtics, Lakers or Spurs?

When the Heat are playing like they were in the first quarter, they’re as close to unstoppable as a team can get. But is it sustainable? Playing the bulk of the minutes while forced to shoulder the load on both ends of the floor is taxing. When it comes together, as it did early-on against the Pacers, the “Big Three” can put on a show with the best of them.

Read More: LeBron James (F – MIA), Dwyane Wade (G – MIA), Frank Vogel (A – IND), Paul George (F – IND), Indiana Pacers, Miami Heat, Miami Heat at Indiana Pacers, Feb 15, 2011 7:00 PM EST

Dwyane Wade had 41 points, 31 of them in the first half, as the Miami Heat crawled past the hot Indiana Pacers 110-103. The Heat opened up a huge first-half lead — they led 37-13 after 10 minutes of play. But the Pacers stormed back before halftime, and hung close all through the second half. A 13-4 Miami run fueled by LeBron James and Chris Bosh late in the fourth put the game away.

The Pacers have lost just twice under interim head coach Frank Vogel, both times to Miami. Indiana dropped a game to the Heat by five points a week ago; Vogel has led the Pacers to victory in the team’s seven other games since taking over for Jim O’Brien.

Vogel has been pretty great at making adjustments; Wade shot 12-19 in the first half, but just 4-10 in the second half. Vogel relied heavily on rookie wing Paul George, who started in front of Mike Dunleavy in the third quarter and played 18 second-half minutes (compared to Dunleavy’s three). George rewarded the coach with some scoring punch (11 second-half points) and better defense on Wade.

George was a part of a wildly successful bench unit also starring Dahntay Jones, A.J. Price, Tyler Hansbrough and Jeff Foster. Tom Lewis of SB Nation’s Pacers blog Indy Cornrows gives the unit its due.

They epitomized the blood and guts, smash-mouth effort coach Frank Vogel preaches, picking the team up off the canvas to start throwing hay-makers at the Heat. What was once a 24-point deficit eventually became a 5-point lead for the Pacers which simply doesn’t happen without the second unit coming together and going to work. As the chemistry of this group continues to develop, they’ve become a big asset.

But the Heat are simply far more talented than the Pacers, and there’s no way to strategize around that. One incarnation of the awesome raw power of the Heat was an absurd 90-foot (not an exaggeration) alley-oop from Wade to LeBron.

How do you stop something like that? Station Gheorge Muresan at the rim and order him to not move?

The Heat remain percentage points behind the Boston Celtics for the No. 1 seed in the East. They do, however, now have the league’s top margin of victory at +7.82 points per game, ahead of the San Antonio Spurs at +7.44.

The Indiana Pacers took a slim lead into the fourth quarter, but ultimately could not overcome Dwyane Wade’s 41 points in a 110-103 defeat to the Heat at Conseco Fieldhouse.  

Indiana (24-29) has made a habit of quick starts under Frank Vogel, but Miami (40-15) turned those plans upside down, racing out to a 41-19 lead after a quarter and forcing the Pacers to play catch-up throughout.  The Pacers did just that in the second quarter, flipping the script as the Blue and Gold shot 64 percent in the second to cut a 22-point deficit to just four at the break.

In front of a sellout Conseco Fieldhouse crowd, Indiana tied the game on a Danny Granger three with 8:33 to go in the third quarter.  The Pacers then opened a five point advantage at 73-68 when Paul George knocked down three freebies with just over five-and-a-half minutes left in the third.

The Heat immediately answered with a 6-0 burst to retake the lead before the Pacers responded, closing the third quarter with a Tyler Hansbrough jumper at the horn to take an 83-82 advantage into the fourth quarter.

However, just as Wade dominated the first half with 31 points – a Miami record – so too did LeBron James take over in the fourth.  After a Granger layup knotted the contest at 91, James followed with a monstrous dunk to give the Heat the lead for good.  

Roy Hibbert came back for the Pacers with a hook in close to cut the gap to 95-94, but once again James responded, this time converting a layup to restore a three-point lead.  The reigning MVP would add a tip and two free throws on Miami’s next two trips to seal the contest.

Still, the Pacers could come away knowing that they fought tooth and nail with one of the premier teams in the NBA.  Now 7-2 since Frank Vogel took over, with both losses coming to Miami, Indiana once again got a solid performance from Hibbert, who finished with 18 points.  Granger had 16, while the young duo of Tyler Hansbrough and Paul George shone again, adding 16 and 14 off the bench.

Once again, though, Indiana faces a test of its mental resolve, needing to rebound from a tough defeat to pick up a victory over lowly division opponent Detroit on Wednesday night before the All-Star break.

INDIANAPOLIS — Dwyane Wade dominated the first half, LeBron James and Chris Bosh took over in the fourth quarter and the Miami Heat’s star power overcame Indiana’s youth and determination.

Wade tied a franchise record for most points in a first half with 31, and he finished with 41 to help the Heat defeat the Pacers 110-103 on Tuesday night.

James scored 27 points and Bosh added 22 points and eight rebounds for Miami. They combined for 19 of Miami’s 28 points in the final 12 minutes to help the Heat recover after squandering a 24-point lead.

“We’re one of the best fourth-quarter teams in the league,” Wade said. “With the caliber players that we have, especially myself and Chris and LeBron, we’re able to run the full-court offense, get good shots, high percentage shots.”

Wade also finished with 12 rebounds for the Heat.

“It was amazing,” James said. “That’s part of the reason why he’s D-Wade. We saw him get going early and we just kept giving him the ball. It was an unbelievable first quarter and an unbelievable first half in itself.”

Miami held Indiana to 6-for-23 shooting in the fourth quarter.

“Our fourth-quarter defense is tremendous,” James said. “When it’s winning time, we know how to get stops.”

Roy Hibbert scored 18 points and Tyler Hansbrough added 16 for the Pacers. Indiana has won seven of nine under interim coach Frank Vogel, with both losses coming against the Heat.

Miami led 41-17 late in the first quarter, but Indiana rallied and led early in the fourth quarter.

“I’m proud of our guys,” Vogel said. “This is what I’m talking about when I talk about smashmouth basketball, blood and guts, never quitting. All heart, all hustle.”

None of those things were enough.

James threw the ball off the backboard, caught it with one hand and dunked to give Miami a 93-91 lead with six minutes to play. James converted a basket in close over the 7-foot-2 Hibbert, then scored on a tip-in to push Miami’s lead to 99-94, and the Heat led the rest of the way.

Wade dominated Mike Dunleavy for 16 points in the first 5:05 of the game. When Vogel finally switched the matchup and brought in rookie Paul George, Wade splashed a jumper in George’s face seconds after he entered. Wade finished the period with 22 points, the most he has scored in a quarter this season. One of his baskets was a jumper from behind the backboard.

Miami led 41-19 at the end of the quarter. It was the most points the Heat have scored in a quarter and their highest point differential in a quarter this season.

The Pacers went to their bench and flipped the script. Led by Hansbrough, the Pacers shot 64 percent in the second quarter. Indiana outscored the Heat 35-17 in the period and trailed 58-54 at halftime.

“We got smacked in the mouth pretty hard, repeatedly,” Hibbert said. “First quarter was pretty tough. I didn’t think we were all tuned in together, ready to play, but the second unit came out — they really got us back in the game.”

Miami wasn’t pleased with the second quarter.

“For us, it’s about that one quarter that we have, in the first, second, or the third, which we have mental lapses,” he said. “We have to figure that out.”

Miami led 64-58 when George made a 3-pointer. Collison stole the inbounds pass, and Danny Granger made a 3-pointer to tie it with 8:33 left in the third quarter. The Pacers took a 73-68 lead when George made three free throws after getting fouled on a 3-pointer with 5:33 left in the third quarter.

Miami regained the lead with a 6-0 run, and the advantage seesawed through the rest of the quarter. Hansbrough hit a mid-range jumper as time expired in the third quarter to give the Pacers an 83-82 lead.

Indiana gained confidence during the close call.

“The rest of the season, we’re coming,” Hibbert said. “We’re not backing down. We’re not having any lackadaisical games. We’re on the prowl. We’re hungry.”

Notes

• Miami shot 71 percent in the first quarter and outrebounded the Pacers 15-6.
• Pacers G Brandon Rush returned after missing 10 straight games with a sprained right ankle.
• Miami C Erick Dampier was called for a technical foul with 1:05 left in the 2nd quarter.
• Indiana had its fifth sellout of the season.
• Indiana has scored at least 100 points in every game since Vogel took over.

INDIANAPOLIS – Dwyane Wade tied a franchise record for most points in a first half with 31, and finished with 41 overall to help the Miami Heat defeat the Indiana Pacers 110-103 on Tuesday night.

Wade also finished with 12 rebounds for the Heat, who bounced back from a loss to Boston on Sunday.

LeBron James scored 10 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter and Chris Bosh added 22 points and eight rebounds for Miami, which has won eight of nine.

Roy Hibbert scored 18 points and Tyler Hansbrough added 16 for the Pacers. Indiana has won seven of nine under interim coach Frank Vogel, with both losses coming against the Heat.

The Heat visit the Raptors on Wednesday night, marking Bosh’s first game in Toronto since bolting to Miami in the off-season.

Miami led by 24 points in the first half, then lost the lead before regaining it for good in the fourth quarter.

James threw the ball off the backboard, caught it with one hand and dunked to give Miami a 93-91 lead with six minutes to play. James converted a basket in close over the seven-foot-two Hibbert, then scored on a tip-in to push Miami’s lead to 99-94, and the Heat led the rest of the way.

Wade dominated Mike Dunleavy for 16 points in the first 5:05 of the game. When Vogel finally switched the matchup and brought in rookie Paul George, Wade splashed a jumper in George’s face seconds after he entered. Wade finished the period with 22 points, the most he has scored in a quarter this season. One of his baskets was a jumper from behind the backboard.

Miami led 41-19 at the end of the quarter. It was the most points the Heat have scored in a quarter and their highest point differential in a quarter this season.

The Pacers went to their bench and flipped the script. Led by Hansbrough, the Pacers shot 64 per cent in the second quarter. Indiana outscored the Heat 35-17 in the period and trailed 58-54 at halftime.

Miami led 64-58 when George made a three-pointer. Collison stole the inbounds pass, and Danny Granger made a three-pointer to tie it with 8:33 left in the third quarter. The Pacers took a 73-68 lead when George made three free throws after getting fouled on a three-pointer with 5:33 left in the third quarter.

Miami regained the lead with a 6-0 run, and the advantage seesawed through the rest of the quarter. Hansbrough hit a mid-range jumper as time expired in the third quarter to give the Pacers an 83-82 lead.

Notes: Miami shot 71 per cent in the first quarter and outrebounded the Pacers 15-6. … Pacers G Brandon Rush returned after missing 10 straight games with a sprained right ankle. … Miami C Erick Dampier was called for a technical foul with 1:05 left in the 2nd quarter. … Indiana had its fifth sellout of the season. … Indiana has scored at least 100 points in every game since Vogel took over.