The Miami Heat was determined enough to close out the series in Miami, Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals defeating the Indiana Pacers 117-92 for the second straight year. The Heat advance to the NBA Finals for the fourth consecutive time becoming just the third franchise in NBA history to do that since the 1984-87 Boston Celtics, teams for which Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird played.
Indiana led the East for much of the regular season, one where the Pacers were fueled by the memory of losing Game 7 of the East finals in Miami a year ago. But being on top didn't seemed to be enough to beat the two-time defending champions since the playoffs became a totally different level and the Heat, just at the right time level up their game as well.
James finished with 25 points (on 8-for-12 shooting), six assists and four rebounds in Game 6. Chris Bosh added 25 points (on 10-for-14 shooting) and eight rebounds for Miami. Dwyane Wade and Rashard Lewis each scored 13 points for Miami, which even trailed 9-2 on the first quarter. Paul George led the Pacers with 29 points (on 8-for-18 shooting), eight rebounds and two assists in the loss.
''I'm blessed. Very blessed. Very humbled,'' James said. ''And we won't take this opportunity for granted. It's an unbelievable franchise, it's an unbelievable group. And we know we still have work to do, but we won't take this for granted. We're going to four straight Finals and we will never take this for granted.''
The Heat will face either the Spurs or Thunder in the Finals, with San Antonio holding a 3-2 series lead over Oklahoma City in the Western Conference finals. Game 1 of the NBA Finals, which will be played in either San Antonio or Oklahoma City, is set for Friday, June 6 (Philippine Time).
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| Source: http://ph.nba.com/news-article/2746/heat-return-to-nba-finals-top-pacers-117-92 |
Indiana led the East for much of the regular season, one where the Pacers were fueled by the memory of losing Game 7 of the East finals in Miami a year ago. But being on top didn't seemed to be enough to beat the two-time defending champions since the playoffs became a totally different level and the Heat, just at the right time level up their game as well.
James finished with 25 points (on 8-for-12 shooting), six assists and four rebounds in Game 6. Chris Bosh added 25 points (on 10-for-14 shooting) and eight rebounds for Miami. Dwyane Wade and Rashard Lewis each scored 13 points for Miami, which even trailed 9-2 on the first quarter. Paul George led the Pacers with 29 points (on 8-for-18 shooting), eight rebounds and two assists in the loss.
''I'm blessed. Very blessed. Very humbled,'' James said. ''And we won't take this opportunity for granted. It's an unbelievable franchise, it's an unbelievable group. And we know we still have work to do, but we won't take this for granted. We're going to four straight Finals and we will never take this for granted.''
The Heat will face either the Spurs or Thunder in the Finals, with San Antonio holding a 3-2 series lead over Oklahoma City in the Western Conference finals. Game 1 of the NBA Finals, which will be played in either San Antonio or Oklahoma City, is set for Friday, June 6 (Philippine Time).
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