The two-time defending NBA champion Miami Heat were walloped on the road today by the Indiana Pacers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals by the score of 107-96. Those not named Dwyane Wade and LeBron James shot just 41 percent from the field for Miami. Indiana entered the fourth quarter with a 13-point lead and ended up making 19 more free throws than their Eastern Conference counterpart.
It was a drubbing in every possible definition of the word.
This means that the Heat are done, right? Their chance to join some elite company by winning a third consecutive NBA championship has all but been thrown to the wolves. After all, a disastrous performance in Game 1 of a playoff series means doom for any team.
Well, if you ask skeptics around the Association, that’s pretty much the answer you’re going to get for the next two days. Overrated. In the midst of regression. Not able to keep up the excellence we have seen in the past three years. It’s all part of the media and fans jumping to a conclusion because they have a pre-conceived notion that Miami isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Or they just want the Heat to fail.
Pacers do what they were built to do: Bludgeon the Heat. Column from Indianapolis – http://t.co/dp8hlDyjqi
— Gregg Doyel (@GreggDoyelStar) May 18, 2014
Really now. Maybe hold off until the best NBA team of the past decade is more than one game down in a series before writing an article that spells doom for its chances moving forward in the playoffs. It’s ONE GAME.
Then the sarcasm came in droves.
Heat players done with media for the night, some off to watch Game of Thrones. None has demanded a trial by combat.
— Ethan J. Skolnick, 5 Reasons Sports (@EthanJSkolnick) May 18, 2014
Heat-Pacers Game 1: LeBron James and Chris Bosh remain offline, wasting a big Wade performancehttp://t.co/uqB0O2UDtB
— CBS Sports NBA (@CBSSportsNBA) May 18, 2014
Last time I checked, LeBron put up 25 points on 11-of-18 shooting with 10 rebounds and five assists. But by all means, don’t let facts get in the way of your talking points.
Pacers look like the East’s best team in blowout Game 1 win over Heat http://t.co/ieGauek8dS
— Kurt Helin (@basketballtalk) May 18, 2014
How did they look in barely defeating the Atlanta Hawks in Round 1? I’ll wait.
At the very least, there are some that decided reason and reality made more sense than jumping to unlrealistic conclusions after one game of the Eastern Conference Finals.
For just the 5th time during the Big 3 era, Heat have lost a Game 1.
Miami has gone on to win the series the previous 4 times.
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 18, 2014
That’s right, it’s a little something called history.
Listen, this was not an impressive performance by the defending champions. With that said, we want to bury them simply because they are the defending champions and have the best player on the planet playing for them. We did this when Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls were dominating. How many times did Kobe Bryant’s Los Angeles Lakers find themselves on the brink, at least according to the media?
It’s one game. Now if the Heat come out in Game 2 on Tuesday and lay another egg, there might be legitimate concern. For now, the Indiana Pacers did what was expected of them as the No. 1 seed. They held homecourt through one game. If that’s the same case after the series is over, check back with us. Until then, take a chill pill.
Photo: Bruab Spurlock, USA Today