NBA: King James takes it at the buzzer as Heat best Pacers in OT

(Updated 12:14pm) There was no denying LeBron James when the game was on the line.

The reigning MVP drove right down the lane for the game-winning lay-up to prevent an upset from Paul George and the Indiana Pacers, as the Miami Heat survived in overtime to win 103-102 at the American Airlines Arena, Wednesday (Thursday, PHL time) to take game one of their Eastern Conference Finals.

The two sides had battled to six games in last year's Eastern Conference semifinals, but the Pacers were determined to prove that they have grown since then. They came close in this one, but faltered late, ironically, because of their calling card, defense.

The two teams battled to a 94-all tie after Paul George and Chris Andersen nailed free throws for their respective sides, 3:32 remaining in extra time. A Roy Hibbert hook was then neutralized by a lay-up from Dwyane Wade, but Paul George barreled into the lane and completed an and-one play, 99-96, Pacers up, 2:10 to go.

Chris Bosh made the Pacers pay however on the next possession. The Heat missed two three-pointers but got the rebound each time, leading to the hoop and the harm on Bosh, to knot the game yet again, 99-all, 49.7 seconds on the clock.

David West was able to back down his man, but his turnaround jumper failed to connect. Off a Heat timeout, LeBron James picked up the much smaller George Hill on the switch and rocketed down the lane for a lay-in, 101-99, 10.8 seconds left.

The Pacers nearly turned the ball over on the inbounds, but Paul George was able to recover it, and drew Dwyane Wade's sixth foul on a three-point attempt. The All-Star forward made all three, but LeBron James was just too good. Off another timeout, with only 2.2 seconds remaining, James was given the ball and blew right by his man anew, picking up the win right with a fraction of a second to spare.

On James' last two scores, Pacers center Roy Hibbert was on the bench and could only watch helplessly.  



A tightly-fought game saw 10 lead changes and eight ties through the first three quarters, with neither team establishing a lead bigger than seven points. Fittingly, things still stood tight entering the fourth, with a Chris Andersen lay-up cutting the Miami Heat's deficit to a point, 65-64, just prior to the end-of-the-third buzzer.

George Hill drew first blood in the final quarter, but a Ray Allen triple tied things up at 67-all, 10:43 left to play.

David West and DJ Augustin kept the Heat at bay versus a LeBron James barrage, for a slim 73-72 lead, but reserve big man Chris Andersen made his mark for Miami, giving his side the lead, 76-73, following back-to-back makes.

Another Andersen basket kept the Heat on top, 80-77, but Paul George completed an and-one play for yet another deadlock, 80-all, just under half a quarter remaining. James and George exchanged misses, then on the next Heat possession, Roy Hibbert came up with the block on Dwyane Wade, but to Indian's chagrin, the ball bounced back to the Heat, and LeBron James drained a triple to retake the lead.

West managed to split his free throws on the other end, only for Wade to make it a two-possession game, 85-81. George Hill misfired on a triple, but came up with a steal on the other end, resulting in a George long-range conversion to pull Indiana within a point, 85-84, 3:17 remaining.

A mini-oop via a James-Wade connection made it a three-point affair, 87-84, in favor of the home team. George could only split his free throws on the next Pacers' offensive, allowing a Chris Bosh hook to push the defending champions' lead to two possessions, 89-85, with exactly two minutes left on the clock. The Pacers however still had fight in them, pounding the ball inside to Hibbert and West to tie things anew, 89-all, under a minute to go.

Off a Heat timeout, Wade glided effortlessly into the lane for a shot right at the rim, 91-89 in favor of the Heat. The Pacers called timeout, but couldn't get a basket. Paul George's turnaround clanged off the rim, but despite snagging the offensive rebound, a driving George kicked the ball out to no one in the cornet, resulting in a costly turnover.

Still, Miami kept the door open for the Pacers, as Ray Allen uncharacteristically missed a free throw, for a 92-89 tally, 17.7 seconds to work with for the visiting side. Tight defense by the reigning champs forced the Pacers to burn two timeouts, but once they inbounded the ball, West handed it off to George, who uncorked a 32-foot fireball that connected, tying the game. On the other end, Allen was unable to come up with a game-winner, resulting in five extra minutes.

James put up an astounding line of 30 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, plus three blocked shots. Chris Bosh added 17 points, while Chris Andersen was a monster off the bench, making a perfect 7-for-7 clip for 16 points, in addition to five rebounds and three blocks.

Dwyane Wade chipped in 19 points, six boards, five dimes and three swipes prior to fouling out.

Paul George and David West scored 27 and 26 points respectively, but combined for half of their side's 20 turnovers. Roy Hibbert provided 19 points, nine rebounds and two blocks, while the backcourt of George Hill and Lance Stephenson went 4-of-19 from the field for 12 points.

Miami out-scored Indiana in points in the paint, 60-48, and out-assisted them 24-18. The Pacers however got more charities, 32 to the Heat's 25, and edged their foes in rebounds, 43-38. - AMD, GMA News