The Indiana Pacers staved off elimination and stayed alive in the Eastern Conference finals by playing their best ball in the second half on Wednesday.
Or better yet, Paul George made sure Indiana continued on at least another game.
George personified Indiana's turnaround as he scored 31 of his 37 points after the break, including 21 in the fourth quarter, in leading the Pacers to a must-win 93-90 decision in Game 5.
The Heat, a win away from becoming the fourth team in NBA history to reach the Finals in four consecutive seasons, essentially played the entire second and third quarters without LeBron James, who battled foul trouble throughout and finished with a career playoff-low seven points on 2-of-10 shooting.
Even with James playing only 25 minutes, the Pacers still needed to survive a double-digit deficit and Chris Bosh's contested 3-point try in the closing seconds.
The series shifts back to South Beach for Game 6 on Friday.
[SportsNetwork.com]
