The Indiana Pacers are leaner and faster than in years past, but are they better? Frank Vogel’s new run-and-gun style of play slipped out of the gate, but there is reason for optimism. The Pacers end a brief two-game homestand against the Miami Heat and the battle-tested duo of Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh on Friday.
SCHEDULING
This might be a good time to fade the Heat. Playing their third game in four nights and travelling from a game in Minnesota on Wednesday, Miami is facing its first set of back-to-back games this season. Indiana, meanwhile, is finishing off a brief two-game homestand and is well rested after picking up its first win of the year Tuesday in Detroit. While it’s still early in the season, a stretch like this does take its toll on Miami veterans Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh. The Heat are also being cautious with newcomer Amar’e Stoudemire, who sat out a few games with soreness in his knees. Miami has enough firepower to withstand consecutive road games, but Wade and Bosh are without a doubt the leaders of the club and need to be preserved for the long haul if Miami is to contend in the Eastern Conference.
INJURIES
With Thursday’s game being the third in four nights for the Heat its possible coach Erik Spoelstra rests Bosh or limits his minutes. The veteran forward averaged better than 32 minutes per game through the first four.
Wade left Miami’s game against Atlanta with a migraine headache. He retreated to the locker room for medication and returned. This has been an on-going problem for the veteran.
Indiana’s Ian Mahinmi left Tuesday’s game with a sore lower back and didn’t return. With their lone true center sidelined, the Pacers started playing small-ball.
KEY MATCHUP
Heat center Hassan Whiteside was quite a find last season, coming from the D-League in December to rank sixth in Player Efficiency Rating, behind superstars Anthony Davis, Russell Westbrook, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and James Harden. And that’s what makes Whiteside the X-factor for the Heat in 2015-16. If he expands on what he did in just less than 24 minutes a game last season, the Heat could be back in title contention after missing the playoffs for the first time in seven seasons. And early on it’s been good for Miami. Whiteside had the best four-game start of any NBA player since 1986 making 76.3 percent of his shots. If last season was about him showing flashes of breakout potential, then this season revolves around the 26-year-old becoming consistently dominant in what is technically his fourth NBA season. Indiana lacks size up front to contend with Whiteside and Vogel has switched to a small-ball style to mask that weakness. Whiteside is athletic enough to run the floor with smaller lineups and the chemistry between him and Wade, particularly on pick-and-roll sets, has resulted in dunks for the center. Whiteside could have another big game against the undersized Pacers.
ODDS AND PREDICTION
Vogel has shifted the Pacers to an up-tempo, small-ball style team with hopes of another playoff push. The new approach will have to be refined as the NBA season progresses, but early results have been mixed. Indiana opened with three straight losses and was brought to a screeching halt by Utah in a 97-76 home loss on Halloween. The Pacers picked up their first win of the season the next time out, winning at Detroit. The roster has changed, which is one of the reasons why a new style of play was employed. Gone are big men Roy Hibbert and David West while free agent Monta Ellis will team with George Hill and C.J. Miles to give Indiana more scoring punch. It will take time for the pieces to come together and the ride is likely going to be rough for the first part of the year. The Pacers lack a true big man and Whiteside should have his way inside. The Heat center is such a presence down low and Indiana has nothing to combat his size and athleticism. The Pacers will need to shoot better from the perimeter and they just haven’t been good yet. Though Miami is playing its third game in four nights, the Heat have enough to overcome the Pacers for the road win.
Miami 98, Indiana 92
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