MIAMI — Dwyane Wade will pay no attention to any criticism of his game as the Miami Heat get ready to play the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals beginning Thursday.
That's because he ignored it going into Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals and had his best game of the series. It is a big reason the Heat are in their third consecutive Finals.
"Everything that happened in first six games didn't matter to us," Wade said. "It was all about Game 7."
In that Game 7, Wade had 21 points and nine rebounds, was active defensively and looked like his old self as the Heat destroyed the Indiana Pacers 99-76 in an anticlimactic conclusion to what had been a captivating and competitive series.
"We'll enjoy this," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said, "for a short period of time."
Miami knew what it would get from LeBron James, who finished with what is standard fare for him: 32 points, eight rebounds and four assists.
The question was, what would the Heat get from Wade and Chris Bosh, who had struggled offensively against the defensive-minded Pacers. Bosh didn't have a great scoring game (nine points) but he grabbed eight rebounds, his series high against a team that rendered him ineffective for a majority of the series.
Miami pressured the Pacers at both ends of the court and took control of the game with a 33-16 second quarter and led 52-37 at halftime. James and Wade combined for 16 points and nine rebounds in the third quarter as the Heat extended their lead to 76-55.
"They taught us a lesson," Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. "This team has been there before. They have been to the championship. They've won it all. And they know how to ratchet up their defense at a level that just imposes their will on a basketball game."
James set the tone, first with words to his teammates at shootaround Monday morning and then on the court. As usual, he looked to get others involved. James didn't take one of Miami's first 14 shots,
"The first play of the game I called a play for D-Wade," James said. "Even though he didn't shoot the ball, he got a good touch in the paint. Just to make him feel like he was a part of the offense, make him feel in a good rhythm. I called a couple of sets for him early in the game, just to get a feel for it. And it showed throughout the whole game that he was in the rhythm. He started to make lay-ups, he started to attack, he started to make his free throws. So it was big time."
James' first attempt came with 4:45 left in the first quarter. He then scored 18 points in the final 16 minutes, 18 seconds of the first half.
James attacked the basket and made 15-for-16 free throws and finished with another big Game 7. In four career Game 7s, James is averaging 33.8 points and 8.3 rebounds.
"This is what it's all about," James said. "I've dreamed about opportunities like this as a kid to have a Game 7, no matter at home or on the road. And that game allows you to advance to the Finals.I have had multiple dreams about it."
Pacers forward Paul George emerged as a player with superstar potential, but Miami held him to seven points on 2-for-9 shooting. George fouled out with 7:43 left in the game.
"The great thing is we're a young team and we are past the building stage," George said. "This is really our first year tasting success. The rate we are going, we see championships soon."
The Heat also neutralized the dominance that center Roy Hibbert exhibited at times throughout the series, although he still had 18 points and eight rebounds.
"By any means necessary ... we took care of business," James said. "We just focused on every possession, trying to get stops, play Miami Heat defense, create havoc. I thought we did that tonight."
The Pacers faced a huge task to start. They had to beat the Heat in two consecutive games, including the final game on the road, and the Heat haven't lost consecutive games since January. As confident as coach Frank Vogel was in his team, that's asking a lot.
"Everybody in this country knows who the Indiana Pacers are now," Vogel said. "And we represent all the right things: class, character, hard work, old-school basketball, playing the game the right way. We represented our franchise, our city and our state extremely, extremely well, and we have a lot to be proud of."
Vogel's biggest concern — turnovers — unfurled in the first half: 15 turnovers, including nine in the first quarter.
"We knew that 15 turnovers in a game was probably going to equal a loss tonight. So to do it in a half was dispiriting," Vogel said.
The Heat took advantage of turnovers and missed shots. Miami pushed the ball at every opportunity, beating the Pacers down the court for open shots. Guard Ray Allen, who entered the game shooting 29.2% on three-pointers in the series, made 3-for-4 in the first half.
Miami pressured the Pacers at both ends of the court and took control of the game with a 33-16 second quarter and led 52-37 at halftime. Vogel coached an outstanding series, but there was only so much he could do with the Heat charging.
James and Wade, still bothered by a bruised right knee, combined for 16 points and nine rebounds in the third quarter as the Heat extended their lead to 76-55.
"I'm going to play through pain because this is my job," Wade said. "My team depends on me. Like I said a couple of series ago, I would love to be one of the players who never has to deal with these conversations, never have to deal with these injuries. But that's not my path.
"I've been through so much away from the game and in the game that I'll find a way. I'll figure it out. Some way, some how, you give me enough time, I'll figure it out. That's what I was able to do tonight. That's what I'll hopefully do next season."
The Pacers proved themselves more than a worthy opponent for the Heat. But Miami knew what was stake. Indiana is just learning.
"They just had that killer instinct, that look in their eye that they weren't going to be denied," Vogel said. "Their ball movement was spectacular. That's what really led to a lot of the chain reactions of our defense and allowed enough driving lanes. But they were also relentless in crashing the glass at all positions. Not just their big guys, but they were all coming.
"Look, they just had greater experience and greater know-how, and they were able to reach a higher level than we were."
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