Pacers-Heat Game 3 Preview

 

Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final matchup between the Miami Heat and the Indiana Pacers will take place tonight at American Airlines Arena in Miami, with tipoff scheduled for 8:30 PM EST.

 

Watch on TV: ESPN (check local listings for channel information)

Watch online: WatchESPN , Primo High-Definition Stream, List of Wiziwig.tv streams

 

Latest on the Heat/What They’re Saying:

Heat hoping Greg Oden will be active for Game 3 (Yardbarker)

Shane Battier voted as NBA's Teammate of the Year (CBS Miami)

LeBron doesn't think the Heat are "that talented" (Yardbarker)

Latest on the Pacers/What They’re Saying:

Paul George says he's ready for Game 3, cleared to play (Yahoo! Sports)

Pacers' confidence will make or break series against the Heat (Bleacher Report)

Roy Hibbert is rediscovering himself at the right time (Always Miller Time)

 

The Rundown:

Don't count the Miami Heat as surprised about Paul George being cleared to play for Saturday's pivotal Game 3. They were practicing for that very scenario all along.

George has been given the go-ahead to resume all normal basketball activities, ensuring that the Pacers will have all their ammunition at the ready to try and steal home-court advantage back from the Miami Heat.

The Heat are also dealing with some injury "what-ifs" of their own, with center Greg Oden perhaps ready to put his nagging back problems behind him - prompting a big decision today for head coach Erik Spoelstra on whether or not to activate Oden for his first playoff game in five years.

Rallying back late in Game 2 to stun the Pacers in Indiana by a count of 87-83, the Miami Heat are looking for every possible matchup advantage they can possibly muster in order to hold serve on their home court these next two games. A large body like Oden's could be just the ticket in neutralizing the resurgence of Pacers center Roy Hibbert - helping the Heat to balance the scales a bit when it comes to physicality in the series.

Either way, Game 3 promises to be another classic chapter in one of the best new rivalries in professional sports today.

 

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