He doesn’t need to get 25 points and 10 boards against the Heat, but he’s got to be in attack mode when the opportunity presents itself. I think he’s got to be around the boards as well since the Heat aren’t a good rebounding team.  All of the Pacers would be well served to be attacking the glass for a rebounding. They’ve had a big advantage in that category when playing the Heat this regular season, and that could be the deciding factor in the next round.

It’s amazing to see the transformation Lance Stephenson has made just in the past couple of seasons.  We did see him get into some trash talk last year in the playoffs against the Heat, and I know we won’t see that again.  Lance has come a long way since looking like he didn’t belong on this team. Now he’s playing at the level that Larry Bird believed he would be at when he signed him to a long contract. I know I was so against that because I didn’t see anything good from Stephenson.  But then last season, there were those brief moments, where I started to realize, this guy does have something. He was making passes that probably had no business being passes.  This season, he gets bumped into the starting lineup and looked like a starter.  He brings all that ball of energy to the starting unit, and really feeds off doing well.  Last night, you could just see the confidence building up in Stephenson, and just imagine if that can continue.  He got the nickname “Born Ready”, but I believe a better nickname is just ready.  He’s ready for the Heat.  He’s ready for a break out moment.  He’s ready to be Ready.

I do give credit to D.J. Augustin as he’s filled in solidly for Hill when he had to miss some time. But the loss of Hill leaves a big void at point guard, especially in the back up role.  Who steps in when Augustin has to sit down?  Hill is good for so much out on the floor.  He’s solid defensively.  He’s good for a basket when the Pacers need it. He’s a great passer, and general floor leader when it comes down to it. He’s the guy out there pointing out where guys need to be, and getting the ball to them when they have that opportunity.  Augustin is not as solid of a passer as Hill, and that’s a loss right there.

There’s just a toughness to Hill when he’s playing.  He’s got that look in his eye when you know he’s ready to step it up and lead the Pacers.  That’s what the Pacers need tonight.  They need to be up ready to go for this game, so they can close out the series, and get to their destination of Miami and the Eastern Conference Finals.  If this series goes to game seven, all bets are off.  Even though I imagine the Knicks would put together this fantastic effort in front of their home crowd, and I don’t know if this Pacers team is ready for something of that magnitude.  Most guys are just entering their first taste of more playoff minutes.  So it’s important to have Hill and the Pacers at their best this evening in front of the home crowd ready to send the Knicks of New York back to their home.