Dwyane Wade clashes with his coach, the Pacers dominate the paint and take the series lead

　　The Indiana Pacers have the length, athleticism and defensive pedigree to create a rough night for even the most prolific of scorers, but nobody could have expected this. The Pacers capably defended their home court in Thursday night's 94-75 Game 3 victory over the Miami Heat, holding Dwyane Wade to a horrific 2-for-13 night and LeBron James to a 3-for-9 mark from the floor in the second half. Miami's frustration was typified by a third-quarter jawing match between Wade and Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, fueled by both Wade's sluggish play and a 52-29 run that helped the Pacers pull away in the second and third quarters.

　　Indiana put Wade in this bad place. Not only do the Pacers feature a litany of long wing defenders bent on chasing him around his various screens, but the presence of All-Star center Roy Hibbert loomed large in the win. Hibbert scored 19 points for Indiana, taking advantage of that limited Miami front line, but his biggest impact came on the defensive end as his length helped chase Wade and James into mid-range looks that they could not connect on. Hibbert added 18 rebounds and five blocks, and his individual defense in one significant fourth-quarter stretch almost singularly quelled Miami's last chance at a comeback.

　　Spoelstra also refused to blame Wade's woes on any possible injury, and pointed to the fact that just about every active NBA player is banged up as they work through the second round of the playoffs. LeBron James conceded Wade "wasn't himself," but refused to point to any possible injury to Wade beyond "what we all have," referring to the typical "bumps and bruises" that teams have to work through in mid-May. Wade, as you'd expect -- "He'll never make excuses," Spoelstra said -- declined to admit to any nagging injury and passed on discussing his third-quarter tiff with Spoelstra.

　　While it's hard to imagine the graybeard Duncan busting out a smartphone, it's not as tough to see the Pacers possibly running away with this series. The Heat still have the best two players on the court at any time, but Indiana can guard those best two with their best three or even four, leaving centers wide open and forcing Mario Chalmers, who was excellent with 25 points and zero turnovers before injuring his left wrist just before the final buzzer, and Shane Battier, who was not, missing all seven of his attempts from the field, to beat them. All of this can change with a few tweaks from Spoelstra in Sunday's Game 4, and the Heat could take back home-court advantage in a flash. But that would also have to involve the Pacers backing off a bit.