Pacers blown out by Heat as vapors from 500 nauseate crown

Pacers forward Paul George (right) covers his head after being sent to the bench late in the game against the Heat on Sunday as guard DJ Augustin tries to calm him down.

INDIANAPOLIS -- With the Eastern Conference championship series tied at 1-1, you expected the Pacers to come out energetic and alive. It was their biggest game of the year.

With the Indianapolis 500 running this afternoon, you expected the crowd to come out with energy and excitement. It was the biggest sporting day of the year.

Neither happened. Nothing close to either happened.

The Pacers let the Heat do anything they wanted on offense, committed foolish fouls all over the court, gave up important offensive rebounds and played like it was a game against the Magic in January. They got stomped and, save a brief stretch in the middle of the third quarter, didn't really seem to have any life, and lost at home 114-96.

Did the buildup get to them? Was it the pressure of the standing-room only crowd, or the national TV event? Was the young group just tired from a long season?

The crowd was lifeless throughout. The arena noise seemed to be turned up louder than usual, maybe as a preemptive assault at the anticipated decibel levels the fans would bring. Instead, they were flat. Save a brief stretch in the middle of the third quarter, they didn't seem to have any life at all.

Did the hangover from the 500 get to them? Were they just exhausted from a long, beer-fueled day in the muggy Indianapolis Motor Speedway infield? Were they tired from a long season of despising the Heat?

"You know, defensively we didn't come out aggressive," Pacers center Roy Hibber said.

It's sports. Sometimes the pressure works against you. Sometimes all anticipation and excitement before the game starts leaves you with nothing left in the tank before the opening tip.

Sometimes, like much of the crowd, you wake up at seven, party until 11 a.m., then pass out in the infield before the race even starts.

Before the game, Pacers coach Frank Vogel said he expected the biggest, best crowd the Pacers have had since the 2000 NBA Finals.

He also worried his team would come out with too much adrenaline. Like his decision to take Hibbert out at the end of game one, Vogel was wrong.

He's an exceptional coach who almost always knows how to get the most from his team. He knows what buttons to push and what changes to make. But cautioning the team to stay calm before the game may have worked too well.

"I think our guys were pretty poised," Vogel said. "They had more runs than we did tonight. So I didn't think that was a factor."

Instead of taking command of the series, the Pacers gave back the home court advantage they'd gained from winning game two.

Indiana lost despite grabbing 18 offensive rebounds -- and nine more total rebounds than Miami -- turning the ball over just 10 times and shooting 16 more free throws than the Heat.

The Pacers lost because they led Miami be Miami instead of making them be a Pacers opponent. With a 2-1 hole, they'll have to get back to being aggressive. And a refreshed crowd will help.

Indiana hosts game four on Tuesday at 8 p.m.

"We have nothing to lose," guard George Hill said. "This is a great moment that we're in and we're blessed to be in this situation."