Postscripts from the Heat’s scintillating 103-102 overtime win in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals:
### LeBron’s layup at the buzzer was his second career playoff buzzer beater to win a game. The other: vs. Orlando in Game 2 of the 2009 Eastern Conference Finals. That happened exactly four years ago - May 22, 2009.
On Wednesday, he closed with 30 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, including the two layups late – one with 11 seconds left, and the other just as time expired. And don’t forget the three blocks, either.
### LeBron, on the winning layup: “We had two different calls. Spo asked me which one I was comfortable doing. I had enough time to get to the basket and make a play. I knew I had enough time to get to the rim. Two-plus seconds is enough time. Once I got the ball, I was the only option. As unselfish as I am, there is no way… to make a pass in that situation” with such little time left.
### LeBron’s reaction to making the winning basket was pretty reserved. Why? “I made a layup. Wasn’t like I made a halfcourt [shot],” he said. “I’ve been doing that since I was 8.”
### James has nine career playoff triple doubles. Only Magic Johnson, Jason Kidd, Rajon Rondo and Larry Bird have more, according to Elias.
### Since 2006, only four times has a player had a triple double in postseason in which he scored at least 30 points. LeBron had all four of them.
“No matter how much you watch basketball or played it you get amazed by spectacular talent, and I get to see behind the scenes what makes him a special, special player,” Dwyane Wade said. “He continues to amaze the world of basketball.”
### Why did Pacers coach Frank Vogel not have his defensive enforcer and ace shot-blocker, Hibbert, in the game on either of the Heat’s final two offensive sequences – both of which ended in LeBron layups?
"That’s the dilemma they present when they have Chris Bosh at the five-spot and his ability to space the floor,” Vogel said, referencing Bosh’s ability to take a big man out of the paint and hit a jump shot.
“We put a switching lineup in with the intent to switch, keep everything in front of us and try to go into or force a challenged jump shot. We pushed up a little too much and LeBron beat us off the bounce.”
But Vogel conceded he might have made the wrong move by not having Hibbert in the game. “Obviously, with the way it worked out, it would have been better to have Roy in the game. But you don’t know. If that happens, maybe Bosh is making the jump shot, and we’re all talking about that.”
### Paul George said “we all would” have preferred to have Hibbert in the game on the final play. “I’m 100 percent sure he would have been there” to contest LeBron’s layup.
George said he was distracted on the play “because I saw Ray Allen running by. LeBron made a good play. You’ve got to make LeBron shoot the jumper at that point. I was up too close on him. You’ve got to make him shoot a jumper. That’s what we wanted.”
LeBron said “I don’t think any of us know how it would have been different” if Hibbert had been in the game. “It’s not for us to worry about. I was able to get in the lane on George Hill on the first one and Paul George on the second.”
### George scored 18 of 27 in the fourth quarter and overtime – including the 32-footer to tie the game with 0.7 seconds left in regulation, and the three free throws that put Indiana ahead briefly with 2.2 second left in overtime. (George got those free throws when Wade fouled him on a three-pointer. Wade fouled out on the play.)
“I felt everything was in our favor,” George said. “I felt confident we were going to be able to take care of business. We slipped up at the end…. This one might be the toughest one to swallow [in my career]. That one hurts.”
But… “We have to feel good about how we played. A couple turnovers I wish we could take back. We can play at their pace or slow it down when we need to.”
## David West (26 points, 11 for 17 shooting) was a force but was 0 for 2 in overtime. He outplayed Chris Bosh, who scored 17 points but had just two rebounds. Hibbert had 19 points and 9 rebounds.
### Wade was generally efficient: 19 points on 9 for 15 shooting, with six rebounds and five assists. His eight fourth-quarter points were big.
### Wade expects a lot of close games in this series: “We can expect this for seven games.”
### Mario Chalmers suffered a bruised left shoulder and did not play in the fourth quarter or overtime. “There is concern,” James said of Chalmers’ injury. “Rio is a tough guy. Hopefully, he’s available by Friday. He should be. We don’t know.”
### The Heat's 21 turnovers were its most in a playoff game since April 21, 2001 against Charlotte. Norris Cole had five.
### The Heat shot just 5 for 18 on three-pointers, continuing a playoff-long slump affecting everyone except Chris Bosh and Norris Cole. Overall, Ray Allen was 1 for 8, Shane Battier 0 for 4.
### Chris Andersen shot 7 for 7 and is now an absurd 29 for 35 in postseason. “Without Bird’s energy and effort, we don’t win this game,” James said.
### Indiana, which outrebounded the Heat by nearly 15 per game in three regular season meetings, closed with a 43-38 edge in that category.
### Vogel said his team’s mood was “good” because “we know we can play with this team. We’ve got to play better. We can’t have 20 turnovers and give up 24 second-chance points and miss eight free throws [of 32]. You have to play a near perfect game to beat this team. We played a very good game, but we have to play better.”
### Erik Spoelstra’s postgame take: “Our group is mature enough to know that’s one game. They earned it tonight. But we didn’t feel we played to our capabilities. A large part of that is what Indiana was doing.”
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