Six months after getting swept by the Miami Heat in the bubble, a match-up which was once fraught by fitful, standstill pick-and-roll, has taken on a new identity. Suffocating the Pacers with switches while also loading up at the blocks and elbows, Miami never had need to play zone in that series, as they strategically did in later rounds against Milwaukee, Boston, and Los Angeles; instead, betting that Malcolm Brogdon and a diluted version of Victor Oladipo wouldn’t be able to beat them in isolation. Fast forward to now, however, and suddenly, not only can Miami no longer find the bottom of the net from three, shooting an inexplicable 7-of-29 on wide open looks over the two-game miniseries, but Jimmy Butler and company also logged 12 possessions of 2-3 during Sunday’s matinee contest alone.
How cutting kept the Pacers offense moving in Miami
