The Heat will have their work cut out for them though, considering the fact they struggled on the road during the second half of the 2011/12 NBA season, and they're 1-1 away from the American Airlines Arena in the postseason.
With Chris Bosh not expected back in the lineup anytime soon, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James will have to step it up a notch, but they'll also need some help from the role players.
"It's going to be fun," LeBron said about Miami's upcoming contest. "It's what the playoffs are all about. At the end of the day, you've got to try to win on somebody else's floor. And we look forward to going up there."
After putting up decent numbers in the Heat's first round series against the New York Knicks, Miami's role players have failed to show up in their last two outings. Mario Chalmers in particular has slowed down against the Pacers. With Bosh likely out for the remainder of the series against the Pacers, Chalmers will need to become the third member of the "big three," and put up appropriate numbers.
While it isn't quite time for the Heat to start panicking, there is no question Game 3 is a must win situation for them. They've already lost home-court advantage, and falling behind in the series is simply not an option.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra will definitely need to find a way to motivate Miami's supporting cast, as they'll need to find a way to keep the series from spiraling out of control.
"You've got a 2 seed playing against a 3 seed," Spoelstra told reporters. "That's historically one of the more competitive battles over the years. And that's the way it should be. … Nothing is going to come easy for either team. You look at it; both teams are shooting under 40 percent."
David is a Miami Heat fan that has followed the team for 16 years. Follow him on twitter @davidkingwriter and check out his blog.
Sources:
Tim Reynolds, "Heat-Pacers Preview"
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