It was all there for the Pacers. And then just like that, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James snatched it away.

There’s reason to be encouraged for the Pacers though. Reason to feel good about their prospects. They held a lead over the Heat for a lot of the day, played well and gave themselves a chance to win on the road in Game 1. Those are the positives.

But boy, they missed a big opportunity. A big chance to steal one and make this series interesting right from the start.

The Pacers essentially executed an ideal gameplan for the first two and a half quarters, grinding the Heat out, getting transition buckets, utilizing their size in Roy Hibbert inside while playing smart with the basketball. It was 48-42 at the half, but it felt like the Pacers had complete control.

via Royce Young of CBS Sports