After a strong first half, the Indiana Pacers went cold in the third quarter and fell into a hole they would never climb out of against the Miami Heat. A 90-79 loss on Thursday night in Game 5 leaves the Pacers with the unenviable task of having to win back-to-back games against the defending champions to extend their season.

Indiana played well enough to win in the first half, leading 44-40 after 24 minutes. They led by seven at one point and shot 51.4 percent from the field. There were some telling signs though. They turned the ball over eight times in the first two quarters. The Pacers finished with 17 miscues, which the Heat turned into 22 points.

The battle on the glass was also too close for Indiana's liking. They were just +3 at the half and Miami had nearly twice as many second-chance points. That would become a theme in the loss.

The game was tied 53-53 with 5:15 left in the third when the Heat ripped off the type of run that championship clubs are known for -- a 17-4 spurt that gave them a 70-57 advantage going into the final period.

After Paul George made a jumper to give the Pacers a 53-51 lead, Miami made eight of their next nine shots. Udonis Haslem, the hero in Game 3, caught fire yet again. He hit shots on three consecutive possessions during the run and finished with 16 points on 8-for-9 shooting.

Over that same stretch, the Pacers missed all five shots they attempted and committed two turnovers. Their only points came at the foul line, where they went 4-for-6 in the final three-and-a-half minutes of what turned out to be the deciding quarter.

Frank Vogel's club just didn't step up to the task late at AmericanAirlines Arena. They were ultimately too careless with the basketball and just sluggish overall. With 17 minutes left, they played to an even draw with the Heat but they didn't have enough to put themselves in position to win.

They didn't go down without any sort of fight, scoring the first five points of the fourth. However, the deficit was too big against Miami's tough defense. George canned an 18-footer to cut the lead to eight with more than nine minutes left, but the teams traded buckets for the next several possessions. When they desperately needed stops, the Pacers couldn't contain the Heat.

More On The Third

The third quarter decided the game. The Heat outscored the Pacers 30-13 and thoroughly outplayed them in all facets. Miami went 13-for-18 (72.2 percent) from the floor, 3-for-6 from three, grabbed nine rebounds and committed just one turnover. They assisted on eight of their 13 made field goals.

Conversely, the Pacers shot 3-for-14 (21.4 percent), grabbed just one offensive rebound despite 11 misses, were outrebounded by three in total and their five miscues led to nine easy points for the Heat.

The most bizarre part of the discrepancy was that despite Miami's overwhelming advantage, they only dominated a little more than five minutes.

Absent Backcourt

You know David West and Roy Hibbert are going to produce in this series, but Frank Vogel still needs something from his guards. George Hill and Lance Stephenson, who played significant roles in the Game 4 win on Tuesday night, logged 65 empty minutes in the most important game of the season.

Hill was 0-for-4 from the field, scoring his only point at the foul line. He had four assists and three steals, but committed three turnovers. The ball is safer in his hands than anyone else on the court, but Hill has had major control issues against the duo of Mario Chalmers and Norris Cole.

Stephenson was Bad Lance again. He had just four points on 2-for-7 shooting, including a few more bricks to add to his foundation. His three rebounds aren't terrible for a guard, but he was averaging 7.7 boards in the postseason heading into Game 5. Stephenson also had three turnovers and fouled out in just 28 minutes.

The Pacers can win without Hill and Stephenson exploding, but they at least need steady production from the pair. If West/Hibbert produce at their expected rate and Paul George doesn't stink Bankers Life Fieldhouse up, Hill/Stephenson need a combined line of around 22 points,10 rebounds and a few steals for Indiana to force a Game 7.

Haslem Strikes Again

Ray Allen is stilling searching for a rhythm, Shane Battier's biggest contribution has been hitting the floor and Chris Andersen had just four rebounds, but the Heat won because of a familiar unsung hero.

Udonis Haslem made eight of the nine shots he attempted to give LeBron all the help he needed to push Miami to within a win of a date with the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals.

The Heat shot 50.7 percent on Thursday night, but players not named LeBron or Udonis were just 17-for-40 (42.5 percent).

Dwyane Wade continues to look older than his 31 years (3-for-8, three turnovers), but this team can get by with him as their fourth-highest scorer. That's scary news for the Pacers (and Spurs).

Use The Advantage

The size advantage the Pacers have over the Heat has been well-documented. The frontline of George, West and Hibbert matches up extremely well against Miami's smaller roster. That's by design and they must hammer the glass much harder on Saturday night with their backs against the wall.

They outrebounded Miami by just one and had the same number of offensive rebounds (6). That is unacceptable, especially when West and Hibbert aren't hampered by fouls and Andersen, Haslem and Chris Bosh combine for just 12 rebounds.

After making it a point of emphasis following Game 4, the Heat did a great job of keeping Hibbert off the glass. He played 40 minutes, but had just six rebounds. He had six offensive rebounds the last time out. Hibbert was once again dominant offensively, scoring 22 points on 8-for-14 shooting, but Indiana needs him to clean up missed shots more than they need him to make his own.

George Snaps Out Of It

After two poor offensive performances, Paul George asserted himself to the tune of 27 points. He was efficient in doing so, making 11 of his 19 shots (including five threes) to go along with 11 rebounds and five assists. He did turn the ball over five times though. George is averaging four miscues per game in the playoffs.

It was a bit troublesome that George failed to attempt a free throw, but he did drive to the rim and his jumper was working. There were few fewer fouls called in Game 5 than we have become accustomed to in this series. Perhaps David Stern got on the horn with his officiating staff. There were 30 fouls whistled on Thursday night after Game 4 saw 55 fouls called.

The five threes were the most George has made in these playoffs and he nearly matched his shot attempts from the last two outings. He was a combined 7-for-20 in Games 3 and 4.