Paul George saved the Indiana Pacers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat on Wednesday night, but Frank Vogel decided to give the game away in overtime. The Heat prevailed 103-102 in a thriller thanks to LeBron James, who scored a driving layup as time expired at AmericanAirlines Arena.

Indiana didn't play their best basketball, but George hit a prayer of a three-pointer with 0.7 seconds left in regulation to force overtime. The shot came almost ten feet behind the line on a botched offensive possession that Miami couldn't have defend better.

George, who had 18 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, then grabbed hold of the game in the extra frame. He converted a three-point play early and hit three free throws on a questionable foul call with 2.2 seconds left to give the Pacers a 102-101 advantage.

On Indiana's final two defensive possessions, Vogel took Roy Hibbert off the floor in favor of Sam Young to match up better in terms of size with the Heat. Both times LeBron got through the first level of the defense and found the rim unprotected. Both times he scored as Miami survived a scare at home.

This game was one of the best of the postseason thus far and hopefully is a sign of things to come throughout the series, but it's hard not to harp on Vogel's decisions in the final moments.

Wednesday night wasn't the first time Vogel overcoached down the stretch in these playoffs. He took Hibbert off the floor late at times in the New York series, but the Knicks aren't the Heat and they didn't take advantage of the misplay.

Hibbert is one of the game's best rim protectors -- you could argue he's the best -- and LeBron and Dwyane Wade love to attack the basket. He's been touted by many as the key to this series because of the significant size advantage he has over Miami's bigs and his improved defense on penetration. He anchored what was statistically either the best or second-best defense in the NBA in the regular season. Hibbert finished tenth in voting for the Defensive Player of the Year last month.

To put it simply: Roy Hibbert is one of the best defenders in the game and a prime neutralizer for guys like LeBron and Wade. Did I mention Hibbert was an All-Star last season and that he signed a huge contract last summer?

On the final possession, taking Hibbert off the floor left George exposed defensively. He overplayed LeBron on the inbounds pass and the NBA's MVP got the step he needed for an easy layup. We don't know if the referees would have swallowed their whistles (they rarely did in Game 1), but at the very least LeBron would had some resistance at the rim if Hibbert was on the floor.

Pacers Do Job At Three-Point Line

Indiana did a great job of closing out and limiting Miami's open looks from deep. They held the Heat to 5-for-18 (27.8 percent) in the game, actually eclipsing them by less than a percentage point (four makes on 28.6 percent shooting).

Only the Knicks and Rockets averaged more three-point makes than the Heat (8.7) in the regular season. They had the second-highest percentage (39.6 percent) as they value the corner three more than any team in the league.

Miami Does Enough On Glass

Even if the Pacers had pulled out a Game 1 victory, the Heat would have been happy with their rebounding performance. Indiana has all the size and statistics in their favor, but only outrebounded Miami by five. There were a ton of offensive rebounds (33 combined) and the Heat got a ton of second looks late.

Through three quarters, Indiana held a 32-22 rebounding edge. In the final 17 minutes of the game, Miami had a 16-11 advantage.

LeBron and Udonis Haslem combined for 17 rebounds, but it was Chris Andersen that did the most damage. Not exactly an offensive threat, Andersen scored 16 points on 7-for-7 shooting with all of those looks coming within feet (or seemingly inches) of the rim or on putbacks. 

Empty Backcourt

The Pacers let one slip away, but one positive takeaway is how close they were to victory despite a poor performance from the backcourt duo of George Hill and Lance Stephenson. They combined to go 4-for-19 from the field, 0-for-7 from deep, with seven turnovers. Hill doesn't look right, whether it's something lingering from last week's concussion or a possible foot injury (TNT conjecture), as he had trouble simply keeping possession of the basketball.

Stephenson was once again a monster on the glass with 12 rebounds, but didn't follow up his breakout performance from Game 6 on Saturday night with much. He airballed a three long on one play and had a quick trigger on a one in overtime with the Pacers up 99-96 and 81 seconds left. Miami grabbed two offensive rebounds on the ensuing possession and Chris Bosh tied the game with a three-point play.

If the Pacers are going to make this a long series, they'll need at least average performances from Hill and Stephenson.

George's Growing Pains

It's easy to forget that Paul George enjoyed just his 23rd birthday earlier this month, but the scope of his age and maturity was on full display in Game 1. He had two points in the first half, committed six turnovers (including an unsightly one near the end of regulation) and was abused by LeBron at times.

He also sent the game to overtime with a 32-foot three-pointer, gave the Pacers a lead in the extra period and did a respectable job on James more often than not when you consider the assignment. On LeBron's game-winning layup, he overplayed the pass and created an opening for the MVP. He had no safety valve behind him, perhaps he thought he did, but staying in front of James on the play certainly would have increased the degree of difficulty.

Paul George will be an unquestioned superstar very soon, but he's still experiencing some growing pains and they are happening on the game's biggest stage.

Win With Defense

There will be no more harping on Vogel's decision to pull Hibbert late, but the Pacers know who they are and shouldn't try to win any other way. Vogel should force Erik Spoelstra to bend to his bigger lineup rather than try to make a chess move of his own. Indiana has gotten this far by imposing their will and they did so throughout regulation. There is no reason to change the approach when the moments are magnified.

If you take a pessimistic outlook going forward, it's unlikely the Pacers can hang with the Heat in a back-and-forth game consistently. They have to lean on defensive stops, cutting down on offensive rebounds, and do all they can not to count on answering offensively as the series progresses.

There were numerous possessions in which Indiana had to counter after a Miami score and they did well in that regard. They are shooting just 42 percent in the postseason, better than only New York and Boston, and shooting 45 percent (as they did in Game 1) is certainly no guarantee.

Turnover City

As entertaining as the game was, the Pacers and Heat combined for 41 turnovers. They were virtually even in points scored off miscues (Indiana had a 22-18 edge). The Pacers have averaged 4.6 more turnovers than their opponent in the playoffs, while the Heat have committed 1.2 fewer miscues in the second season.

Indiana can't compete with Miami for long if they don't take better care of the basketball. The Heat couldn't take advantage of many of the turnovers on Wednesday night because of a number were of the dead-ball variety and Spoelstra's crew won't make as many bad decisions again in this series.

As we move forward with “Amnesty 2.0” in July, we will see the fascinating possibilities that the provision brings even as the number of teams and players left dwindles with time. One fun component of the rule is that we know exactly which players are eligible for it and that number can only decrease over time since the players had to have been under contract with the same team before the new CBA. As such, any trades, extensions, or contract expirations thin out the list. 

The other thing to remember is that most of the benefit of using the amnesty provision comes from additional flexibility in terms of the salary cap- the only money savings owners get from using it come from any reduction in luxury tax payments and whatever a “winning” team bids for that player on amnesty waivers.

Atlanta Hawks

Players Eligible for amnesty: Al Horford

Reasonable candidates for amnesty: None

Most likely amnesty decision: Not use it. Since the team traded all of its long-term contracts (except Horford) and potential candidates like Zaza Pachulia’s contracts expire this summer, the only player left for Atlanta to utilize the provision on is Horford. That is beyond unlikely.

Boston Celtics

Players Eligible for amnesty: Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo, Avery Bradley

Reasonable candidates for amnesty: Paul Pierce

Most likely amnesty decision: Not use it. After signing five different players to contracts over $5 million for 2013-14 this past off-season, the Celtics took all the incentive out of using the amnesty provision on Pierce in 2013.

Brooklyn Nets

Used amnesty provision on Travis Outlaw (December 15, 2011) 

Charlotte Bobcats

Players Eligible for amnesty: Tyrus Thomas

Reasonable candidates for amnesty: Tyrus Thomas

Most likely amnesty decision: Tyrus Thomas in 2014. As of now, the Bobcats do not have enough salary on the books to necessitate making an amnesty move this coming summer. As such, the most likely play is to keep Thomas until the summer of 2014 when Ben Gordon’s contract is cleared from the ledger. As of now, Charlotte only has players on rookie deals and Brendan Haywood getting money then, so it could be the right time to strike.

Chicago Bulls

Players Eligible for amnesty: Carlos Boozer, Luol Deng, Joakim Noah

Reasonable candidates for amnesty: Carlos Boozer

Most likely amnesty decision: Carlos Boozer in 2014. The decision has become even clearer now, though the Taj Gibson extension could push the timeline up a little bit if the Bulls are feeling the pressure financially next summer. However, Boozer’s last year comes the same year that Luol Deng becomes a free agent, so a proactive Bulls team could make some FA/trade noise since they have less money on the books.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Used amnesty provision on Baron Davis (December 14, 2011) 

Dallas Mavericks

Used amnesty provision on Brendan Haywood (July 12, 2012)

Denver Nuggets

Used amnesty provision on Chris Andersen (July 17, 2012)

Detroit Pistons

Players Eligible for amnesty: Charlie Villanueva and Greg Monroe

Reasonable candidates for amnesty: Charlie Villanueva

Most likely amnesty decision: Charlie Villanueva in 2013. It seemed like a foregone conclusion in 2012 and absolutely has to be done in 2013. I cannot see a tangible benefit to leaving his $8.58 million on the cap for 2013-14.

Golden State Warriors 

Used amnesty provision on Charlie Bell (December 11, 2011) 

Houston Rockets

Used amnesty provision on Luis Scola (July 13, 2012)

Indiana Pacers

Used amnesty provision on James Posey (December 12, 2011) 

Los Angeles Clippers

Used amnesty provision on Ryan Gomes (July 18, 2012)

Los Angeles Lakers

Players Eligible for amnesty: Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Metta World Peace, Steve Blake

Reasonable candidates for amnesty: Metta World Peace, Steve Blake

Most likely amnesty decision: Metta World Peace in 2013. Since the Lakers have to decide about amnesty during the first week after the July moratorium, they will not have enough information on Kobe’s progress to amnesty him. Furthermore, they would only yield a big benefit if Dwight Howard leaves the Lakers and we likely will not know that at such an early stage in the process. Even though the Lakers continue to need a quality small forward in the worst way, shedding the final year of World Peace's onerous deal seems like the best play. 

Memphis Grizzlies

Players Eligible for amnesty: Zach Randolph, Mike Conley

Reasonable candidates for amnesty: Zach Randolph (in 2014)

Most likely amnesty decision: Not use it. Shedding Rudy Gay’s big contract means that the Grizzlies do not have to amnesty anyone in order to avoid the biggest costs of the new luxury tax system. At the present time, the only salaries the team has on the books for 2014-15 are Randolph, Marc Gasol, Mike Conley Jr, Tayshaun Prince, Darrell Arthur and Tony Wroten. Add in a rookie or two and you still have a workable structure. At this point it feels more likely that Randolph would get traded than amnestied since he would still provide value to the team.

Miami Heat

Players Eligible for amnesty: Chris Bosh, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Mike Miller, Udonis Haslem, Joel Anthony

Reasonable candidates for amnesty: Joel Anthony, Mike Miller

Most likely amnesty decision: Joel Anthony in 2014. The reigning champs did not lose a single player from their amnesty list over the past year thanks to roster stability. Mike Miller’s health could end up making him the pick but Joel Anthony’s $3.8 million final season stands out since the Heat do not have a veteran shooter locked up for 2014-15 at this time. Look for one of the two of them to be shed then, though.

Milwaukee Bucks

Players Eligible for amnesty: Drew Gooden and Larry Sanders

Reasonable candidates for amnesty: Drew Gooden

Most likely amnesty decision: Drew Gooden in 2013. At this point, Drew Gooden’s two remaining years are the only reasonable option left for amnesty purposes. Considering Brandon Jennings will get a major pay raise this summer and the Bucks will need any flexibility they can get whether or not they retain either Monta Ellis or JJ Redick, look for Gooden to go even though the team stands unlikely to benefit in any way other than cap room. 

Minnesota Timberwolves

Used amnesty provision on Darko Milicic (July 12, 2012)

New Orleans Hornets

Players Eligible for amnesty: No one

Reasonable candidates for amnesty: No one

Most likely amnesty decision: Not use it. By trading all three players eligible for the amnesty provision (Emeka Okafor, Trevor Ariza and Jarrett Jack), the Hornets became the first team to be assured not to use it this time around.

New York Knicks

Used amnesty provision on Chauncey Billups (December 10, 2011)

Oklahoma City Thunder

Players Eligible for amnesty: Kevin Durant, Kendrick Perkins, Thabo Sefolosha, Nick Collison

Reasonable candidates for amnesty: Kendrick Perkins

Most likely amnesty decision:  Not use it. We will have to see how Sam Presti handles the Kendrick Perkins situation but my read is that they will not utilize it after either of the next two seasons. Nick Collison would have a slight chance in 2014 if he were not so popular with the team and management.

Orlando Magic 

Used amnesty provision on Gilbert Arenas (December 9, 2011) 

Philadelphia 76ers

Used amnesty provision on Elton Brand (July 12, 2012)

Phoenix Suns

Used amnesty provision on Josh Childress (July 16, 2012)

Portland Trail Blazers

Used amnesty provision on Brandon Roy (December 15, 2011)

Sacramento Kings

Players Eligible for amnesty: John Salmons, DeMarcus Cousins

Reasonable candidates for amnesty: John Salmons

Most likely amnesty decision: John Salmons in 2013. Since Salmons’s deal is only partially guaranteed ($1 million) in 2014-15, the Kings would have some flexibility in the 2013 offseason when Evans can be extended and Cousins will be one year away if they cut him loose at that point. With new ownership looking to make a splash, having some extra money this offseason could be useful to the Kings.

San Antonio Spurs

Players Eligible for amnesty: Tony Parker and Matt Bonner

Reasonable candidates for amnesty: Matt Bonner

Most likely amnesty decision: Not use it. Bonner’s partially guaranteed 2013-2014 salary would be a possibility but appears unlikely at best.

Toronto Raptors

Players Eligible for amnesty: Andrea Bargnani, Amir Johnson, Linas Kleiza

Reasonable candidates for amnesty: Linas Kleiza, Andrea Bargnani

Most likely amnesty decision: Linas Kleiza in 2013. Utilizing amnesty on Bargnani would be too big an admission of defeat for management, though theoretically a change at the top coupled with more bad play could change the equation sufficiently to put Il Mago on the amnesty line. With that, getting a little bit more space in terms of the apron/tax line would be good for the Raptors if they are unwilling to bite the bigger bullet in the form of Bargnani.

Utah Jazz

Players Eligible for amnesty:  Derrick Favors

Reasonable candidates for amnesty: None

Most likely amnesty decision: Not use it. With only young buck Derrick Favors left as eligible to be amnestied, every conceivable sign points to the Jazz joining the Hornets in August 2013 as teams guaranteed not to use the provision.

Washington Wizards

Used amnesty provision on Andray Blatche (July 17, 2012)

The Indiana Pacers are in the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2004 after eliminating the New York Knicks with a 106-99 win at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Game 6 on Saturday night.

The Pacers were led by a different player in each of their four wins over the Knicks and in Game 6 it was Lance Stephenson’s turn.

Stephenson, who can be maddening to watch, scored a career-high 25 points on 9-for-13 shooting to go along with 10 rebounds. The New York native had 16 points in the first half and exploded in the fourth when Indiana pulled away in what was the most exciting game of the series.

How can the fifth-most important starter on a team be exasperating to watch? Consider this sequence: Stephenson bricked a three from the right wing, then stole the ball on the ensuing possession and converted an old-fashioned (not exactly something you’d call ‘Born Ready’) three-point play.  

In the early going it looked as though the Pacers could run away with a series-clinching victory, but the Knicks refused to go down without a fight. More than four minutes into the second quarter the Pacers held an 18-5 edge on the glass but only had a six-point lead. Indiana closed out the first half well to lead 55-47 after 24 minutes.

New York shot 35.4 percent in the first half and Indiana held a 25-15 rebounding edge. Uncharacteristically, the Pacers hit 50 percent of their shots. As we’ve come to expect, they turned the ball over eight times.

As the Pacers flirted with a finishing punch in the third quarter, the Knicks finally exploded from deep. Indiana did a great job of pushing New York off the three-point line and closing out on shooters all series, but they lost Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith over a 108-second stretch that saw the Knicks go on a 12-2 run. Shumpert and Smith combined to hit four-straight threes to erase a double-digit deficit and tie the game at 72.

The Knicks went 6-for-7 from deep in the quarter and outrebounded the Pacers by four as they took control of the momentum heading into the fourth period. Early in the fourth New York was winning the 50/50 battles, but Indiana owned the last five minutes. 

The fulcrum of the game turned out to be Roy Hibbert’s tremendous block on Carmelo Anthony with the Knicks ahead 92-90. The Pacers seemed to have all the energy after the rejection. Stephenson then went on a one-man run to push his team into the next round.

“That block, I think it spearheaded the run they made,” Anthony said at the podium after the game.

Hill Plays, But Isn’t Right

George Hill was active for Game 6 on Saturday night despite missing the last game after suffering a concussion on Tuesday night in Game 4. It’s hard to quantify what his presence meant to the team, but it was obvious that he wasn’t 100 percent.

He finished 2-for-10 and front-rimmed a number of shots, a sign of fatigue and weak legs, but Hill was a game-high +12. He did his job at the line (7-for-7), but went just 1-for-6 from deep (a shot the Pacers will need against the Miami Heat). By avoiding a Game 7, Hill will have some time to rest up and heal before the Conference Finals start.

Carmelo Takes More Heat

Carmelo Anthony seemed to bring all he could with New York’s season on the line, scoring 39 points on 15-for-29 shooting, but all you will hear is how he performed in the fourth quarter. He made just two of his seven attempts with four points and three turnovers with the game in the balance.

“I don’t think it was fatigue and they didn’t make any adjustments,” Anthony said when asked about his rough fourth quarter. “A couple shots were almost in. We got some great looks coming down the stretch, shots that when we take we normally make. We got those looks tonight. We got what we wanted in the fourth quarter, but they just didn’t go down for us.”

Anthony has been dealing with shoulder issues since the end of the regular season, and appeared bothered by them once again in Game 6, and he also turned his ankle in the second half of this one.

More of the blame for this loss belongs on Mike Woodson and the lack of a consistent supporting cast. He has had to hoist an amazing amount of shots just to get the Knicks to the sixth game of a second-round series. Anthony simply looked tired on Saturday night.

Questioning Woodson

A lot went wrong for the Knicks in the second half, but they looked great in the third quarter and received a number of clutch shots from Iman Shumpert and Chris Copeland. The duo combined for 22 points on 7-for-10 shooting after halftime, with Shumpert single-handedly bringing New York back in the game.

After Shumpert scored 16 points in the third quarter, he played less than seven minutes in the fourth quarter and didn’t attempt a single field goal. How can that happen? Anthony is your clear-cut No. 1 (and perhaps No. 2 option as well), but with the season on the line you must at the very least give the hot hand a few chances to extend his run.

Copeland brought great energy to the floor all series, but only got significant time in in the last two contests.

Woodson didn’t have a perfect roster to work with, but you have to question some of the decisions made down the stretch – including time management with the season ticking away.

Golden Five

It was fitting that the Pacers took the podium as a group after Saturday night’s closeout victory given the balance they provide. Consider this: Anthony led New York in scoring in all six games. Each member of the starting five led Indiana in scoring at least once against New York (Paul George did so twice).

That makes them hard to double defensively because any open player can get hot and take advantage of open looks. It killed the Knicks when they doubled-down on Hibbert in the paint and the perimeter combination of George and Hill didn’t even shoot well from the perimeter.

Quite simply, the only way the Pacers can threaten the Heat and advance to the NBA Finals is to receive offensive balance from their first five, defend the three, limit turnovers and get something substantial from their bench.