Indiana Pacers: What went wrong against the Heat in the NBA playoffs

Miami’s bench lifted them and proved stronger than the Pacers

Another thing which gave Miami the edge was their bench, which the Pacers did not have enough of. There were significant differences between the Heat bench and the Pacers bench. The difference between their’s and Indiana’s was that the Heat had more depth and talent. The talent and depth of the Heat didn’t help the Pacers much whose starters were lacking.

Outside of Warren, Oladipo, and Brogdon, the Pacers could not find success, not even in Myles Turner who usually adds size and strength and scoring. Meanwhile, the Heat found success easy and comfortably on their bench.

The Heat’s bench consisted of rookie guard Kendrick Nunn, shooting guard Tyler Herro, small forward Duncan Robinson, Slam Dunk Champion Derrick Jones Jr. and the newly-acquired veteren Andre Igoudala, who could all be relied on for their different strengths. Nunn for his all-around potential, Herro for all-around scoring, Duncan for 3-point shooting, Jones Jr. for athleticism, and Igoudala for experience, especially as a backup to starting forward Jae Crowder.

The Heat had a versatile mix of talent, experience, size, strength, and other qualities, plus their starting core. Compare this to the Pacers bench which is all fairly young and inexperienced. There was no comparison. The Miami Heat were a complete and better team.