Heat oust Pacers for weekend off

Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS

There was nothing soft about Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat.

Wade scored 41 points, LeBron James chipped in 28 and the Heat finished off the Indiana Pacers, locking up a return trip to the Eastern Conference finals with a 105-93 victory in Game 6 on Thursday night.

The Heat wrapped up the best-of-7 series and will face either Boston or Philadelphia in the next round starting in Miami on Monday. Of course, nothing less than an NBA title will make for a satisfying summer in South Beach.

Two series down, two to go.

The Heat rallied from an early 11-point deficit, riding the hot hand of Wade in the opening half. He scored 26 points by the break, tying Tim Hardaway’s 16-year-old franchise record for most playoff points in the first two quarters. James hit consecutive baskets with just over a minute remaining to close it out.

Next up, the Celtics or surprising 76ers. The Heat will get a much-needed chance to relax before worrying about the next opponent, which will be determined in Game 7 at Boston on Saturday.

David West led Indiana with 24 points and all five starters were in double figures. But that balance was overwhelmed by Wade and James.

In a game of spurts, the decisive one came in the closing minutes of the third quarter, the Heat pushing out to their third straight impressive win after falling behind 2-1 in the series.

The Pacers tied it at 66 on Darren Collison’s 3-pointer, but it was all Heat the rest of the period. They closed on a 13-3 run, capped by Mario Chalmers’ buzzer-beating 3 from the corner. Wade dropped 11-of-16 shooting on the Pacers in the first half, but also made sure the MVP stayed involved, dishing off a behind-the-back pass to James for a thunderous jam.