Five reasons the Miami Heat will beat the Indiana Pacers in Game 7

1. It’s championship or bust for LeBron James. The same player who sat on a stage and proclaimed, “Not one, not two, not three ... ” when talking about the titles he would win with the Heat will not accept falling one step short of reaching the Finals. It doesn’t calculate with the game’s best player. So if James needs to score 45 points, grab 12 rebounds and distribute eight assists while playing the entire game and conducting the timeout huddles, he will.

2. The Birdman cometh back. Chris Andersen provided more than effort and energy for the Heat prior to his suspension for Game 6. He is averaging 7.1 points, four rebounds and 1.4 blocks in the playoffs while shooting an absurd 86% in 15 minutes per game. That’s some serious production, albeit in limited bursts. But it could be just the thing the Heat needs to tilt things back in its favor.

3. Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh want to show that Miami’s Big Three has not been reduced by two-thirds. Wade and Bosh combined for a measly 15 points, six rebounds and one assist in Game 6 while getting manhandled by their Pacers counterparts. Another performance like that and they might have to bid farewell to James in the summer of 2014, when he can head elsewhere in search of a younger and more capable supporting cast. Here’s betting that Wade and Bosh will show that they have more than a little something left.

4. When was the last time Indiana won a playoff game this big? The Pacers haven’t been this deep in the playoffs since the 2003-04 season, when some players on their current roster were in junior high. The Heat beat the Celtics in Game 7 of the conference finals just last season, so they’ve been there, won that. Advantage, Miami.

5. It’s a home game for the Heat. OK, so Michael Baiamonte, the Heat’s slightly obnoxious P.A. guy, may actually fire up the Pacers a bit with his ridiculously exaggerated pregame spiel. But the Heat usually enjoys soft landings at American Airlines Arena, going 6-2 on its home court in the playoffs. One of those losses was to the Pacers, and it seems unlikely that there will be a second one.

Predicted outcome: Heat 95, Pacers 86.

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