Tonight at 8:30 p.m. ET the Eastern Conference Finals will resume in Miami, where the Heat will try to take a 2-1 series lead in Game 3 after stealing home court advantage from the Indiana Pacers in Game 2. Watch the game on ESPN or live stream it free by clicking this link. Pacers fans can find the game on 1070 The Fan, while Heat fans can tune in to the radio broadcast on 790 The Ticket.
The Pacers suffered a serious scare when star forward Paul George suffered a concussion from an incidental knee to the head from Heat guard Dwyane Wade. All of Indiana can breathe a sigh of relief though, as news has broken George will be suiting up for Game 3.
"Under the care of the Indiana Pacers' medical staff, Paul George has spent the past three days engaged in the NBA's Return-to-Participation Exertion Protocol as part of the NBA's Concussion Policy," the team said in a statement.
"George remained symptom free after each step of the process. The Pacers staff consulted with Dr. Jeffrey Kutcher, the NBA's Director of Concussion Management, throughout George's progress through the protocol and Friday cleared him to return to normal basketball activity."
He's averaging 19 points and 4.5 rebounds through the first two games of the series, but his value is even greater on the other end of the floor as an impediment to LeBron James. So far he hasn't curbed LeBron a great deal, as King James is shooting 55 percent from the floor, but George's relentless stamina may wear down the four-time MVP as the series stretches.
Overall, Indiana's defense has been impressive in the East Finals despite dropping Game 2. They have held Miami to under 100 points in both games, which hasn't surprised head coach Frank Vogel. "We played at a high level in the Washington series, and those last two against Atlanta when we were down in the series, we played with great desperation," Vogel said. "Our guys take pride in their defense. That's probably why you see those numbers."
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