Schedule and 2012-13 Results
Regular Season Records: Miami 66-16, Indiana 49-32
Game 1 on Wednesday, 22 May: Indiana loses at Miami, 103-pts-102 (OT)
Game 2 on Friday, 24 May: Indiana wins at Miami, 97-pts-93
Game 3 on Sunday, 26 May: Miami wins at Indiana, 114-pts-96
Game 4 on Tuesday, 28 May: Miami loses at Indiana, 99-pts-92
Game 5 on Thursday, 30 May: Indiana loses at Miami, 90-pts-79
Game 6 on Saturday, 01 June: Miami loses at Indiana, 91-pts-77
Game 7 on Monday, 03 June: Indiana loses at Miami, 99-pts-76

SERIES NOTES:

After Game 7: The Miami Heat hosted and defeated the Indiana Pacers 99-pts-76 for a 4-games-3 win of MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1215. With the series 1215 win, the Miami Heat improve their best-of-7 NBA playoff series record to 18-8 overall (with a seven-series winning streak befitting a defending champion) and 4-2 in the Semifinals (with a four-series winning streak). With the series 1215 loss, the Indiana Pacers see their best-of-7 NBA playoff series record fall to 12-12 overall and 1-6 in the Semifinals. The win order for the victorious Miami Heat in series 1215 was WLWLWLW: Series 1215 thus becomes the fifth NBA Semifinals series, the 14th NBA series (all rounds), and the 23rd MLB/NBA/NHL series (all rounds) to follow this “punch-counterpunch” win order to completion. The 23-point win by Miami was the largest NBA Game 7 victory since the Boston Celtics hosted and defeated the Atlanta Hawks 99-pts-65 in Game 7 of their 2008 NBA Preliminary-round series (series 1038), en route to the 2008 NBA championship.

After Game 6: The Indiana Pacers hosted and defeated the Miami Heat 91-pts-77 to tie the “punch-counterpunch” MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1215 at 3-games-all. The Game 7 record of the Miami Heat is 3-3 overall and 3-2 at home; that of the Indiana Pacers is 2-3 overall and 2-3 on the road. Irrespective of win/site order, home teams in Game 7 of best-of-7 NBA playoff series (all rounds) have an 89-23 (.795) record. Series 1215 is the tenth NBA playoff series to open with a WLWLWL @ HHVVHV win/site order: In the history of best-of-7 NBA playoff series, the last team to open with a WLWLWL @ HHVVHV win/site order but lose Game 7 was the Miami Heat, in series 814 to the New York Knickerbockers in the 2000 NBA Quarterfinals.

After Game 5: The Miami Heat hosted and defeated the Indiana Pacers 90-pts-79 to take a 3-games-2 lead in MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1215. When leading a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 3-games-2, the Miami Heat have a 5-2 series record (with an active four-series winning streak) and a 4-3 Game 6 record (with an active four-Game 6 winning streak). When trailing a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 3-games-2, the Indiana Pacers have a 0-9 series record and a 2-7 Game 6 record (with an active seven-Game 6 losing streak). In the history of best-of-7 NBA playoff series (all rounds), teams such as the Miami Heat which post a win/site order of WLWLW @ HHVVH through five games have a series record of 20-2 – the last series loss in this situation was sustained by the Miami Heat, in series 814 to the New York Knickerbockers in the 2000 NBA Quarterfinals.

After Game 4: The Indiana Pacers hosted and defeated the Miami Heat 99-pts-92 to tie MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1215 at 2-games-all. When tied 2-games-all in a best-of-7 NBA playoff series, the Miami Heat have a 5-5 series record and a 6-4 Game 5 record, while the Indiana Pacers have a 4-8 series record and a 5-7 Game 5 record. In the history of best-of-7 NBA playoff series, teams such as the Miami Heat which open with a win/site order of WLWL @ HHVV have a series record of 25-6 (.806) . . . but the Miami Heat specifically in that situation have a series record of 0-2 (having lost series 814 to the New York Knickerbockers in the 2000 NBA Quarterfinals, and having lost series 1151 to the Dallas Mavericks in the 2011 NBA Finals).

After Game 3: The Miami Heat visited and defeated the Indiana Pacers 114-pts-96 to take a 2-games-1 series lead in MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1215. When leading a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 2-games-1, the Miami Heat have a 9-4 series record (with an active three-series winning streak) and a 6-7 Game 4 record. When trailing a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 2-games-1, the Indiana Pacers have a 0-7 series record and a 5-2 Game 4 record. Miami led Indiana 70-pts-56 at halftime: The 70 points by Miami in the first half of series 1215 Game 3 are the most by one team in the first half of a best-of-7 NBA playoff game since series 1016 Game 3, in which the Golden State Warriors recorded 70 first-half points against the Utah Jazz in their 2007 NBA Quarterfinals series.

After Game 2: The Indiana Pacers visited and defeated the Miami Heat 97-pts-93 to tie MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1215 at 1-game-all. When tied 1-game-all in a best-of-7 NBA playoff series, the Miami Heat have a 7-4 series record (with an active three-series winning streak) and a 9-2 Game 3 record, while the Indiana Pacers have a 5-6 series record and an 8-3 Game 3 record with an active six-Game 3 winning streak. In the history of best-of-7 NBA Semifinals series, the last home team to win Game 1 but lose Game 2 and lose the series was the Chicago Bulls in series 1149, falling in five games to the Miami Heat in their 2011 NBA Semifinals series. So it is that the 2011 Miami Heat offer a favorable precedent to the 2013 Indiana Pacers against their own 2013 counterparts.

After Game 1: The Miami Heat hosted and defeated the Indiana Pacers 103-pts-102 after one overtime period to take a 1-game-nil lead in MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1215. When leading a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 1-game-nil, the Miami Heat have an 11-2 series record (with an active four-series winning streak) and a 9-4 Game 2 record. When trailing a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 1-game-nil, the Indiana Pacers have a 2-9 series record and a 6-5 Game 2 record. Twice before has Game 1 of a best-of-7 NBA playoff series ended with a single-point margin of victory after the first overtime period: In series 377, the old Seattle Supersonics defeated the Milwaukee Bucks to begin their 1980 NBA Quarterfinals series (which Seattle would win in seven games); in series 892, the Phoenix Suns defeated the San Antonio Spurs to begin their 2003 NBA Preliminary round series (which San Antonio would win in six games).

Pre-series assessment: In the 2012-13 NBA regular season, Miami finished 16.5 games ahead of Indiana. From 1947 through the 2013 NBA Quarterfinals round, inclusive, when NBA teams led their best-of-7 playoff series opponents by 16.5 regular-season games, they have posted a 0-0 (---) best-of-7 series record in those series against those opponents. MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1215 is the 24th best-of-7 NBA playoff series for Indiana, and the 26th for Miami. In best-of-7 NBA playoff series, Indiana has a 12-11 series record, a 1-5 Semifinals-round series record, and a 12-11 Game 1 record, while Miami has a 17-8 series record (with an active six-series winning streak befitting a defending NBA champion), a 3-2 Semifinals-round record, and a 13-12 Game 1 record. Series 1215 is the third best-of-7 NBA playoff series meeting between Indiana and Miami: Indiana won series 929 (in the 2004 NBA Quarterfinals) while Miami won series 1178 (in the 2012 NBA Quarterfinals).