MIAMI — As the final horn in a Game 6 loss to the Indiana Pacers was sounding, LeBron James walked toward several of his Miami Heat teammates to shake some hands and share a couple of quick words.
His message was clear: Get ready for Game 7.
Here comes the ultimate game. To the winner, a trip to the NBA Finals. To the loser, an offseason loaded with regret. It’s that simple now for the champion Heat and the confident Pacers, who meet in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals Monday in Miami (6:30 p.m., TNT)
.
“Each and every year there are 30 teams that would love to be a part of this, to have one game to advance to the NBA Finals,” James said. “And there’s two teams that’s in this position. And it’s something that you can’t substitute, this feeling.”
For the Heat, it’s a chance to move into the finals for the third straight year and keep hope alive of winning a second straight title. For the Pacers, it’s a chance to cap what would surely would be one of the biggest upsets in playoff history, considering they finished 16½ games behind the Heat in the regular season.
The Pacers had an off-the-court distraction to address Sunday. Center Roy Hibbert apologized and was fined $75,000 by the NBA after using a gay slur in his postgame comments on Saturday, along with a profanity to describe members of the media.
“They were disrespectful and offensive and not a reflection of my personal views,” Hibbert was quoted as saying in the statement released by the team. “I used a slang term that is not appropriate in any setting, private or public, and the language I used definitely has no place in a public forum, especially over live television.”
NBA commissioner David Stern said the fine was necessary “to reinforce that such offensive comments will not be tolerated.”
